Volunteer: Documentary Filmmaker / Biographer – Hedonisia Hawaii

Help Tell the Story of Hedonisia Hawaii: From EcoFeminist Community to Lava to Lotus Rebirth

Hedonisia Hawaii EcoFeminist Community was a unique intentional community located in the rainforests of the Big Island of Hawaii. For over a decade, we hosted volunteers from around the world who lived and worked on projects related to female empowerment, ecological living, sustainable tourism, and social innovation.

On May 26, 2018, the Kilauea volcanic eruption destroyed approximately 75% of the 4-acre property. What was once a thriving international eco-community was physically lost beneath lava, but the ideas, relationships, and projects continued to evolve.

Today, Hedonisia lives on through the Lava to Lotus Portfolio, a collection of online platforms focused on gender, communication, sexuality, activist entrepreneurship, and social dialogue. We are now documenting our history, rebuilding our work in digital form, and planning the next phase of our evolution.

We are seeking a volunteer documentary filmmaker / biographer to help tell this story.

About the Project

This documentary will explore:

• The founding and evolution of Hedonisia Hawaii
• The global volunteer community that helped shape it
• The impact of the 2018 Kilauea volcanic eruption
• The transition from a physical eco-community to a global online platform
• The life journey of founder Mojo Mustapha, whose travels to 39 countries and background in Sociology and Women’s Studies helped shape the project’s philosophy

The story is both historical and personal. Hedonisia is not separate from Mojo’s life. It is a direct expression of his experiences with gender, culture, relationships, communication, and social systems across different societies.

Available Resources We Provide:

• Documentation of the 2018 Kilauea volcano destruction and aftermath
• Access to websites and project materials, including Lava to Lotus Portfolio
• Pre-Volcano Hedonisia Eco-Feminist Community
• Post-Volcano Yin-Yang Gender Healing Projects
• Hedonisia Hawaii Photo History
• Biographical material and photos related to Mojo Mustapha’s sociological travels and the life experiences that influenced Hedonisia’s development.

We are seeking someone who:

• Has experience or strong interest in documentary storytelling, editing, or biography writing
• Is comfortable working with archival material such as photos, videos, and written content
• Can communicate regularly by phone or online as ongoing conversations and collaboration are needed to help shape the narrative.
• Is self-directed but open to collaboration
• Is interested in stories involving culture, sustainability, gender, resilience, and social innovation

Project Goal

The goal is to create a documentary that tells the story of Hedonisia from birth, to destruction, to rebirth, in parallel with the life story of founder Mojo Mustapha. The project is both a historical record and a semi-autobiographical exploration of how years of travel, cross-cultural experience, and sociological inquiry helped shape one of the world’s only ecofeminist intentional communities.

If you begin the project and are unable to complete it, we ask that you share your working files so the work can continue from where you left off.

This is an opportunity to help preserve a remarkable story of community, loss, resilience, and reinvention.