In the Solomon Islands, communities have maintained a deep spiritual connection to nature, and in particular, to the sacred, historic, and biologically unique forest of the mountainous regions.

Although a growing colonial and missionary presence in the early 1900s prompted many villages to leave the protections of the interior forests and resettle along the coasts, ties to the high 'elevated forests' – or 'Sky Islands' – persisted.

Visitors to the Sky Islands marvel at its magic and mystery. These rugged mountainous spaces are the head and heart, the pulse of the island. It’s a place where rhythm, grace and mystery remain, breathing life and revitalisation back into it's people and wildlife.

The Sky Islands are inextricably linked with the welfare of indigenous peoples. The forests and rivers provide everything needed to sustain oneself; materials to build traditional homes; bamboo to craft musical instruments, and so on. Tuned by adjusting the bamboo lengths, these musical instruments produce melodic harmonies that are characteristic of traditional Solomon Islands music.

The allure of the Sky Islands is challenged only by the dread of losing these special areas, as deforestation rises in the Solomon Islands (due to expanding villages, agricultural pursuits, and industrial logging). Sky Aelans is a film rooted in the necessity of protecting the Sky Islands. This short film celebrates the faces and spaces within these forests in order to reinforce that these connections, both biological and spiritual, should hold strong for generations to come.