Lava Lamp Films
— Production History —
Lava Lamp Films founders and directors James and Sara Meyer have a rich history of social impact film and video production. Since 1989 they have produced more than 100 social impact documentaries and promotional videos in more than 75 countries, highlighting causes like prenatal care in the Philippines, sponsorship for leprosy colony children in India, post-war conditions in Cambodia, persecution in Southern Sudan, and indigenous needs globally.
In 2006 they founded GemStone Media in Germany, an international production company specializing in producing positive, uplifting social impact videos and short films. In 2012, the team expanded into producing narrative films, creating The Lost Trilogy (2013-2015) and the award-winning feature films — The Kingdom (2017) available in 19 languages and The Traveler (2019), which doubles as a literacy tool in Tajikistan and is available in 17 languages.
In 2024 they established Lava Lamp Films to specifically create mental health stories with a social impact emphasis.Their recent work includes shorts in Germany (Choices, Candlelight) and co-productions in Romania (Sabina, 2020), in Vietnam (Once Upon A Time In Vietnam, 2024) and Spain (Esther: Queen of Hope, 2025).
— Narrative Productions —
Click on each poster to view
Esther: Queen of Hope
(2025)
Adieu Proof-of-Concept
(2025)
Spain
6-episode series (in post-production)
Denise Godwin — Director
LLF Team: Production Design • Location Sound • Best Boy Electric
2nd Assistant Director • Wardrobe
France
5:00 run time
James Meyer — Director
Sara Meyer — Producer
Once Upon a Time in Vietnam
(2024)
\
Sabina—Tortured for Christ
(2022)
\
Vietnam
1:34:00 run time (in post-production)
Donald Leow — Director
LLF Team: 2nd Assistant Director • Location Sound • Boom Operator
Wardrobe Supervisor • Data Wrangler
Romania
1:57:00 run time
John Grooters — Director
James Meyer: Dialect Coach
Candlelight
(2023)
The Kingdom
(2019)
\
Germany
5:00 run time
James Meyer — Director
Sara Meyer — Producer
Written by James Meyer and Ryan Lee Taylor
Germany
6:00 run time
James Meyer — Director
Sara Meyer — Producer
Written by James Meyer and Ryan Lee Taylor
The Traveler
(2018)
The Kingdom
(2016)
\
Tajikistan
53:00 run time
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Directors
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Producers
Written by James Meyer and Ivana Simova
Kosovo, Albania, Montinegro
1:22:00 run time
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Directors
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Producers
Written by James Meyer with Ted Cox
Lost Sons
(2015)
Lost Jewel
(2013)
Tajikistan
43:00 run time
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Directors
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Producers
Written by James Meyer with Ted Cox
Tajikistan
6:00 run time
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Directors
James Meyer, Sara Meyer — Producers
Written by Ivana Simova
Lost Sheep
(2013)
Reach The World
(2010)
Tajikistan
6:00 run time
James Meyer — Director
James Meyer — Producer
Written by Ivana Simova
Switzerland
2:15 run time
Team Production
— Documentaries & Promo Videos —
Germany, Italy, Netherlands, UK — 2026
Social Impact Testimonial series:
Frankfurt (4:30)
Rome (4:30)
Alkmaar (5:20)
Birmingham Men's Workout (4:30)
Mum’s Meet (3:30)
France — 2025
“Adieu” proof-of-concept scene (3:30)
Germany — 2022—2023
“Choices” short film (1:00)
“Candlelight” short film (7:00)
Netherlands — 2019
EMDC video production course
Not Finished Yet (2:20)
Germany, Slovenia — 2017
“Worth the Risk” audio book (8:35:00)
Slovenia — 2017
Humanitarian promo video (3:30)
England — 2016
Cliff Dancer - Drone (3:00)
Turkey — 2013
2-week audio engineering
Germany — 2013
“Jenni’s Story” short film (4:15)
“Shahyar’s Story” short film (4:15)
Italy — 2013
Rome social impact promo (3:00)
Germany — 2012
“50 Cities in 5 Years” promo (2:00)
“Broken and Beautiful” (2:45)
France — 2012
Tour de France recruitment video (5:00)
England — 2011
London 2012 Olympics promo (3:00)
Germany — 2011
Humanitarian recruitment video set:
“On Any Given Day” (1:15)
“What Would It Look Like?” (1:30)
“Change the World” (2:15)
Germany — 2010
The Art Factory promo (3:15)
Belarus — 2010
“I Am Not Alone” short film (1:30)
Germany — 2009, 2010
“How 2 Video” training series 6-video set:
Introduction (2:00)
Get Your Story Straight—Story (6:30)
Clearing Things Up—Audio (5:00)
Jazz Up Your Shots—Lighting (5:00)
Shooting 101—Filming (5:00)
Get It Out There—Editing (6:30)
Switzerland — 2009
“Friends” cross-cultural short film (1:00)
Bulgaria — 2009
Humanitarian Aid promo (3:15)
“Victor” Turkish story
France — 2008
GEM France recruiting videos (2:30)
Croatia — 2008
“The Beat” Croatian youth video
Latvia — 2007
GEM promo for Canada (7:00)
Germany — 2007
TEFL Training Course video (1:44:00)
Azerbaijan, Georgia — 2006, 2007
Eurasia/Caucasus documentary (3:45)
France, Romania, Sweden, Belarus, Germany — 2006
Humanitarian Aid Short Term Team promo - 8 video set
Construction France (2:30)
Imagin’Air Romania (3:00)
One2One Belarus (3:00)
TIP.com Ukraine (2:45)
Special Events Germany (3:00)
TEFL Romania (3:00)
TREFF Germany (2:00)
Full Promo (6:30)
Morocco, Germany — 2005
EME Deaf school documentary (6:30)
GEM Morocco Outreach (8:30)
Venezuela/Brazil Amazon — 2003
"The Enemy God" background documentary (15:00)
Ivory Coast — 2002
AD2000 & Beyond / Shaping Eternity documentary (26:00)
India — 2001
Ansari Artisans documentary (15:45)
Rajput Warriors documentary (16:00)
Indonesia — 2000
Jambi Malaiu tribe documentary (14:45)
Tatarstan, Russia — 1999
Volga Tatar historic documentary (12:00)
Korea, Myanmar/Burma,
India, Malaysia, Singapore — 1997,1998
Woman as Risk Takers documentary (27:30)
Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia — 1996
GC2000 Series – Sudan (25:00)
Nuba, Nuer and Dinka stories amidst raging war
World Vision’s work
Korea — 1995
GCOWE Conference video (13:00)
Singapore — 1994-1997
GC2000 Series production office
Mexico — 1994
GC2000 Series - Mexico (25:00)
Pame tribe documentary
Zoque tribe documentary
Tarahumara tribe documentary
Huichol tribe documentary
Japan — 1992
PAZ Japan TEFL documentary (20:00)
India — 1990
Jyothi Leprosy Colony and child sponsorship documentary (18:00)
Caleb Project people group research promo (12:00)
Philippines — 1989
Help International birthing clinic documentary (14:00)
Little Children’s Home orphanage documentary (8:00)
Power of Film
Choices
The Voice
Hope — I am not alone
GC2000 Sudan
The Ansari
Kids Around The World - Han
Sabina — Why I Live
Great Britian — 2026
Breeze Translate promo (2:30)
Romania — 2024
“Adieu” Read-a-Scene #1 (5:00)
“Adieu” Read-a-Scene #2 (5:00)
“Adieu” Read-a-Scene #3 (3:45)
Germany — 2023
“The Power of Film” (3:30)
Romania — 2020, 2023, 2024
Ukrainian refugee camp promo (4:15)
Italy, Germany, Switzerland — 2019
“Lily’s Story” documentary (2:00)
“Anja’s Lament” short film (5:00)
“Anja’s Lament” documentary (10:45)
Netherlands — 2017
EMDC video production course instructors; short film production
Germany — 2017
“Ordinary Human” refugee music video (5:00)
Romania — 2015
“John Vlad’s Story” (8:00)
England, USA — 2015
Euro Cup 2016 promo (1:30)
Euro Cup 2016 Outreach (4:30)
France — 2014
“Sabrina’s Story” (10:00)
Germany — 2013
“Das Duerre Kreuz” music video (3:30)
Bulgaria — 2011
“The Voice” Hari's Story (11:00)
“Making Disciples in the Balkans” (2:00)
Belarus — 2011
Eurasia/Caucasus documentary (4:30)
Switzerland — 2011
72-hr cross-cultural training video course (60 hours)
Ukraine — 2011
Zaporizhia School promo (3:30)
France — 2010
Social impact promo (2:30)
Latvia — 2010
Humanitarian Aid promo (7:00)
Germany — 2009
Carpe Amor (2:00)
Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Romania,
France, Italy, Sweden — 2009
7-city Europe recruitment video (3:00)
Ukraine — 2009
eDOT Computer training and internet café promo (3:00)
Romania, Germany — 2009
TREK Humanitarian Aid Short Term Team promo (1:30)
Italy — 2009
“Great Need, Great Hope, Great Opportunity” promo (5:00)
Sweden — 2009
Humanitarian Camp promo (2:00)
Morocco — 2009
“Advance” promo DVD 3-video set
Arab—American Encounters (2:00)
Home Support (2:00)
Advance Team (6:48)
Hungary — 2007
“Great Hope” recruiting promo (2:15)
France — 2007
Humanitarian Aid construction team promo (2:30)
Hungary — 2006
25-interview non-profit recruiting documentary (8:30:00)
Poland — 2006
Humanitarian aid promo video (4:30)
Bulgaria — 2006
Social impact video (6:00)
Germany — 2005
Social impact construction promo (3:15)
Germany — 2004
“Imagin’ Air” TEFL 4-episode series
India — 2004
Cornerstone documentary on Indian villages’ needs (16:00)
Senegal, Korea, Bosnia Herzegovina,
China, England, USA — 2002
Shaping Eternity documentary
Unreached (4:45)
Sending (5:00)
Going (5:00)
Fuel Music Video (4:15)
USA — 1999—2004
“Kids Around The World”
12-country children’s cultural awareness video series
Bhil Kids (10:30)
Rajput Kids (11:30)
Kazakh Kids (8:00)
Riffi Kids (9:00)
Turk Kids (7:30)
Fulani Kids (11:15)
Khamba Kids (11:30)
Uzbek Kids (9:45)
Malay Kids (15:00)
Tajik Kids (300)
Han Kids (12:45)
10/40 Window (11:00)
Kazakhstan, Dagestan, Russia — 1995
GC2000 Series - Central Asia (25:00)
Central Asia people groups documentary
Cambodia — 1995
GC2000 Series - Cambodia (25:00)
Khmer Rouge and Cambodia relief efforts
India — 1993
GC2000 Series - India (25:00)
Bhil tribe documentary
Pardhi tribe documentary
Philippines — 1992
Help International Shiphera promo (8:00)
Harvest International promo
Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia — 1991
Int’l Leadership Training Institute promo (15:30)
India — 1990
Cornerstone documentary on Indian villages’ needs (16:00)
Orissa, India Humanitarian Aid promo (8:30)
Lily's Story
Arab American Encounters
Carpe Amor
Euro Team Construction
GC2000 Cambodia