In 2009 Victoria Campbell’s film House of Bones premiered at the Tabernacle. The documentary positions the family home on West Chop as a lens into her family and a way of life. The catalyst for the film was the death of her grandmother and the decision to sell the home.
It was Ms. Campbell’s first film, something she jumped into more with her heart than her head at first. She bought a camera and chronicled the last summer. When she couldn’t find an editor that shared her vision she edited the film too.
House of Bones returns to the Vineyard on Saturday, June 29, with a matinée performance at the Capawock Theatre in Vineyard Haven at 4 p.m. Ms. Campbell is excited to show the film again on the Vineyard but also knows she will view the film through the eyes of a more seasoned filmmaker.
“It was the first film I did. I know I will be seeing all the mistakes I made,” she says by phone from the Bronx.
Two years ago Ms. Campbell turned to teaching, something she had always felt called to. She teaches middle school ELA in the South Bronx and in the summer works on her documentaries.
It is the last day of school and a student interrupts the phone call. “Sorry, I don’t have your report card,” Ms. Campbell says to him. “You need to go to the main office for that.”
Returning to the phone, Ms. Campbell notes that seeing the film 10 years later will also stir up old memories and a sense of loss, for the house and for many people in the film.
“There is a whole cocktail party and many of those people have died,” she says. “And Jeannie Goodman, my mom’s best friend, died last year.”
Although the family home is no longer in the family, Ms. Campbell’s mother, Dolly Campbell, still lives on the Island and she returns to visit her often. She also screened her documentary Monsieur Le President on the Island in 2014. Saturday’s event will include a trailer from her latest film, Dimka.
“It’s about a Ukrainian man I met seven years ago who transitioned to being a woman,” she says. “Our relationship over the years is like sisters. We even look like sisters now.”
Comments
Comment policy »