Film Update: A Story of Bones

POV’s Digital Curator Anthony Yooshin Kim caught up with A Story of Bones co-director Joseph Curran to provide a window into the making of his film and reflect on the journey since the cameras stopped rolling.

On the remote island of Saint Helena, an overlooked chapter of the transatlantic slave trade emerges from the soil, demanding recognition. A Story of Bones navigates this difficult terrain of history and atrocity, asking: How do we reckon with such monumental loss?

The film pivots around Annina Van Neel, the Construction Environmental Officer for the island’s troubled airport project. When she unearths an unmarked mass burial ground estimated to house the remains of 9,000 formerly enslaved Africans, this haunting revelation sets the course of her life in a new direction. Teaming up with African American preservationist Peggy King Jorde, the duo embarks on a resolute battle for the proper memorialization of these forgotten souls, thus exposing Britain’s shadowed colonial past and present.

Upon its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022, A Story of Bones garnered critical acclaim, earning nominations for Best Feature Documentary and Best Debut Feature by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), as well as Best Feature Documentary by the International Documentary Association (IDA).

The film’s journey began in October 2015 when Joseph Curran and his directing partner Dominic Aubrey de Vere embarked on the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) in Cape Town, setting sail for Saint Helena. “Having never made a feature film before, we were naively confident that our commitment to live on the island for nine months would accumulate more than enough material to create a film,” Curran admits.

The subsequent encounter with Van Neel was pivotal. She led them to the story of Rupert’s Valley, where the unmarked remains of 325 once enslaved Africans were discovered in 2008, exhumed to make way for an airport haul road. Curran stated, “We discovered a deeply symbolic story, a truly unique expression of how Britain’s colonial past continues to define the lives of so many people – both at home and across the sea – deep into the 21st century.”

The process of making the film was not without its challenges. The most significant hurdle was tracking the narrative over a lengthy period, aiming to capture the systemic forces that had been at play for centuries. As Curran explained, “We had no choice but to use time itself as an indicator of the power of these forces. Following the story over nearly a decade meant that we were able to allow our audience into Annina’s struggle directly.”

Their approach to documentary filmmaking draws heavily from their background in experimental film and the influence of renowned directors like Patricio Guzman, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Akomfrah, Laura Poitras, Werner Herzog, and Erroll Morris. In Curran’s words, “Meeting Annina was really a breakthrough moment – and subsequently – we have tried to use our skills as filmmakers to share her story in a way that allows for some inkling of her lived experience to translate to an audience.”

As for Van Neel’s reaction to the film, Curran says, “Annina expressed a strong sense that the film did justice to her lived experience – which meant the world to us.” She and King Jorde continue their global advocacy for the proper memorialization of sites tied to the Middle Passage.

Curran hopes the film, dubbed by one reviewer as “an eye opening soul rattling masterpiece,” will offer audiences a sense of solidarity in their own struggles and motivate them to challenge systemic injustices in their own communities. He remarks, “In many ways, the film is about powerful systems and individuals who are brave enough to speak out. We hope that individuals feel empowered to speak out – because what are systems other than networks of individuals?”

Having devoted nearly a decade to A Story of Bones, the directors are now taking a well-earned break. “Our love to all who are keeping the flame alight,” Curran concludes. “We have many ideas germinating – but for now, we are content to see this film and story having the attention it deserves.”

A Story of Bones serves as a potent catalyst, stirring its audience into a space where the past ruptures the present, igniting conversations around the enduring consequences of our shared colonial past and nurturing the hope for truly postcolonial futures to flourish.

A Story of Bones premiered on Monday, July 3rd and is available to stream through October 1st.