A piece of local history is now being recognized and awarded all over the world.
House of David: Life Everlasting, a film exploring the origins and history of Benton Harbor’s House of David, was named Best American Film at the Cannes World Film Festival this week.
Executive Producer and House of David Museum Founder Chris Siriano, who has devoted much of his life to preserving and showcasing the history of the House of David, said he was shocked to wake up and see the news of the Cannes award.
“It’s mind-boggling,” Siriano said. “I’ve been the little guy in my own little museum trying to tell the story for 27 years to each person who walks in. Now, the story is being told to tens of thousands – and more – and that just makes my heart swell.”
In his years researching the House of David, Siriano was able to talk to many living members of the group, and acquired more than 10,000 photos from their history in the process.
“We narrowed it down to like 800 photos and posters and footage that we share in the film,” Siriano said. “It’s got to be one of the best documented pieces of history because of the photos.”
House of David: Life Everlasting covers every aspect of the organization, from their amusement park and baseball team to the sex scandal involving leader Benjamin Purnell. For the better part of the past two years, Siriano worked with Emmy Award-winning South Haven filmmaker Rob Byrd, of Moondog Productions, on the project.
“He’s amazing,” said Siriano, of Byrd. “He’s such an over-the-top perfectionist. He would not stop editing and perfecting the film. Night after night after night, he’d go sleepless. And not, there you go – these are the results we’re seeing at all these film festivals around the planet.”
Siriano said they submitted the film to 88 film festivals around the world, and have been awarded Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Producer and Best Editing from several from Chicago to New York to Australia.
The reception locally has been equally amazing to Siriano. The film has been screened all over southwest Michgan, and Celebration Cinema told Siriano his film did better than Elvis.
“It’s staggering to me to think about the success,” said Siriano, adding he has been contacted by . “I was just happy to have the movie out there. I didn’t anticipate any of this.”
Siriano said he has been contacted by Discovery, History Channel and Netflix. Like A Shot Entertainment from London will be traveling to film a series on the House of David next month.
“The results have been mind-blowing, humbling and shocking all in one,” Siriano said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
The next episode for the 10-part series Siriano and Byrd are working on is all about the House of David baseball team, which Siriano said has already been getting attention from newspapers all over the world.
“They were such a unique part of early baseball history,” Siriano said. “They were the only white team that consistently was a part of the Negro Leagues. … We’re really going to uncover and share some crazy history that we’ve just learned over the last year in doing this movie.”
Part three will focus on personal interviews Siriano has done with former House of David members over the last 25 years.
“That’s a very emotional one for me because they’re gone now,” Siriano said. “They were like my grandmas and grandpas for years.”
To purchase or watch House of David: Life Everlasting, visit HODfilm.com.
