Filmmakers Lucinda Spurling, Kara Smith and Karli Powell unite to produce documentary on the history of The Berkeley Institute

By Nadia Arandjelovic

There’s no telling how many hurdles you’ll have to jump while chasing a dream. They key is to always keep striving.

That’s the message behind a locally produced documentary showing the proud and inspiring history of The Berkeley Institute.

Produced by local filmmakers Lucinda Spurling, Kara Smith and Karli Powell, the documentary was commissioned by the Berkeley Class of ‘63 in honour of their 50th Anniversary.

Since the project started last month, the filmmakers have had the opportunity to interview a host of successful Berkeley alumni, including Mansfield Brock, the first CEO of Bermuda College, Dr Eva Hodgson, a local author and activist and former Premiers Dame Jennifer Smith and Pamela Gordon Banks.

The filmmakers say they have learned a great deal from the participants. They have also gained a new level of respect for the school and it’s impact on the Island as a whole.

Kara Smith said: “One of the biggest takeaways from this project so far is that Bermuda has some real heroes.

“When we look at the story of Berkeley and the perseverance it’s inspiring because it wasn’t easy to establish the school.

“The founding fathers set out to create an institution that would prepare young black children to go on to become leaders. It was the first completely integrated school on the Island.

“Those founders were people who have dedicated and sacrificed greatly on behalf of Bermudians and I’m so excited to share their story with others.”

She said she hopes the film will help to foster a sense of national pride within residents. “In many ways the Berkeley story is about more than just Berkeley, it impacts the wider community as well,” Ms Smith explained.

Although she was used to working on filming projects with her sister Karli Powell, the two had never collaborated with documentary filmmaker Lucinda Spurling before.

But luckily the trio hit it off right away.

Mrs Spurling said: “When I met them [four years ago] I knew instantaneously that we were ‘kindred spirits’ and that happens very rarely.

“Kara had e-mailed me [years ago], but I had lost track of her e-mail. We almost never got together, but [through this project] we did and they are now my ‘sisters’.”

She said they were each individually approached and asked to submit proposals for the Berkeley film.

However, after a year passed a filmmaker had yet to be chosen and they were asked to submit their proposals again. The three women decided they wanted to work together on the project and submitted their proposal as a team. That sealed the deal.

Mrs Spurling said taking part in the film interested her for several reasons.

“[Firstly] because there is just something about Berkeley that the other schools don’t have — a fierce pride and loyalty of Berkeleyites that would make anyone who didn’t attend curious.

“I also liked that the early history was an amazing story of persistence against all odds, if you will — a classic Hollywood Underdog story.

“All of my films are underdog stories, that is what I am drawn to. And no one at Berkeley is allowed to forget where they started — they celebrate the founders every October.”

She was also interested in the fact that it’s not only a historical film, but one that is also grounded in the present and future as well, as the school continues to evolve and educate Bermuda’s future leaders.

Mrs Spurling said: “The story is so large and multigenerational it will allow us a lot of scope for creativity, in how we represent the history through the present students and how we talk about the future. It should be fun.”

So far filming for the project has gone “very well”.

The women have been able to interview a broad range of Berkeley alumni and former educators who were at the school from the 1940s to 1980s.

Next month they also plan to speak with new and ‘legacy’ students, those whose parents and grandparents went to Berkeley Institute.

The challenging part, according to Ms Powell, will be deciding how to piece the story together from the beginning to present day.

She said they already had “a thousand times” more information than they needed, so the editing process will be crucial.

Ms Powell said she hoped the film, set to be finished in January, would leave people with knowledge and a greater understanding of the historical significance of Berkeley Institute.

“I also want people to leave with a sense of pride at what has been done and the sacrifices that have been made to ensure that education is free and that we as Bermudians are prepared for the outside world,” she said.

“I also hope they have a new appreciation for the evolution of society and see that we come from an island that deserves our pride.

“There were so many instances where educators could have given up, but didn’t, so the message is that we shouldn’t give up either.

“They faced a lot of difficult times and it took 18 years from when they first thought up the school in 1879 to when it was officially opened in 1897.

“Black young people didn’t always know what they were capable of before Berkeley and it took a while for the psyche to change with young black minds. But when they finally left Berkeley they were more than ready to compete in the outside world.”

The filmmakers are still appealing for help from the general community. They encourage anyone with memories of the school to submit their writing, pictures, video or memorabilia to: http://myberkeleystory.wordpress.com