Homegoings

Directed & Produced by Christine Turner

World Premiere: 2013 Documentary Fortnight at MoMA
Broadcast Premiere: PBS/POV (26th Season Opener)

About the Film

Through the eyes of funeral director Isaiah Owens, the beauty and grace of African-American funerals are brought to life. Filmed at Owens Funeral Home in New York City’s historic Harlem neighborhood, HOMEGOINGS takes an up-close look at the rarely seen world of undertaking in the black community, where funeral rites draw on a rich palette of tradition, history and celebration. Combining cinéma vérité with intimate interviews and archival photographs, the film paints a portrait of the dearly departed, their grieving families and a man who sends loved ones “home.” www.homegoings.com

Selected Press

“The morbid meets the deeply spiritual in Christine Turner’s assured documentary. . . Ms. Turner captures the intimacy of solemn, heartfelt moments, and salutes a man who honors their value.”
— Andy Webster, The New York Times

“Exquisitely tender. . . one of those rare opportunities to go toward the thing we fear most—death—and realize how much joy and comfort there is in it, when handled with grace and care. Thoughtful and enlightening.”
— Hank Stuever, The Washington Post

“Watching [Isaiah Owens’] gentle face . . . and hearing him explain his interest in laying the dead to rest . . . we know instinctively that his presence on earth is a gift to all who meet him, living or dead.”
— Nancy deWolf Smith, The Wall Street Journal

“A poetically crafted exploration . . . poignant, inspirational and unexpectedly uplifting.”
— Lauren Wissot, Filmmaker Magazine