The Film

A lyrical account of an ordinary New England farm caught in the current of history.

‘Good-Bye To A House’ tells the story of a recently torn down New England farmhouse, the current of history, and the certainty of change. Told in the words and voice of someone who once lived there, the film paints an intimate portrait of the “old ways” and colorful individuality, all while creating a vivid sense of place. The film is both a dreamlike evocation of a bygone rural life, and a sympathetic eulogy of those who’ve come before us. At its heart, it is a personal inquiry into local history and the importance of remembering.

Background

“Every gaze that fell and lingered on that house was hungry
not for boards and dormer windows and porches and chimneys, but for a story.”

“Good-bye to a House” is a documentary-short based on the words of Jodi Farwell -- a mother, farmer, former school teacher, and writer -- who was a one-time resident of what’s most recently known as the Seaver Farm in Harrisville, NH. A lifelong resident of Harrisville, Farwell’s personal musings on the meaning of a house and place sets a tone that has resonated with many in Harrisville, a town of less than a thousand in southwestern New Hampshire, and will undoubtedly with many other residents in small rural towns throughout New Hampshire and New England. 

As Farwell says about the torn-down house: “In the absence of the house... we are approaching exactly what the people before us had and held dear above all: a good place upon which to freely exert a good will.” The latest chapter for the Seaver Farm has seen the property protected by a conservation easement through the collaboration of a local non-profit and a regional conservation organization.

The idea for “Good-bye to a House” came from a chance encounter with Jodi Farwell’s essay in the Harrisville’s Common Threads newsletter (Dec/Jan 2020) in which the piece’s unique voice, perspective, and cinematic possibilities shone through.

Audience 

The audience for the film includes the residents of Harrisville and surrounding towns in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. Further afield, the film will be offered to towns, historical societies, and historic preservation associations throughout New England. In addition, the film will be submitted to regional film festivals and public television stations in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

Screenings

• Harrisville Community Church, Harrisville, NH - Premiere Sept. 27, 2024

• Monadnock International Film Festival (MONIFF), Keene, NH - Oct. 4, 2024

• Nelson Library, Nelson, NH - Nov. 14, 2024

• Monadnock Center for History & Culture, Peterborough, NH - March 21, 2025

• VTIFF/VT Public Made Here Film Festival, Burlington, VT - April 27, 2025

• Dublin Lake Club, Dublin, NH - July 13, 2025

• Harris Center for Conservation Education, Hancock, NH - July 30, 2025

Festivals/Awards

• Monadnock International Film Festival (MONIFF), Keene, NH - Oct. 4, 2024

• VTIFF/VT Public Made Here Film Festival, Burlington, VT - April 27, 2025

Filmmaker

High Cairn Films founder, Chris Hardee creates documentaries focused on the environment, sustainability, and education that help illuminate a path forward. Other recent projects include: 1) a short doc profiling a retired forester and his low-impact forestry philosophy; 2) a feature-length international documentary with other lead filmmakers on the destruction of forests and the industrial biomass industry; and 3) two short films on nature-based education for Antioch University New England.  These films have been accepted and won awards in national and regional film festivals and have been broadcast on Public Television stations in New England. Prior, Hardee co-founded and co-directed Monadnock Media, a non-profit media organization now based in Hatfield, MA, that continues to serve museums, parks, and historic sites nationwide. 

To Support the Film 

Please consider making a donation to support screenings and distribution of ‘Good-Bye To A House’:
‘Good-bye to a House’ GoFundMe webpage, or at the DONATE button below.