VCU alum Cameron Harris brings art and life to Richmond International Film Festival

By Liz DeFluri

Cameron Harris didn’t set out to make films. He wanted to understand people.

The son of a preacher, Harris watched his father use story and language to make people feel seen. He was inspired to follow a similar path, and the 2012 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University is reflecting some of his own story in a short documentary – “Monday Film School” – that will be featured this fall at the 15th annual Richmond International Film Festival.

Harris’ passion for storytelling flourished not only in his hometown of Richmond but also abroad in countries such as Germany and Singapore. In his work there as a filmmaker, educator and scholar, he embraced learning from other people’s stories.

“‘Monday Film School’ encapsulates a lot of my experience in film school, becoming an artist and what it’s like to be African American living in a foreign country in a film school,” Harris said. “I scaled all of it down to 10 minutes to give people that journey experience of what I learned in film school far from Richmond.”

The documentary will screen in competition at the Richmond festival, which runs from Sept. 22-27 and includes nearly 200 films from three dozen countries. The international flavor matches Harris’ pursuits from VCU, where he studied foreign languages through the Department of English.

That interest was sparked when he studied German at Richmond Community High School. Harris then earned a history degree from Hampton University but decided to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in foreign language at VCU.

It further inspired his curiosity about different cultures, storytelling and perspectives beyond his own. After graduating from VCU in 2012, Harris moved to Singapore to earn his MFA in filmmaking from New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia. 

“Being there really changed how I view the world and what’s possible in terms of storytelling because I was exposed to a lot of different types of storytelling from a lot of different cultures and languages,” Harris said.

Reflecting his own educational journey and time overseas, “Monday Film School” follows a group of international film students at NYU Tisch Asia as they navigate questions of identity, belonging, artistic ambition and community while living and working far from home.

Harris is now based in California and serves as chair of Black studies at California State University, Channel Islands. But he has always considered Richmond home, and he believes ”Monday Film School” will resonate with VCU students, alumni and aspiring creatives.

“My family’s in Richmond, my beginning is here, and for me it means everything,” Harris said. “Having this film in the festival means everyone I have known in my entire life has an opportunity to see what I’ve been doing.”

In addition to his film work, Harris is currently showing his photography exhibition, “Perception Over Parameters: A Black Aesthetic Journey,” at three Richmond locations: Second Baptist Church, RVA Café and Brewer’s Café. The exhibition will remain up through the film festival.

The exhibit explores the theme of Black style in Japanese design and features cellphone photos Harris has taken around the world.

“Most of the photos that were part of this exhibit were taken on a Google Pixel 10 Pro,” he said. “I wanted to show people you don’t need [a lot] to make films.”

Harris also writes short essays about his experiences around the world on his recently launched website, and he said the stories will likely translate into future film projects. Harris is also on Instagram at @unclecam_80.  

“It takes a lot, but there’s a phrase: Don’t quit before the miracle happens,” he said. “So just keep going, keep trying; anything is possible. I believe optimism is key.”

The 15th annual Richmond International Film Festival will be held Sept. 22-27. For more about this year’s schedule, visit riff.eventive.org/welcome.