“A surprising and moving portrait.”
–Rod Armstrong, San Francisco International Film Festival
Shelf Life: Everybody collects something. Raymond “Bones” Bandar collects skulls – 7,000 and counting. Shelf Life is a short documentary exploring one man’s passion for collecting. Since his youth, Raymond Bandar, retired high school science teacher and long-time volunteer Field Associate for the California Academy of Sciences, has been collecting bones of all kinds. Today, Bandar has more than 7,000 cataloged specimens tightly stored in his home – mostly skulls of marine mammals that he’s personally salvaged for both scientific data and personal pleasure. His wife of 50 years, artist Alkmene Bandar, has only one rule: no skulls in the bedroom.
2008
Don Bernier
Don Bernier
Raymond "Bones" Bandar, the charming subject of Bernier's 2008 short documentary Shelf Life, passed away just before Christmas. Watch the full video of the film by clicking the link....
Coinciding with the opening of the newCalifornia Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, Shelf Life will be featured on KQED's website as part of their Truly CA Shorts series. The film will also be available as a free podcast by searching for "Truly CA" on iTunes. You can also order a copy of Shelf Life directly from mimetic media. Click here to request a DVD....
Shelf Life will make its world premiere at the 51st San Francisco International Film Festival as part of the "Picking up the Pieces" shorts program....