The Spirit We Move With documentary to premiere
A new documentary created through a partnership between the local Gullah community and the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton Chamber of Commerce will premiere Feb. 12 at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park.
The Spirit We Move With will screen from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, 40 Harriet Tubman Way. The event will include a post-screening discussion with members of the Gullah community who participated in the film, along with documentary filmmaker Andrew Maguire.
The film explores themes of heritage, identity and cultural preservation on Hilton Head Island and was developed in collaboration with Gullah community members. Attendees may register through the chamber’s website at HiltonHeadBlufftonChamber.org.
The documentary’s executive producer is Omolola Campbell, known as Lola Campbell, a sixth-generation Gullah descendant. Campbell worked alongside Maguire, an award-winning director whose work has appeared in galleries, on television and at film festivals worldwide.
“The documentary means a great deal to the Gullah community,” Campbell said. “It shares our history, but it also shows that Gullah culture is alive, evolving and deeply rooted in community.”
Campbell said developing the film in partnership with the chamber was important to ensuring the story was told with care and integrity.
Bill Miles, president and CEO of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, said the project was built on collaboration and respect.
“The documentary and the story it tells belong to the Gullah community, and our role was to support it,” Miles said. He added that the film highlights how Gullah culture continues to shape Hilton Head Island today.
The Spirit We Move With has already received national and international recognition. The film has been selected for the Virginia Black Film Festival, scheduled for Feb. 19-22, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia; the 10th anniversary of the Rapport Black Film Festival, March 27-29, 2026, in London; and the 2026 Black History Film Festival, which will hold events in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Miami and Oakland, California.
Campbell, who was born and raised in the Spanish Wells community on Hilton Head Island, is a writer, poet and entrepreneur and the owner of Binya Boutique. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Howard University School of Law and previously worked as a Wall Street attorney.
Maguire, a West Coast-based filmmaker, has spent more than 20 years producing purpose-driven documentary work focused on cultural storytelling and community collaboration.
