Video Of Man Finding Grandmother's World Fair Film Goes Viral

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — For Westhampton Beach native Christian Nilsson, filmmaking has always been his heart's passion. But never has a project been more meaningful than one that evolved after film found inside an old camera held a precious portal back into his family's past.

And the story of how he worked tirelessly to capture the images on that film — photographs of his grandparents and his mother, aunt and uncle at the 1964 World's Fair — has captured hearts. A video he produced has garnered more than 1.3 million views on YouTube in just two weeks.

Nilsson, who works as a video producer for Buzzfeed, said he found the camera in a box of his grandmother's belongings shortly after she passed away in 2004. The undeveloped film, which was found in an attic, 54 years later, became a link to the past he worked tirelessly to restore.

"My grandfather told me she'd won the camera in 1964 but didn't recall ever seeing her use it. I've always been fascinated by old cameras so he let me keep it," he said. "Since my grandmother passed away, the camera has sat on my dresser as a reminder of her. Seeing the film — now 55 years after it was initially shot — feels like my grandmother is saying 'hello,'" he said.

The film may have stayed tucked away forever, but one day, the door of the 1963 Kodak Brownie Fun Saver camera popped off, revealing the precious memories potentially on the undeveloped film inside. And that moment ignited a fire inside of Nilsson.

While at first he thought he'd attempt to develop the film himself, researching a process and trying it out first on another roll of similar film, he soon realized that by trying, he could very well lose the fragile images.

"I quickly recognized I wouldn't be able to develop the film myself. People have some luck with home film processing but this film was way too old and had been kept in terrible conditions. As a test, I attempted to develop a brand-new roll of 8 mm film but the image barely showed up," he said.

"The chemicals used today are different and the film deteriorates over time," especially in the heat the film had been exposed to in the sweltering attic, he said.

Then he heard about Film Rescue International, a business in Canada that specializes in exactly what he needed.

"They had the tools and chemicals needed to finally get the film developed," he said. And from the grainy black-and-white images, a heart-soaring piece of his family's priceless history came into focus for the first time.

And the story didn't only resonate with Nilsson and his family — his quest to capture a precious moment of the past has touched literally millions of hearts.

At work, Nilsson said he's always looking for fun or interesting subjects to document. "However, I generally feel more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it," he said. "When I discovered the film inside the camera, I thought BuzzFeed's YouTube audience might enjoy watching me try to figure out how to develop the film. I had no idea how it'd turn out, but I thought it could be an interesting story. I've been blown away by the response we've had."

The video has gone viral, with more than 1.3 million views, "and has some of the kindest and most heartfelt comments I've ever received on one of my videos," Nilsson said.

For Nilsson, the project is clear one deeply entwined in his heart — a way to bring a moment of his beloved grandmother's life back to those who love her, a gift beyond measure. "I showed the developed footage to my grandfather separately before I recorded him watching it for my BuzzFeed video. He didn't say much. His eyes welled up and he said, 'There she is.' Like he'd been looking for her for the past 15 years and finally found her," Nilsson said.

Growing up in Westhampton Beach, Nilsson was often seen in local theatrical productions. Most recently, he wrote a feature film, "Westhampton," and said, on social media:"I've never worked harder on anything in my life and I can't wait to share this story with you. But I need your help."

To that end, Nilsson, a 2006 graduate of Westhampton Beach High School, kicked off a crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo.com to raise the funds necessary to begin shooting the film.

"We've spent the last year putting all the pieces together and finding the rest of the funds. All our work paid off. We're now working with a group of veteran film producers and financiers and hope to have the film completely finished by the end of 2019," he said.

And as a filmmaker, who lives not far today from where the World's Fair took place in Queens, seeing the World's Fair film developed gave him a glimpse into his own roots and history. "It was interesting," Nilsson said. "I've seen old photographs of my grandmother and mother, but I'd never seen how they moved or how they smiled or waved. I feel so much more connected to them when I watch the footage. To stand where they stood when I shot the ending of my BuzzFeed video was an incredible feeling. It all came full circle."

Patch photos by Christian Nilsson, except for the shot of him in front of the World's Fair Unisphere, which is courtesy of Terence Krey.