In January 2020, the RCMP killed homelessness activist Barry Shantz at his home in Lytton, B.C during a mental health crisis. That morning, his partner called 911 for help. What they got was an army of police officers, including snipers, but not a single mental health worker. In response to this tragedy, his sister Marilyn creates a series of art quilts called Kairos – a Greek word which means ‘an opportune time for action’. Marilyn began her Kairos quilts as a way to process her grief. She also believes they could be important tools to spark conversations about mental health and to motivate change in policing. . Her aim is to confront law enforcement with her pain and share her experiences with those who knew her brother. And as she discovers, grief is a question with no easy answers.
WINNER Best Documentary @ Chilliwack Independent Film Festival
Nominated – Best Documentary Forest City Film Festival; Mental Filmness Festival, Chicago; Opening Night Film, JayU Human Rights Film Festival; Human Rights Through Film Selection, Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
“Shows how Farquhar channelled her grief into radical art…It’s a striking work that conveys her loss, but also the many lives affected by that single shot.” – POV MAGAZINE
“Her struggle shows that the systems like the RCMP need to recognize the human cost of their actions, and the necessity to change the way they approach people in crisis.”- Abbotsford News
“If Shantz’s name sounds familiar, it might be because of Abbotsford v. Shantz, the 2015 B.C. Supreme Court case — an unprecedented ruling in Canadian housing rights… Shantz led an extraordinary life.” —Winnipeg Free Press
Likes: 0
Viewed:
