Marilyn Farquhar using her passion to quilt to confront grief surrounding the passing of her brother Barry Shantz. Photo Courtesy of Ian Daffern.
Whitehorse, YT – Among the many films being screened at the Available Light Film Festival is a documentary shining a light on issues surrounding police violence, mental health, and one woman’s experience of using quilting to cope with the grief of losing her brother to an RCMP response.
The film explores themes of mental health and police violence and delves into the life of Marilyn Farquhar and her brother Barry Shantz, who was shot by the RCMP outside his home in Lytton B.C. in 2020. Much of the documentary follows Farquhar making quilts to cope with grief while also fighting for accountability from the police.
“The quilt gave me a purpose to get out of bed. Quilting is my thing,” said Farquhar. “It’s like speaking my language.”
Kairos is the name of the three quilts, featured in the film, that Farquhar made to confront the struggles Shantz had with mental health, the grief she experienced following his death, and the way forward. Kairos was also one name that was considered for the title of the film.
Ian Daffern, the director of the film, met Farquhar by chance and was drawn to create a film highlighting her story. Initially being told the idea Farquhar wasn’t interested due to the sensitive nature of the story but it didn’t take long for her to reach out and tell Daffern that she was in.
“Barry was always a fighter. He was about shedding light on an issue,” said Farquhar. “I just had to take my cue from him as to what the right thing to do was, and then immediately, I knew, somebody needed to stand up for Barry.”
Daffern’s background in journalism and investigative reporting informed his approach to sensitively being able to share Farquhar’s story through the film and credits her openness and emotional candor as being instrumental in guiding the film.
“Marilyn’s ability to share her raw, unfiltered emotions allowed the film to unfold organically,” said Daffern. “Her story became the cornerstone of ‘A Bullet Pulling Thread.'”
The documentary aims to invite viewers to explore the complexities of grief, resilience, and the pursuit of justice through the story of Marilyn Farquhar while serving as a testament to the power of art in navigating some of life’s most profound challenges.
“Being able to explore these kinds of topics of issues that are so important to society,” said Daffern. “Being able to shine a light on it through this film has been really meaningful for me personally.”
