ARTIST William Kelly and actor Martin Sheen discuss peace in the documentary “Can Art Stop a Bullet”. Picture: Supplied

THE multi-award winning documentary “Can Art Stop a Bullet: William Kelly’s Big Picture” is having its final online screening on Thursday 29 October.

Described as a peace documentary, the film follows Cheltenham-based artist William Kelly through various countries, recording his views on peace along with those of actor Martin Sheen, photographer Nick Ut (whose photo of a child fleeing napalm bombing is credited with adding impetus to ending the Vietnam War) and philosopher A C Grayling. The image of that young girl is also incorporated in Kelly’s 13-metre long “Peace and War/The Big Picture” banner, which hangs in the La Trobe Reading Room at the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne. The banner includes Kelly’s “visioning” of Picasso’s Guernica.

Its creators say “Can Art Stop a Bullet” is international, but was “born” locally, with director Mark Street living in Mentone, sound recordist David Muir, Mornington, online editor Alan Ryan, Mount Eliza and media producer Terry Cantwell, Mornington (“Film follows artist’s pursuit of peace” The News 9/6/20).

The 90-minute documentary was one of the last films shown at Mornington Cinemas before it was closed due to the COVID-19 emergency.

“Can Art Stop a Bullet?” will be streamed online via fanforcetv at 6pm Thursday 29 October as part of the City of Kingston’s Seniors Festival. Tickets: $10 at fanforcetv.com/programs/kfhr-casab

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 13 October 2020