Can Art Stop A Bullet:
William Kelly's Big Picture

feature documentary; 93 minutes; completed in October 2019.

Synopsis

William Kelly, widely considered the social conscience of Australian art, once said: “Art can’t stop a bullet, but it can stop a bullet from being fired.”
Can it?

Filmed on five continents, with contributions from over 20 artists, thinkers and activists, this documentary explores the power of art to influence the violence in the world.

The film documents the creation of Kelly’s monumental artwork “Peace or War/The Big Picture”. It is a tapestry of history and art, drawn from major artworks and photos from the defining conflicts of their times. This immense visual collage allows the audience to navigate through time and place, meeting survivors of these horrific moments in history and the artists who have created work commenting on these periods, some of which have become iconic.

Through Kelly’s drawings, the audience is transported to the concentration camps of the Third Reich, the bombing of Hiroshima, “the troubles” in Ireland, the race riots in the US and Pol Pot’s Year Zero. Interwoven with archival footage of these cataclysmic events, the audience is invited to visit anti-war and anti-gun demonstrations today, events that call for similar injustices to be stopped.

The film is a parallel work to Kelly’s enduring masterpiece, unfolding to create the ‘Big Picture’ in documentary form.

TRAILER

Awards/ Screenings
  • Premiered at the 2019 United Nations Film Festival, USA
  • Silver Award for ‘Human Concerns’ Documentary at 2020 New York Film Festivals
  • Gold Remi for World Peace & Understanding at 2020 WorldFEST Houston Film & Video Festival
  • International Peace Platinum Award at 2020 World Peace Awards, Indonesia
  • Best Feature Documentary at 2020 Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, USA
  • Best Feature Documentary at 2020 Albuquerque Film & Music Experience, USA
  • Best Feature Documentary at 2020 The Indie Gathering International Film Festival, USA
  • Best Feature Documentary at 2020 APOX Documentary Film Festival, Croatia
  • Best International Documentary Feature at 2020 Urban Mediamakers Festival, USA
  • Best Arts Documentary at 2020 ATOM (Australian Teachers of Media) Awards, AUS
  • Best Editing in a Documentary at 2020 AACTA Awards, AUS
  • Best Melbourne Documentary at 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, AUS
  • Bronze Prize for Documentary Feature at 2020 Social Justice Film Festival, USA
  • Arts & Creativity Award at 2021 Eatsa Art & tourism Film Festival, Portugal
  • Outstanding Achievement Award at 2022 Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards, India
  • Special Mention Award at 2019 Big Syn International Film Festival, UK
  • Award of Merit Special Mention: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest at 2019 IndieFEST Awards, USA
  • Award of Excellence at 2019 Depth of Field International Film Festival, USA
  • Award of Excellence: Documentary Feature at 2020 Impact DOCS Awards, USA
  • Award of Excellence: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest &
  • Award of Excellence: Documentary Feature at 2020 Accolade Global Film Competition, USA
  • Excellence Award at 2020 Docs Without Borders Film Festival competition, USA
  • 2020 Legacy Award for William Kelly at 2020 Richmond International Film Festival, USA
  • Certificate of Excellence at Picasso Einstein Buddha International Film Festival 2020, India & Best Director at Picasso Einstein Buddha International Film Festival 2020, India
  • Bronze Tilapia Award at 2021 Tiete International Film Awards, Brazil
  • Award of Excellence at 2020 Pacific Screen Awards
  • Monthly Winner in Documentary film at 2020 Twilight Tokyo Film Festival, Japan
  • Finalist for Best Documentary Feature at 2021 ReelHeART International Film Festival, Canada
  • Finalist for Best Documentary at 2020 Maverick Movie Awards, USA
  • Finalist for Best Film at 2020 Mosaic World Film Festival, USA
  • Nomination for Best Directing: Feature & Best Editing: Feature at 2021 Indie Gathering, USA
  • Nomination for Best Sound at 2020 AACTA Awards, Australia
  • Nomination for Best Australian Documentary &
  • Nomination for Best Director at 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, AUS
  • Official Selection at 2020 Orlando International Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival
  • Official Selection at 2020 SAFILM – San Antonio Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Global Peace Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Lunenburg Doc Fest, Canada
  • Official Selection at 2020 Louisville’s International Festival of Film, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Orlando Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Kansas International Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 YoFiFest, The Yonkers Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Aus
  • Official Selection at 2020 North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2020 I-View World Human Rights Film Festival, India
  • Official Selection at 2020 Green Bay Film Festival (in 2021), USA
  • Official Selection at 2021 Miami Jewish Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2021 Anatolia International Film Festival, Turkey
  • Official Selection at 2021 Fourth Dimension Film Festival, Indonesia
  • Official Selection at 2021 DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2021 Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, USA (Opening night film)
  • Official Selection at 2021 Indie Spirit Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2021 Eau Claire International Film Festival, USA
  • Official Selection at 2021 Hollywood on the Tiber Film Awards, Italy
  • Official Selection at 2021 ‘Beyond Borders’ International Documentary Festival                           in Castellorizo, Greece
  • Official Selection at 2022 Emerald Peacock Festival, Russia (Inaugural festival)
  • Official Selection at 2022 Festival de films Europeens de Paris, France
  • Official Selections at 2022 KeyFrame International Film & Arts Festival, Brazil
  • Official Selection at 2022 Majorca Atlanteans International Film Festival, Spain
  • Official Selection at 2023 Hercules Independent Film Festival, Spain
  • Official Selection at 2023 Flowers Against Bullets Festival, Austria
  • Official Selection at 2023 European Film Festival, Paris
  • Official Selection at 2023 Way of Art Film Festival, Venice.

Creative Team

  • Writer/Director – Mark Street
  • Producer - Fiona Cochrane
  • Editor – Dani Raulli
  • On-line editor – Alan Ryan
  • Cinematographer – Mark Street
  • Sound – David Muir, Mark Street & Doron Kipen

Distribution