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Stitch, Breathe, Speak: The George Floyd Quilts

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, members of a faith community in New Hampshire feel compelled to take action. With their pastor’s encouragement, they decide to create artistic quilts depicting the last words of Mr. Floyd.

Through interviews, B-roll, and verité footage, we see what motivated our characters to participate, and feel some of the tensions that emerged in the process of creating the quilts. They speak about the creative energy they harnessed to counteract the horror of the event, and the special power they felt in particular words and phrases. Because some of our characters have lighter skin and an outlook that fits the social construct of “White,” and some of our characters have darker skin and an outlook that fits the social construct of “Black,” one pointed tension that the film reveals is the different ways these people experienced George Floyd’s killing.

Finally we get a sense of what the quilts might do out in the world, as they are “blessed” by the nine congregations that took part.

Associated Members

Chris Owen, Producer

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Jan Sutcliffe, Editor

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We are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors:

National Endowments for the Arts
Massachusetts Cultural Council
Lowel Cultural Council
Cabot Family Charitable Trust
Liberty Mutual Foundation
City of Boston Arts and Culture