Film about Shropshire Covid denier who died after getting coronavirus seeks answers over 'conspiracy thinking'
Talented Shrewsbury artist Gary Matthews died in 2021, aged 46. His cousin has explored what happened in a new documentary
The cousin of a Covid denier who died after contracting coronavirus has made a film telling his story.
Talented Shrewsbury artist Gary Matthews died aged 46 on January 13, 2021.
He was respected for his artwork, and would proudly share his paintings with friends at C21.
However, according to his family, Gary did not believe the virus was real and did not wear a mask or adhere to safety measures.
Gary had been ill for around a week before he tested positive on January 12. He died the next day.
His cousin, Tristan Copeland, has now created a film titled: What About Gary? telling the human side of Gary’s story, and exploring the dangers of what can happen when people become swept up in internet echo chambers.
“Gary was my cousin, an artist and my friend,” said Tristan. “In 2021, he died from Covid-19 after pushing Covid denial and other conspiracy theories. I made this documentary to discover why Gary believed these things.”
Many people felt desperate in the search for more information over the course of the pandemic – whether it was for answers over health or jobs, or simply a yearning to escape the loneliness and isolation and return to their normal social lives.
A lot felt let down by the politicians making the important decisions, and the attempts of the media to hold them to account. The public was bombarded with a deluge of new information, often on a daily basis.
Gary had developed a distrust for the media, his family said, and felt compelled to seek the truth in his way for some time, a search that led him into a dark hole.
“Gary was more than my cousin,” Tristan said. “He was my friend. I would give anything to have him back. I can’t do that, but I can tell his story.
“I made this film because someone I loved died after being pulled into conspiracy thinking. Not because I want to argue with people or think I have all the answers. Because I don’t want other families to go through what mine did.
“This story starts with Gary, but it isn’t only about Gary.”
Tristan is holding a private screening of What About Gary in Shrewsbury this week, and then hopes to take the documentary, and its message, around festivals, including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
To learn more about the film, visit whataboutgary.co.uk/