On this episode, Chloe Cole-Wilson sits down with filmmakers Shalon Buskirk and Drew Swedberg, co-directors of the documentary In Love, In Memory — a seven-year project that began as a mother's wish to honor the memory of her son and grew into a deeply intimate portrait of grief, resilience, and community.
Shalon and Drew share how their partnership formed through organizing work and how a shared commitment to authenticity and co-authorship shaped every frame of the film. They discuss the unique co-director model that gave Shalon — a mother navigating unimaginable loss — full creative power over her own family's narrative, and how that approach challenges the conventions of true crime and documentary filmmaking.
Restoring Petals is a monthly series exploring how we can use poetry and creativity to heal, rebuild, and re-imagine community in the years after the COVID‑19 pandemic. Catch new episodes on the third Thursday of every month at 6:30pm.
(Original air-date: 8/20/26)
