© Martin Krafft, Image courtesy of the artist.
December 3, 2025
Amie Potsic interviewed artist and filmmaker Martin Krafft about his award-winning film Ain't Got Time to Die, a story about an adventurer's terminal illness and resilience.
“I work to catalyze the democratization of art, promoting the expansion of creative, public space. Through video essay, documentary, photography, performance, and socially engaged art, I investigate the ways in which humans construct meaning and open themselves to the unknown. I facilitate unexpected poetic encounters and ask open-ended questions whose complex answers challenge the way our society hides and reduces perspectives that do not fit neatly into cultural hegemonic norms. Inspired by my Quaker upbringing, I make work in response to a belief in “an inner light,” or innate value, of all people. By creating platforms for those who have been othered to share their struggles, reflections, and dreams, I propose a gritty, inclusive vision of the public.
My art is informed by my professional work as a political organizer, educator, nonviolence facilitator, and manual laborer. Having worked for multiple US political campaigns as a field director, I adapt techniques of engaging with strangers for rhetorical purposes towards more poetic ends. Concurrent throughout my work is a commitment to my collaborators, be that sleeping on the street as part of a years-long project building relationships with the Atlanta unhoused community or accompanying Rachel, the subject of my first feature-length documentary, to her doctor’s appointments as a medical advocate. My experience co-facilitating nonviolence workshops alongside incarcerated facilitators as part of the Alternatives to Violence Project has taught me the value of experiential learning, play, and community, qualities which I emphasize in my efforts to make art more accessible. From my time working as a stone mason and farmhand, I have learned the value of submitting my body to exhaustion as part of my practice. In those moments where tedium and tiredness fuse together, clarity can be forged.”
-Martin Krafft, Artist Statement
© Martin Krafft, Image courtesy of the artist.
Martin Krafft is a filmmaker, social practice artist, photographer, and community organizer. He received an MFA in Photography, Video, and Imaging from the University of Arizona. His films have been shown in film festivals around the world, including We Make Movies, VASTLAB Experimental, Berlin Dynamic, Northeast Pennsylvania, Essex Short, Goa Short, Calcutta Short festivals. He won Best Picture and Best Documentary at the West Kortright Center Film Festival and the People’s Choice Award at the Southern Maryland Film Festival. His experiences as a handyman, as a service provider for the unhoused, as a hitchhiker, and as a teacher inform his art practice.
© Martin Krafft, AGTTD Poster
© Martin Krafft, Image courtesy of the artist.
Ain’t Got Time To Die
For years, Rachel Heysham lived in small-town Pennsylvania, surviving abusive lovers, addiction, illness, and poverty. At age 45, she decided to start a new life, moving to Montana to live out of her RV. With a fresh start, she overcame her alcohol addiction, discovered a love of wild hot springs, and started hiking the mountains of western Montana. But her past comes back to haunt her.
The bouts of cancer that have plagued Rachel for most of her adult life are not over. She was told by doctors that she only has two months to live. The documentary, "Ain’t Got Time to Die," explores Rachel's journey of self-discovery juxtaposed with her battle with cancer. The film starts with an open-ended question: how do you want to be seen? "As a fighter," Rachel says. "As a survivor." The narrative arc follows the ups and downs of navigating medical care with a terminal illness. In the midst of debilitating pain, Rachel rallies from her illness to go on extreme adventures, hiking barefoot up mountains alongside her part-wolf puppy. Per Rachel's request, the film includes moments of levity and joy, especially her interactions with her dogs and grandchildren.
In the course of making the documentary, Martin Krafft, the filmmaker, becomes immersed in Rachel's life, spending weeks sleeping on her RV couch, driving her to doctor's appointments, and fundraising for her living expenses. His efforts to provide support are complicated by his own ingrained cultural biases towards her antagonistic relationship to conventional medicine. The film looks candidly at conflicts between the subject and filmmaker, striving to give agency to Rachel to frame how she is seen.
The story follows Rachel back to her home in Pennsylvania, where she struggles to navigate the reminders of her painful past. As her illness progresses, Martin grapples with how much support he is able to offer her. After fighting for years to survive, Rachel has to face the biggest challenge of her life.
This film is shot, directed, and produced by Martin Krafft.
Link to watch: https://www.martinkrafft.com/aint-got-time-to-die
© Martin Krafft, Image courtesy of the artist.
To learn more about Martin Krafft and Ain’t Got Time To Die: www.martinkrafft.com/aint-got-time-to-die
Banner Image: © Martin Krafft, Image courtesy of the artist.