Newtown Documentary to Show at GIFF

newtown-shooting-documentary
In this 2011 photo provided by Mark Barden, his son Daniel Barden runs alongside a school bus in Newtown, Conn. Daniel was among those killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown. Mark Barden is one of the subjects in the documentary "Newtown," which debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Its first public showing in Connecticut will be at the Greenwich International Film Festival, which begins on Thursday, June 9, 2016, in Greenwich, Conn. (Mark Barden via AP)
In this 2011 photo provided by Mark Barden, his son Daniel Barden runs alongside a school bus in Newtown, Conn. (Mark Barden via AP)

 

The documentary “Newtown,” which explores the aftermath of Dec. 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, will make its Connecticut debut at the Greenwich International Film Festival tomorrow and Sunday.

“Newtown” was filmed over a three-year-span starting just five weeks after the tragedy. It follows the lives of three parents who each lost their child in the deadliest mass shooting at either a high school or grade school in the nation’s history.

“These are tough conversations to have,” said director Kim Snyder. “We’re heartened that people have described the way we handled it as gentle.”

The film’s chilling introduction to the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School includes raw dashcam footage from state police vehicles en route to the school and authentic 911 calls made from inside the building that Friday morning.

That morning, a 20-year-old Newtown resident took an arsenal of firearms to the school after killing his 52-year-old mother; he proceeded to take the lives of 20 children and six adults in their own classrooms and offices.

The documentary never mentions the shooter’s name.

“Our omission of the shooter’s name and face was very deliberate,” Snyder said. “We talked and thought about it a lot and it was important to us that the film remain true to the point of the aftermath and the emotional sentiment of the town.”

Through home videos, archived conversations and personal anecdotes, the film dives into the moments of grief, sorrow, and life after tragedy for Mark Barden, David Wheeler and Nicole Hockley.

A chain of emails runs across the screen as the camera hovers over the backdrop of a quiet and peaceful neighborhood.

“Thomas and Lily are fine,” the screen reads, displaying the dialogue between a close-knit community that day. “Armstrongs are all home and safe. All the Greenspans are home. Weilands are home and safe too. Guys, I’m so sorry to say our sweet little angel Daniel did not make it out.”

Mark Barden, the father of Sandy Hook Elementary first grader Daniel Barden, is the first parent profiled in the film; he can be seen going through family photographs made just days prior to Dec. 14, 2012.

“What that sets up in the film is the idea of incredible intimacy that I think carries out throughout the rest of the film,” Snyder said.

The film features in-depth looks at the day-to-day lives of parents coping with the loss of their child and the community that to this day still rallies around them.

Maria Cuomo Cole, the producer of the film, which made its official debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to wide acclaim, says that the message behind the film is what a community can do in times of tragedy.

“Kim and I feel almost in awe of the town’s grace and dignity,” Cole said. “The community resilience theme of the film we hope is strong. The message for the town about instances like this is that a town can come together and survive.”

State Trooper Sgt. Bill Cario was one of the first responders on the scene and was a witness to the immediate aftermath in the first grade classrooms.

“I don’t feel like anybody needs to know specifically what we saw,” Cario said in the film. “Emotionally, I think the world needs to know, to understand it. I don’t think they need to know graphically what occurred in there.”

The 85-minute documentary will be shown twice over the weekend at Bow Tie Cinema—tomorrow at 3 p.m. and on Sunday at 6 p.m. Families featured in the film will also be in attendance with a question and answer session with Snyder to follow the screenings.

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