The Film SCREENINGS HOST AN EVENT TAKE ACTION PRESS Team Contact STAY CONNECTED: The fact that I kept her on the phone and kept her from going out the door...I don’t even want to think what would have happened if she walked out that door. 911 operator There were these kids on my lawn. They just kept exclaiming, “We can't go back. We can't go back to that school, because we don't have a teacher.” School neighbor And I said to myself that day, “I am not taking this one lying down.” ER doctor I could see him through the crack of my desk. I could see him from the knees down. Then we went into my supply closet for about 3 and a half hours. We were so afraid to come out. School nurse I had my pistol permit in Massachusetts. But, my God, does anyone know what it looks like to see a child filled with bullets. EMT worker on the scene You can't move past it. You can't sweep it under the rug. We have to honor the horror by paying a tribute to what happened, what people went through and what it was like for everyone. Surviving teacher I knew that in honor of all the teachers that died, I needed to do something. That was the first time that I realized this was bigger than my family, bigger than my town, bigger than my former elementary school. This was massive. Daughter of surviving teacher He wakes up shouting and crying, the whole night not sleeping. For 7 to 8 months, he was mentally sick. Mother of surviving 1st grader He doesn't know what to make of it all. I think he just knew that he lost his best friend, and in some way he didn't belong anymore. Mother of surviving 1st grader God forbid it happens to anyone in your family. Because you’ll become the member of a club that no one wants to join; and until you’re in that club, you have no idea how long and bumpy the road is. Husband of slain teacher I don't think that any of us that were in there, feel that anybody needs to know graphically what occured in there. Emotionally, I think the world needs to know to understand it. First responder on scene The teachers, the staff, they put their trauma second and put the kids first. To me that is heroism. School custodian It's hard to believe you can go from being somebody’s baby, to being that, and how that journey can happen without anyone recognizing it. Library clerk ABOUT THE FILM Filmed over the course of nearly three years, the filmmakers use unique access and never before heard testimonies to tell a story of the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history on December 14, 2012. Newtown documents a traumatized community fractured by grief and driven toward a sense of purpose. Joining the ranks of a growing club to which no one wants to belong, a cast of characters interconnect to weave an intimate story of community resilience. “You won’t truly understand gun violence until you see the Newtown documentary.” “A breathtaking gut punch. This film is an important historical record, and an important reminder of an event in American history that could have changed everything, that should have changed everything. Newtown is a crucial reminder of that.” “Arguably the most timely festival film this year.” “Why is this story important to tell? It is transforming in ways you can never anticipate, and there is an immediate human desire to protect the rest of the world from having to go through this.” – David Wheeler, father of Ben Wheeler UPCOMING SCREENINGS 7/20/2016 Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival: Chilmark Community Center, 8pm MORE INFO PAST SCREENINGS 1/24/2016 WORLD PREMIERE: Sundance Film Festival, Temple Theatre 1/24/2016 WORLD PREMIERE: Sundance Film Festival, Temple Theatre 1/25/2016 Sundance Film Festival: Redstone Cinema 1 1/28/2016 Sundance Film Festival: The Marc 1/29/2016 Sundance Film Festival: Holiday Village Cinema 1/30/2016 Sundance Film Festival: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center 3/13/2016 SXSW Film Festival: Paramount Theatre 3/15/2016 SXSW Film Festival: Alamo Lamar 3/16/2016 SXSW Film Festival: Marchesa 4/2/2016 Cleveland International Film Festival 3/31/2016 Cleveland International Film Festival 4/9/2016 Full Frame Film Festival 4/29/2016 Independent Film Festival Boston: Somerville Theatre 4/30/2016 Montclair Film Festival: Clairidge Cinema 5/1/2016 Montclair Film Festival: Clairidge Cinema 5/5/2016 Bentonville Film Festival: Cinetransformer 6/3/2016 Berkshire Int’l Film Festival: Triplex 6/5/2016 Mendocino Film Festival: Crown Hall 6/11/2016 Greenwich International Film Festival: Centerpiece Film, Bow Tie Cinemas 6/12/2016 Greenwich International Film Festival: Centerpiece Film, Bow Tie Cinemas 6/21/2016 BAMcinemaFest: BAM Rose Cinemas 6/23/2016 AFI Docs: Spotlight Screening, Newseum 6/25/2016 Nantucket Film Festival: Dreamland Studios 6/26/2016 Nantucket Film Festival: Bennett Hall 6/28/2016 Aspen Ideas Festival: Paepcke Auditorium “You can only imagine how difficult that is to try to interpret what your 7-year-old experienced as he was being murdered by a gunman in his first grade classroom.” – Mark Barden, father of Daniel Barden TAKE ACTION HOST A SCREENING Want to bring Newtown to your community, organization or classroom? Fill out the form below, and someone from our team will be in touch with you shortly. “While I fear the empty space in my heart may never be filled, I take comfort in the knowledge that his death will have meaning. There will be a positive change from this and we will be part of it. Newtown, will be part of it.” – Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley IN THE NEWS “You won’t truly understand gun violence until you see the Newtown documentary.” “It is a visceral, powerful experience. You will cry. It is worth it.” “A real-time portrait of a community that’s still figuring out how to heal.” “The mass murder of children is not a political issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. This film is a step in the right direction.” “A movie that cuts through the layers of cynicism and despair we feel every time we see the coverage of another mass.” “Without being partisan, it sees Snyder capture “the exquisite beauty and inherent terror of parenthood,” with a film that devastates, and proves with its understated, controlled filmmaking, that Snyder could be one of our best documentarians.” “We feel the grief of the people caught in the wake of abject horror, and we shouldn’t be afraid of those kinds of emotional experiences in cinema.” “Snyder crafts a composite portrait that’s intimate but also humbled and respectful.” “Snyder uses her camera as a friendly ear and as an eye to bear witness. It’s a shocking and compelling piece of work.” “Arguably the most timely festival film this year.” “100%” “A breathtaking gut punch. This film is an important historical record, and an important reminder of an event in American history that could have changed everything, that should have changed everything. Newtown is a crucial reminder of that.” “The film revisits Newtown, Connecticut, three years after those events changed the town and its inhabitants forever, exploring the various ways that survivors have tried to endure, agitate for change, and further the legacies of their lost loved ones.” “Powerful and illuminating.” “Never exploitative and always honest, this is a movie that demands to be seen no matter how badly it hurts.” “Elegantly and devastatingly captures the tenor of a town that will carry these scars for a generation. Snyder’s film deserves to be seen.” “Legislative questions are not addressed, and even the killer’s name is not mentioned. Instead, viewers are given wrenching access to a place that more than three years later continues to grapple with an attack that claimed the lives of 26 victims, many of them small children.” “What may arguably be the most relevant film of Sundance.” “A harrowing portrait of grief and a call for action that is all too topical.” “Kim A. Snyder’s documentary gains access into the lives of families who lost loved ones on that fateful December afternoon. She aims to “tell a story of collective grief” and how communities piece themselves back together after.” “One documentary attracting a lot of festival buzz is Newtown, which explores the aftermath of the 2012 massacre that left 26 people dead, including 20 school children, in Connecticut.” “Traces the Connecticut community’s “searing” anguish and plays witness to the victims’ families mostly fruitless pleas for new federal gun measures.” “Kim A. Snyder, whose Newtown examines the continuing community trauma caused by the 2012 mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Part of Ms. Snyder’s harrowing documentary looks at how little has changed in regard to gun reform.” “Newtown, which debuts this weekend at Sundance, has what may be the most ambitious score of any movie in the festival: 17 different composers contributed music, all because they were moved by the subject matter.” “We have two big documentaries playing in the festival that deal with gun control in America. One is Newtown, a U.S. documentary in competition that takes a really personal look at the lives impacted by that tragedy [in Connecticut]. It’s very emotional and very powerful.” “The documentary’s foundation is formed by the acute emotional response to the event and its ripple effects that will be felt for a lifetime.” “Newtown bears witness to their profound grief and allows it to reverberate within our collective conscience – exploring what happens to a community after it becomes the epicenter of a national discussion, and what is still left to cope with after the cameras leave” “Viewers are given a window into the community most affected by the Sandy Hook shooting — parents, teachers, school employees and local law enforcement officers. During the course of the 82-minute-long film, personal narratives come to light as the community continues to suffer over the unthinkable tragedy of that day. “ “Newtown aims to cut through ‘numbness and denial’ surrounding mass shootings” “The 2016 lineup reflects “diverse backgrounds, places and perspectives” “President Obama is taking action to keep guns out of the wrong hands and make our communities safer.” “Kim A. Snyder, whose immigration doc Welcome to Shelbyville aired on Independent Lens in 2011, has been working on a film about the Newtown massacre, with Maria Cuomo Cole (The Invisible War) as producer…” MEET THE TEAM KIM A. SNYDER DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Kim A. Snyder is an award-winning filmmaker with over a dozen shorts and two feature documentaries. She co-founded the BeCause Foundation... Read More MARIA CUOMO COLE PRODUCER Maria Cuomo Cole has tackled such relevant subjects as gun violence, homelessness, veterans' PTSD, Domestic Violence and sexual assault. Read More GABRIEL RHODES EDITOR Gabriel Rhodes is both an editor and a filmmaker. His work has premiered at prestigious festivals such as Sundance and Cannes... Read More DEREK WIESEHAHN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Derek Wiesehahn, recent credits include: Music By Prudence (2010 Academy Award documentary short), How To Survive A Plague... Read More Mile 22 in Association with TRANSFORM FILMS Artemis Media Ventures NICK STUART: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Nick Stuart is an independent television producer and journalist who has made award-winning programming on both sides of the Atlantic and is a former BAFTA judge. He has made programming for BBC, ITV, Discovery, National Geographic and Al Jazeera English. He was EP on “Serving Life” with Forest Whitaker that won the Cine Golden Eagle Judge’s award. He is President of Transform Films, Inc. CAROLANNE DOLAN: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CarolAnne Dolan of Transform Films Inc. is an Emmy Award-winning EP who has created programs in genres including history, investigative, biography, wildlife and adventure. Dolan was VP of Documentary Series at A&E Television as well as EP of “Biography”. MARA SANDLER: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Philanthropist, Mara Sandler has funded films on the topics of racial issues, women and violence, hazing, and gun reform. She is currently a member of the Britdoc circle. Mara has worked for years with the chronic mentally ill population and is a recent graduate of the two year Melton program. She graduated with a B.A in psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and has a M.A and Ed.M in counseling psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University. CONTACT US Want to be in touch with the Newtown team? Send an email to Info@NewtownFilm.com, or send your message below and someone from the team will be in touch with you shortly. © Copyright 2015 Mile 22 LLC.