4/9/19: Don’t Miss Our Documentary: WE ARE COLUMBINE

Laura Farber’s powerful film, WE ARE COLUMBINE is finally available for pre-order on iTunes. Her (and my) work on it began 17 years ago when she was a student of mine in a Columbia College documentary class.

She was a freshman at Columbine High School in 1999 when the shootings happened. The film focuses on four of her classmates who reenact and reflect on that insane day 20 years ago, then reveal the drama and stories of their lives since. They are fascinating people, as are the principal and the teacher who was, and remains, close to them.

I doubt anyone has ever seen anything like it before; it is an honest and moving personal examinations of the effects on the survivors of one of the first school shooting incidents that have become so common in the years since Columbine.

It could only have been made by someone who lived through it. Laura has been committed to the film for many years and it shows. Among other honors, she was selected Best Director at the Atlanta DocuFest and Best Documentary at New Hope Film Festival.

“I was determined to make a film about the experience of a few freshman who were at Columbine on 4/20/99. I wanted it to be solely about the kids that went through it and how we have been healing on our own, but also about how we have come together to help each other. My hope is that by making this documentary, all of us can help future survivors of mass shootings — just by talking about it.”

—Laura Farber on the documentary

I can’t say enough about how Laura persevered and created an important remarkable memorable film. It’s about the people and their inner lives, fears, indelible feelings, and what it takes to heal. It’s not a sensational story about the shootings or gun violence in general. It’s not anything like the way media generally covers these ongoing catastrophes.

The film will be shown in theaters in select cities throughout April. If you’re in Chicago next Tuesday April 9, it will be screened at the Music Box Theatre at 7:00pm. The Music Box Theatre is located at 3733 N Southport Ave. Laura and I will be there along with many of the dedicated and wonderfully talented people who made it possible to accomplish the nearly impossible task of making a brilliant independent movie. I hope you’ll be able to see it on the big screen. For a list of other screenings, go to http://www.wearecolumbinefilm.com/watch.