Newtown

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.

“Fil reached out to me initially to talk about gun violence in America and how he could get involved in combating the problem. Upon learning about Newtown, he said, 'I want to help you in any way possible to tell this story. As a father of a little girl, I have to do something.' I admired Fil's brilliant talent and was thrilled to accept his generous offer to produce the music, compose original music - and rally contributions from other leading composers. The result is a breathtaking score which creates a deeper emotional dimension for the viewer.' - Maria Cuomo Cole, Producer

' Given the subject matter of this film, already so laden in profound grief, the score was critical. We aimed for subtlety, and a haunting beauty that might capture the essence of childhood and all that was lost on 12/14. When Fil had the generous idea to bring together a community of musical talent to create our mosaic score, it was completely complementary to the very essence of the film and its intent - 'We Are All Newtown'. Our final recording session of some of these works on the sound stage at Warner Brothers with dozens of live musicians, many in tears as they played, was among the most memorable days in the making of Newtown.' - Kim A. Snyder, Director

'The biggest inspiration behind this score was simply to be part of something that might further the conversation around gun violence without being preachy or political. I think this film really does that by examining the long term, even generational repercussions of gun violence and the permanence of grief cast against the hope that can come from facing down an unimaginable loss as these brave men and women have had to do. It is a quintessentially American dilemma. The movie was too precious to be seen just through the prism of my own experience which is why I asked some of my friends in the composer community if they would join me in contributing to the project. I didn't ask anyone what their political beliefs were. I simply explained what the project was about and asked if they wanted to be a part of it. Not one of them said no. No matter where you stand on the debate, we all want our kids to be safe.' - Fil Eisler, Composer