Arts

Nantucket Group To Sponsor Showing Of "Newtown,"

by . .
Thursday Oct 13, 2016

A Movie On The 2012 School Shooting Tragedy.

Reverend Linda Simmons, Minister of Nantucket's Unitarian Universalist Meeting House has announced that a newly-formed group, MAKE IT STOP, will be partnering with the Dreamland Theater to view the acclaimed movie, "Newtown," (a fare of this year's Nantucket Film Festival) on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 5:00pm.

"After the tragic shooting in Orlando, Florida, we convened a group to mourn the loss of so many innocent people," Simmons recalled. "Quite a diverse group appeared, young, older, male, female, gay, straight, multi-religious, and we paid our respects to those who were senselessly murdered. An active discussion ensued about what we could do to help stop these tragedies. We decided to form MAKE IT STOP."

"MAKE IT STOP meets monthly to discuss the myriad ways to bring the public's attention to the situation of gun violence in our country: calling local, state, and federal officials, letter-writing, participation in national phone-call conversations and becoming part of local efforts to educate ourselves and others," Simmons continued.

After the film a panel consisting of Jackie Lane, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Cape Cod and The Islands (NAMI CC&I); Marty Zdanamicz, NAMI CC&I Advocacy Consultant; Dr. Lepore, Nantucket Physician; John Buckey, Nantucket High School Principle; Sergeant Kevin Marshall, Nantucket Crime Prevention Officer; Tessandra Pearson, Executive Director, Family and Children's Services of Nantucket; John Riccio, Make It Stop member and Rev. Linda Simmons, Minister of Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, Make It Stop member and Panel Moderator will take questions and comments from the audience.

"We need to join together to add our voices to those already raised striving to make a difference in gun safety," Simmons emphasized.

Newtown was 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. The film 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. The movie never mentions the killer's name. There is no blood shown. It is about how people go on and what they are doing to make sure this never happens again.

Simmons concluded, "There are so many ways we can be part of helping to curtail some of this violence without infringing on anyone's rights. We need to find a way together, through dialogue, education, and thoughtful interchange and action."

Proceeds of the film showing will go to the ASAP, Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention.

The Reverend Simmons can be contacted at The Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, 11 Orange Street, Nantucket, MA revlindasimmons@gmail.com or 508-680-6498.