Really - which regulation is that?
Gun violence survivor to speak at film festival
By Sonja Tysiak
Contributing Writer
Published: Thursday, January 27, 2011
Colin Goddard was a 21-year-old senior when the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre left 32 dead and 17 injured. Goddard, who survived four shots to his body, will visit the University Saturday for the screening of the film, "Living for 32."
As part of the New Jersey Film Festival, "Living for 32" recounts Goddard's experiences and advocacy for stronger gun control, said Maria Cuomo Cole, producer of the film. By filming the survivors, she was able to put a human face on the gun law debate.
"Reading newspaper accounts and watching television news broadcasts about an incident does not communicate the impact of a survivor's personal story," Cole said. "These real messages touch a responsive chord with people from both sides of the issue."
The film not only shows Goddard's past, but it tells the tale of his present and future in advocating for stricter gun control laws.
After recovering with three bullets still inside him and finishing his degree, Goddard volunteered for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation's largest gun control organization.
"He convinced them to sponsor him in wearing a hidden camera and going undercover into gun shows all across America to prove how easy it is for anyone to buy a gun with no identification, no Brady background check and just a wad of cash," Cole said.
Through the Brady Campaign, Cole met and was inspired by Goddard.
"The first time I heard Colin share his chilling account of the 11 minutes of terror he endured when Seung-Hui Cho, a fellow Virginia Tech student turned assassin, took the lives of 32 classmates and teachers, I felt compelled to help him communicate the almost unfathomable experience," she said.
Cole introduced Goddard to Kevin Breslin, the director of "Living for 32," and asked him to collaborate to make the picture.
"Colin is a tough young man, and he made it clear he is not a performer," Breslin said. "When you make a film with this depth of emotion, you have to be responsible to the subject matter, have his trust and [what] matters are his moments, the beats of his honesty and truth."
Breslin believes students should take a stance against gun violence and said the obsession with guns and inefficient legislation allowed not only for the Virginia Tech massacre, but also the Tucson shooting.
"Get some lazy politician who has been on the fence to wake up," Breslin said. "When a House of Representative member is shot along with a 9-year-old girl, who is killed, it is the responsibility of students. Do not sit on the fence."
Some of the pending legislation discussed in the film most directly affects the country's student population, Cole said. For example, there are pending laws in states like Texas that would force guns onto college campuses.
Goddard's story could help viewers understand the importance of standing up for what they believe in and not being afraid of their voices to be heard, Cole said.
"Colin shares an intimate account of the terror that he and his classmates endured, and the courageous journey of renewal and hope that he has chosen to pursue," she said.
"Living for 32" will debut Saturday at 7 p.m. in Voorhees Hall on the College Avenue campus.
"The film was selected by a panel of our jurors because they thought it was very important, especially for students, to watch," said Albert Nigrin, executive director of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center. "I have seen the film, and it is very inspirational and moving." |
