Grinnell College to Screen Award-winning Documentary 'Newtown'

Newtown, the award-winning documentary chronicling the aftermath of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, will be screened at Grinnell College on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m. in the Harris Center Cinema, 1114 10th Ave., Grinnell. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. and reserved seats will be held until 5:45 p.m. To make a reservation, visit the online RSVP form. Seating is limited.

The Grinnell College Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights; the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, and Grinnell student groups are sponsoring the screening, along with local donors.

This special screening of Newtown marks nearly five years since the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history on Dec. 14, 2012, claiming the lives of 20 elementary school children and six educators. Immediately following the screening there will be a discussion featuring several guest speakers who have played key roles in creating the documentary or were personally impacted by the tragedy. Tim Dobe, associate professor of religious studies at Grinnell, will moderate.

In bringing the documentary and discussion to campus, Grinnell College demonstrates its commitment to encouraging open dialogue on complex and difficult issues including gun ownership and the impact of tragedy on a community. The College provides a tolerant and welcoming environment, where people with vastly different perspectives can explore controversial issues through dialogue and civil discourse. 

Featured speakers during the discussion will include:

• Kim A. Snyder, director of Newtown
• Maria Cuomo Cole, producer of Newtown
• David Wheeler, father of Benjamin, a 6-year-old first grader who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary
• Dr. Bill Begg, emergency room chief in Newtown, Connecticut
• Mary Ann Jacob, surviving educator, Sandy Hook Elementary
• Katie Adams-Shepherd, former rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, Connecticut
• Sandy Moffett, professor emeritus of theatre at Grinnell College

The College is relying on parents and guardians to make determinations on the appropriateness of the evening's content for minors.