"...A MUST-WATCH FILM" -Solzy at the Movies
"McGrath created a hopeful and powerful movie about very relevant and important material. The movie pulls you in
and you want to keep watching and spend time with these people." -Producer, The Today Show
Over 25,000,000 unique viewers, tens of thousands
online requesting to see the movie.
KIM WOODRUFF, JACOB GARRET, AND TIMOTHY MCGRATH ATTEND THE RED CARPET SCREENING.
TIMOTHY MCGRATH ATTENDS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT AT TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
ROBERT PALMER WATKINS ATTENDS THE RED CARPET FOR "SURVIVING THEATER 9"
GREGORY HOYT ATTENDS THE RED CARPET FOR "SURVIVING THEATER 9"
Television Interviews:
Radio Interviews:
"Jacob Garrett and Timothy McGrath both survived the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 and Kim Woodruff is a Columbine survivor. Their stories are featured in a new pilot, written and directed by Timothy McGrath, called Surviving Theater 9. The three discuss the somber legacy of surviving a mass shooting, and how it reorients your worldview."
Critic's Review:
"Tim McGrath wrote, directed and stars in Surviving Theater 9. The pilot, which runs 40 minutes is based on the experience of him and so many others who survived what was then the largest mass shooting at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012. The event was surpassed by the Pulse shooting in Orlando and later the Las Vegas shooting in 2017.
This may be a narrative but it comes off like a docu-drama as the pilot is crafted around McGrath. It’s a must-watch film for sure and may even be helpful for other survivors of gun violence."
-SOLZY AT THE MOVIES
To allow you, the audience, to fully experience the pilot we wanted the cast to talk about their experience in filming this project. We also wanted to have Timothy talk about his experience in creating this project and why he chose to do it. You can also watch interviews from the actual survivors that Timothy conducted way back in this project's origin.
I am a survivor of mass shooting, and I want to help survivors. I don't want anyone to go through what I went though. The project is to focus attention on the survivors who are still here and not the shooters. It is to get the word out there is help available.
I started writing this movie about a year after the shooting. I was in California starting my second year of law school, struggling with strong symptoms of PTSD and feeling pretty hopeless. I was with my cousin in theater 8 when it filled with smoke and bullets came through the wall and struck people. I am aware every single day of my life I am lucky to be alive after the shooting, so it seemed wrong to me that I would be upset all the time when for many, that was their last night. When I went home for Thanksgiving break, I started talking with my fellow survivors. I noticed several of them had a thread of strong optimism and conviction that had emerged from this horrific experience. Their perspective, their strength, their conviction, astounded me. I felt this was a story worth sharing for anyone going through trauma, and especially those affected by mass shootings in any way. We sat down for interviews, which you can see on the website. I started to see the thread of a narrative emerge about how to tell the story in a way that could be useful as we as a society still struggle with what to do about mass shootings, and those who live with the effects for the rest of their lives.
Timothy’s Bio:
Timothy McGrath's first movie, SURVIVING THEATER 9, based the true story about Timothy's experience in the Batman Movie Theater Shooting, World Premiered at Tribeca. Additionally, Timothy was a guest on The Today Show, NPR, Fox and Friends, iHeart radio and many other press outlets resulting in 10+ million viewers/online impressions. Surviving currently has offers to stream on major platforms.
Timothy became passionate about mental health when he started to experience PTSD during law school in the months following the shooting. Uniquely, Surviving does not focus on gun control, the shooter, and is not political. Surviving brings hope and mental health tools through story with drama and humor. Timothy created the movie by writing a script from the stories of his fellow Survivors of Batman and their teacher who survived the Columbine Shooting. Schools and Universities have requested to screen the movie and for McGrath to come speak (post-covid). A companion book entitled Surviving Theater 9 will be released as well.
Timothy has worked with Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Michelle Pfieffer, Woody Harrelson, and many others. Timothy has won the Chaplin Best Director Award and Best Television Pilot in the Malibu film festival. He worked at Turner, NBC, and studied law and film at The University of Southern California and Journalism at The University of Missouri. Timothy has been a guest speaker at colleges including USC, Fordham, Cal State Fullerton and others.
From Timothy McGrath: "The path to healing from trauma seems as varied as the individual. However, thankfully, there seem to be some guideposts that help most everyone affected, and from there one can travel their unique path to a more comfortable place, where they want to go in life. Here are some of the groups that other survivors and I have found particularly helpful. My greatest hope is that this movie starts a conversation that helps others, and hopefully we, as a society, find some way to integrate mental health & mental education into education in a more comprehensive way."
What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation's leading voice on mental health. Today, we are an association of hundreds of local affiliates, state organizations and volunteers who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need.
The Rebels Project (TRP), was initially the community outreach branch of the non-profit Phoenix999. They were both formed by Columbine survivors in the wake of the Aurora theater shooting in 2012 to help provide support for people who had experienced a similar trauma. TRP and Phoenix999 have now merged into one non-profit.
The Living Younger Longer Institute is an autonomous research and educational institution in the Denver area. Our outreach is through treatment at our clinic, teaching classes and private trainings. Our mission is to inspire and motivate healthy living by providing outstanding mind-body educational, art, music and physical activity programs in the community
