For so many, August 1st 1966 was the day American innocence was shattered. A sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the iconic University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes in what was a previously unimaginable event. TOWER combines archival footage with rotoscopic animation of the dramatic day, based entirely on first person testimonies from witnesses, heroes and survivors, in a seamless and suspenseful retelling of the unfolding tragedy. The film highlights the fear, confusion, and visceral realities that changed the lives of those present, and the rest of us, forever – a day when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.

“Tower probes into a painful chapter of American history with sensitivity and grace — and revisits its events from a valuable new perspective.” (Rotten Tomatoes)

“Animation seems an odd means of addressing such a grim tragedy, but it gives Maitland the creative freedom to effectively tell a suspenseful, harrowing and moving story.” (Globe & Mail)

“You might not see a more emotionally shattering film this year.” (Village Voice)

“Whether we’re talking about fictional filmmaking or documentaries, Tower is one of the best films of the year.” (Leonard Maltin)

TOWER (Keith Maitland, 2016 / 96 mins) On August 1st, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes. When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand its own shattered innocence. Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation in a dynamic, never-before-seen way, TOWER reveals the action-packed untold stories of first-person witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.