EXCLUSIVE: School shootings erupt on such a regular basis in the United States that offering some measure of protection to kids in the event of an attack has become a multibillion-dollar business.
That’s the theme of the new documentary Thoughts & Prayers, directed by Zackary Canepari and Jessica Dimmock, which is set to premiere on Tuesday, November 18, on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. We have your first look at the film in the trailer above.
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“This arresting yet sobering feature documentary captures the current landscape of safety rituals in schools and communities across America,” notes a synopsis, “where classrooms double as tactical training grounds, bullet-proof backpacks become armor, and conferences showcase the latest survival gadgets for a nation where mass shootings have become a part of everyday life. Equal parts absurd and unsettlingly real, the film traces the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry and its effect on students and educators, raising important questions about the unintended consequences of these intense preparations. In the absence of meaningful prevention efforts and gun reform, how far will Americans go to prepare for active shooters?”
Thoughts & Prayers holds its world premiere Wednesday, Nov. 12 at DOC NYC (to be followed by a Q&A with directors Dimmock and Canepari, producers Claire Read and Gary Kout, and editor Carter Gunn).
‘Thoughts & Prayers’ poster
“This project began as an idea for a photography series,” the directors tell Deadline. “As new parents, we wanted to witness what lockdown drills actually looked like—kids sitting quietly in the dark, a teacher in the foreground as the last line of defense. But once we started, the sheer scale of the industry and the number of drills, products, and training programs was staggering. And an overriding theme became clear: none of this is about prevention, it’s all about practice. It’s important to state that most of the drills, products, and programs in the film are created by individuals who are actually trying to help. But it raises the larger question, one that we hope audiences will grapple with: is this what a healthy country looks like and is this how we want to live?”
Canepari and Dimmock continue, “Through the film, we wanted to slow down time and let the audience live inside these simulations. In real life they happen quickly and constantly, and they have become mundane. But cinema allows us to linger—to capture the weight of the moment, the absurdity of this reality, and hopefully to create conversations around it.”
On the DOC NYC website, senior programmer Bedatri D. Choudhury writes, “As children continue to be gunned down in the country, this smart and heartbreaking film takes an acerbic and caustic tone, perhaps aptly fitting the mood of civilians disgusted with politicians who do nothing to change the country’s gun laws.”
‘Thoughts & Prayers’
The documentary features students, staff members, and administrators from school districts in Utah, Oregon, and New York, as well as expert personnel in weapons, military, and video simulation training. Thoughts & Prayers will have a second screening at DOC NYC on Thursday, Nov. 13 (followed by a Q&A with directors Dimmock and Canepari, producers Read and Kout, and composer Matt Joynt).
HBO Documentary Films presents Thoughts & Prayers, a Tony Tina Production. Directed and executive produced by Zackary Canepari and Jessica Dimmock; producers, Gary Kout and Claire Read. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Tina Nguyen; senior producer, Anna Klein.
Watch the trailer for Thoughts & Prayers above.
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