April Showers (2009 film)
Encyclopedia
April Showers, written and directed by Andrew Robinson, is an American independent film inspired by the events
that took place at Columbine High School
on April 20, 1999 and the days that followed.
A look inside a tragedy through the eyes of a survivor. Based on actual events, April Showers is about picking up the pieces in the direct aftermath of school violence. Set in a middle class suburban neighborhood, April Showers focuses on the lives of a handful of teachers and students as they attempt to make sense of a world that has just been turned upside down by one of their own. With the community and an entire nation caught up in the 'story', the students of Jefferson High must turn to one another for answers. In the wake atrocity, the rifts caused by misinformation and a frenzied media prove difficult to overcome. Lost and lonely under the international spotlight, one young man navigates his way through his almost indiscernible home. From quaint suburban town to battlefield turned media circus, Jefferson High provides the backdrop for Sean's struggle to cope with the loss of his friend April.
Writer-director Andrew Robinson was a senior at Columbine High School
during the shootings.
This movie is based on the true story of Columbine High School, and other similar stories, such as the planned and attempted shooting in a small town in northern Illinois. Name of that town and those involved cannot be named because those involved were minors at the time.
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
that took place at Columbine High School
Columbine High School
Columbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.- History :Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973. There was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975...
on April 20, 1999 and the days that followed.
A look inside a tragedy through the eyes of a survivor. Based on actual events, April Showers is about picking up the pieces in the direct aftermath of school violence. Set in a middle class suburban neighborhood, April Showers focuses on the lives of a handful of teachers and students as they attempt to make sense of a world that has just been turned upside down by one of their own. With the community and an entire nation caught up in the 'story', the students of Jefferson High must turn to one another for answers. In the wake atrocity, the rifts caused by misinformation and a frenzied media prove difficult to overcome. Lost and lonely under the international spotlight, one young man navigates his way through his almost indiscernible home. From quaint suburban town to battlefield turned media circus, Jefferson High provides the backdrop for Sean's struggle to cope with the loss of his friend April.
Writer-director Andrew Robinson was a senior at Columbine High School
Columbine High School
Columbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.- History :Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973. There was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975...
during the shootings.
Cast
- Sean Ryan — Kelly BlatzKelly BlatzKelly Steven Blatz is an American actor and singer.Blatz made his acting debut in The Oakley Seven . He had a brief role in the horror film Simon Says and appears in the 2008 remake of Prom Night. Blatz played a role in the independent feature film April Showers...
- Jason Gates — Daryl SabaraDaryl SabaraDaryl Christopher Sabara is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Juni Cortez in the Spy Kids film series, as well as for a variety of television and film appearances, including Wizards of Waverly Place, Father of the Pride, The Polar Express, Keeping Up with...
- April Lauren — Ellen Woglom
- Vicki — Janel ParrishJanel ParrishJanel Meilani Parrish is an American actress, singer, Broadway performer, songwriter and pianist. She is best known for playing Jade in the 2007 film Bratz: The Movie and her recurring role as Mona Vanderwaal on the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars.-Career:Parrish first achieved fame in...
- Sally Reedman — Illeana DouglasIlleana DouglasIlleana Douglas is an American actress, director, screenwriter, and producer.-Background:Douglas is a granddaughter of the actor Melvyn Douglas and his first wife, artist Rosalind Hightower, and has said that her grandfather's performance in Being There, in particular, was influential on her own...
- Martin Blackwell — Tom ArnoldTom Arnold (actor)Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
- Jessica — Rachel Lien
- Nick — Sean Durrie
- Jonathan — Bryan McClure
- Sam — Nina Rausch
- Sean’s Father — Mark Arnold
- Helen Mann — Brenda O’Brien
- Mike — William Grennan
- Relief Worker — April WadeApril WadeApril Wade is an American actress, producer and writer.Wade is best known for films and television series such as April Showers, Happy Endings, Creepshow III, Day of the Dead 2: Contagium, Opie Gets Laid and Junction.-External links:...
This movie is based on the true story of Columbine High School, and other similar stories, such as the planned and attempted shooting in a small town in northern Illinois. Name of that town and those involved cannot be named because those involved were minors at the time.
Further reading
- "Still Learning 10 Years Later", Michael Dorn, Campus Safety Magazine, July/August, 2009
- "Columbine-themed indie film April Showers sets download records", Film Fetish, May 8, 2009
- http://www.klin.com/---BREAKING----Shooting-At-Millard-South-High-Scho/8919793, "KLIN News Talk", January 5, 2011
- "DVD Review: April Showers", Cyril Pearl, Video Business, April 27, 2009
- "Writer-Director Andrew Robinson Relives Columbine Through 'April Showers'", Carl Cortez, iF Magazine, April 24, 2009
- "Student turned filmmaker tells story of Columbine shootings in movie", Catholic News Service (via cathstan.org), April 24, 2009
- "'April Showers' Recalls Columbine Tragedy", Tina Mather, Neon Tommy, April 23, 2009
- "Columbine survivor directs film about tragic shootings", John Gleason, Denver Catholic Register, April 22, 2009
- "Columbine: Lessons Not Learned", Andrew Robinson, CNN Anderson Cooper 360, April 20, 2009
- "Remembering Columbine", Gayle King The Gayle King Show, Oprah Radio, April 20, 2009
- "A Decade After The Columbine Massacre, School-Safety Questions Linger", Gil Kaufman, MTV, April 20, 2009
- "Columbine Survivor Prepares for April Showers", Mark Hurley, MovieMaker Magazine, April 20, 2009
- "Covering Columbine, Again", Roger O'Neil, NBC News correspondent, The Daily Nightly, MSNBC, April 19, 2009
- "Columbine Survivor's Movie Purges Emotions", Catherine Tsai, Associated Press (via CBS4Denver.com), April 17, 2009
- "CNN Newsroom: Andrew Robinson segment", Tony Harris and Nicole Lapin, CNN Newsroom, April 17, 2009
- "Andrew Robinson's 'April Showers' focuses on survivors of Columbine", Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2009
- "No 'closure' for Columbine Class of 1999", Donna Leinwand, USA Today, April 16, 2009
- "The Lives Shaped by Tragedy", Stephanie Simon, The Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2009
- "Andrew Robinson", Nicole Lapin, CNN Young People Who Rock, CNN, April 14, 2009
- "Film about Columbine shootings stars former SSHS student", Margaret Hair, Steamboat Pilot & TodaySteamboat Pilot & TodayThe Steamboat Pilot & Today is an American newspaper publisher owned by WorldWest LLC which serves Routt County, Colorado.The Steamboat Pilot is published weekly on a Sunday, and the Steamboat Today is published daily ....
, April 11, 2009 - "Based on Actual Events", Christian Toto, Denver Magazine, April, 2009
- "Columbine 10th Anniversary Gathering Reveals New Untold Stories", Reuters, March 23, 2009
- "Columbine Revisited", Vicky Collins, Vicky Collins Online, March 21, 2009