BY MONICA LANDEROS OF WHOI-TV CHANNEL 19 NEWS
MAY 21, 2004
Students in Metamora are bringing the issue of school violence to the big screen.
For about two years several students have worked on the film called The Only Way and focuses on an intense subject matter facing high school students--the consequences of bullying.
The students behind the film say they're looking forward to the community's reaction to this movie, which is inspired by the massacre at Columbine.
The students hope to show the impact bullying can have on a person and that violence is not “the only way” out of a desperate situation.
“Ultimately he goes from seeming pretty normal, like it doesn't bother him, to just all of a sudden 'Bam.' And he's gone--he's lost his mind,” says David Zimmerman, co-director and student at ICC.
“Committing this violence doesn’t just affect the person that's doing it. It affects everyone, the victim's family and everything, and it affects everyone,” says Levi Obery, co-director and Metamora H.S. student.
Most of the students who wrote and produced the movie still attend Metamora High School. The student filmmakers rallied the cooperation of the Metamora Police Department and the Tazewell County Jail, and of course Metamora High School where most of the movie was filmed.
The movie debuts on Friday May 21st at Metamora High School in the gymnasium. It will also show on Saturday the 22nd and on May 28. All shows are at 8 p.m.
Tune in to HOI 19 News at 10 p.m. to hear what students who acted in this movie want you to learn from their work.
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