Source: Black News

Los Angeles, CA — Surviving family members of victims from the Emanuel AME South Carolina Church shooting have spoken out in support of a short independent film entitled “Broken” produced and written by La Trycee Fowler. She also stars in the film.

“Broken” follows the lives of two children in a small Southern Mississippi town who witness a massacre at their church, leaving one of them orphaned. The film tells a visually captivating story of how they are coping with the tragedy 10 years later and what happens following an unexpected run in with the murderer.

Fowler comments, “I wrote this film because I wondered what affects something like this would have on society. How does such a hate filled, senseless act, affect the lives of those left behind? My goal is to use the film to start a dialogue about hate as a cancer in our society, in the hopes of people realizing that our actions cause a ripple effect not only in others’ lives, but in our own lives as well.”

Rev. Sharon Risher, the daughter of the late Ethel Lance, victim of the AME shooting, said that “to donate to this film you would do yourself a service.” Her daughter Aja Risher, Ethel’s granddaughter, said “This film should be introduced at the high school level as a teaching tool to think before you act.”

Mr. Stephen Hurd, husband of the late Cynthia Hurd, victim of the AME shooting, said “It’s important to donate and get this film made because we need an up close and personal look at how we are destroying ourselves; our society.” Bethane Middleton-Brown, whose sister Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor was killed in the shooting said, “I don’t want the world to ever forget the Emanuel 9… I want people donate to the film ‘Broken’ because it’s for a good cause. There are a lot of broken hearts that need to be healed, a lot of stories that need to be told… I want mine to encourage people to love, and love monetarily by giving, because that’s what it’s going to take to help others.”

To view clips from the victims’ interviews, visit www.brokenthemovie.com. Interested one can also follow the film on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @BrokenAShort.

To raise funding for the production, slated to begin filming August 31, 2017 in Virginia, La Trycee has started a HatchFund campaign at: www.hatchfund.org/project/broken_a_short_film. The victims’ families are in full support. Donate today!