Private Project

Hear Me

We sat down with experts on the root causes of gun violence; seven young people from the front lines.

Guns are the leading cause of death for Americans under 22 years of age, and mass shootings account for less than 1% of deaths by firearms.

We rarely listen to the young people caught up in the mass proliferation of gun violence in the US.

“Hear Me” is crafted from in-depth conversations with seven at-risk young people in the affluent Berkshire County of Western Massachusetts. Each of our remarkable cast members are working through various aspects domestic abuse, neglect, and street violence. In our film they are the experts—on their own lives, and on the root causes of gun violence.

We hear reports on mass shootings, urban street violence, and we follow political debates on the proliferation of firearms in America. But for members of the protected class gun violence usually feels like it happens elsewhere. Our cast reminds us that gun violence is happening in every community. They share wisdom, humor, creativity, and prescriptions for a way forward.

They remind us that we all share responsibility for identifying and addressing the root causes of gun violence in America.

  • Dave Simonds
    Director
  • Jenny Herzog
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    52 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 15, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    120,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony FX9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Dave Simonds

Dave Simonds (director) is an actor, writer and award winning filmmaker. He directed the docs Hear Me, The Hoy Boys, Cherry Cottage and Forgotten Farms. As an actor, Simonds worked extensively in New York, and regionally at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Long Wharf Theatre, and The Portland Stage Company. He was a familiar face in the indie-film renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s and his screen credits include Amateur, The Book of Life, Signs and Wonders, The Fish in a Bathtub, Henry Fool, B Movie, among many others. He appeared in music videos for Everything But the Girl, Beth Orton and others. He was the co-founder of the award winning Cucaracha Theater. The New York Times proclaimed, “Cucaracha Theatre has become a center for some of the most interesting experimental theatre in New York.”

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