Tower (2016 film)

Tower is a 2016 American animated documentary film directed by Keith Maitland. It recounts the University of Texas at Austin shooting of August 1, 1966, when a lone gunman, Charles Whitman, opened fire from the university's Main Building clock tower, killing 16 people and wounding many more.

The film blends rotoscopic animation with archival footage and contemporary interviews to recreate the events of that day. Actors were filmed reenacting the experiences of survivors, victims, and first responders. These performances were then traced over frame-by-frame using animation, giving the film a unique and stylized visual aesthetic.

Tower focuses on the personal stories of individuals who were directly affected by the shooting, offering a harrowing and intimate perspective on a tragic event in American history. It explores themes of trauma, heroism, and the lasting impact of gun violence. The film premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2016, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Documentary Feature. It received widespread critical acclaim for its innovative approach to storytelling and its powerful emotional resonance. The film aims to not only document the events of that day but also to provide a deeper understanding of the human experience in the face of tragedy.