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An in-depth look at four individuals who have pulled the trigger and the profound impact it’s had on their lives.

“BEHIND THE BULLET is a captivating and honest look at what is going on in our country when it comes to gun control. It looks at all sides of the issue that sometimes the media does not discuss or cover. This is a must see film in our current climate.” — Peter Hammond, Deadline

“Behind The Bullet is just WOW - an amazing insight into what we are dealing with in the U.S. It’s a refreshing insight and a story that needs to be told.” — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter

About The Film

Every year, almost 40,000 people are killed by guns in America. Each shooting devastates and forever changes the victim’s family and friends. The new feature documentary, Behind the Bullet, explores a side of gun violence that’s rarely talked about- the impact a shooting has on the shooter. The film answers the question, what does shooting and killing someone do to a person whose intentions are good. Each subject in the film tells the story of how the pull of a trigger, changed them emotionally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. The complexity of each scenario plays out as they describe the conflicting emotions and moral injury that comes after a self-defense shooting, an accidental shooting or an unintentional shooting.

Who Made This Film?

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Heidi Yewman, Director & Producer

Heidi’s passion for gun violence prevention began in 1999 when her former basketball coach and teacher, Dave Sanders was killed in the Columbine High School massacre along with 12 students. Heidi is a graduate of Columbine.

In 2009 she wrote the book, Beyond the Bullet: Personal Stories of Gun Violence Aftermath, profiling 19 people forever altered by the impact of gun violence. She is a tireless advocate for gun safety, sitting on the boards of The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Women Donors Network, Stop our Shootings, and Trauma Intervention Program of Portland, OR. Heidi’s vast experience working with trauma victims, advocating for gun violence solutions, and community organizing has inspired her to find unique ways to look at gun violence which creates a more meaningful dialog.

Heidi has been published in USA Today, Ms. Magazine, The Seattle Times, The Oregonian and the Columbian. Heidi’s four-part series, My Month With a Gun was published in The Denver Post, Ms. Magazine and The Daily Beast.

Skye Fitzgerald, Co-Producer

Skye Fitzgerald is a two-time Oscar nominated film maker and a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is also an honorary member of SAMS (Syrian American Medical Society) for his work with Syrian refugees. As a Fulbright Research Scholar, Fitzgerald directed the film Bombhunters and since worked with the Sundance Institute, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the State Department, the Paul Robeson Fund, and Mountainfilm.

As a Director of Photography, Fitzgerald has lensed work for major clients including Dateline, VICE , Mercy Corps, CNN, the Discovery, Travel, History, and Animal Planet Channels. Fitzgerald directed a trilogy of films on the global refugee crisis. The first, 50 Feet From Syria focused on doctors working on the Syrian border and was voted onto the Oscar® shortlist. The second, Lifeboat documents Search and Rescue operations off the coast of Libya and was nominated for an Academy Award® and national Emmy® award. The third, Hunger Ward, explores the impact of the war and famine in Yemen on children, families, and healthcare workers and was nominated for an Academy Award®. More info at: Spinfilm.org

Dan Sadowsky, Editor

Dan Sadowsky is an award winning documentary film editor and commercial video producer. Three of the films he’s edited were shortlisted or nominated for the Academy Award® Best Documentary Short category. His work on Hunger Ward was named Best Editing for Documentary short at the 2021 Social Impact Media Awards.

For the last decade, Sadowsky has helped documentary filmmakers tell stories that matter and has produced videos for inspiring campaigns and causes in the Pacific Northwest. More info at: dansadowsky.com

Why Behind The Bullet?

I made Behind the Bullet because I wanted to know what it feels like to be the "good guy with a gun."

I wanted to look at gun violence from a different angle. I wanted to get past the hyperbole and the entrenched arguments and instead explore a viewpoint nobody thinks about: what happens when you use a gun for the purpose that it’s designed for - to shoot someone.

The Columbine High School 1999 massacre is where it all began for me. I graduated from Columbine 13 years before the shooting and one of the victims was my former basketball coach Dave Sanders. As I sat at his memorial service watching my traumatized teachers weeping, one of the speakers said, “We can’t control what happens. But we can control how we respond.”

After that, I got active.

I wrote a book Beyond the Bullet about 19 people who were shot and how it affected them and their families. As I wrote the book I started to think about the people who pulled the triggers; the people who were behind those bullets.

That led me to write a four-piece series for Ms. Magazine, My Month With a Gun where I carried a 9mm Glock with me everywhere I went so I could experience the emotional and physical ramifications of always being prepared to defend myself and my family from a bad guy.

That experience evolved into Behind the Bullet. The four stories in my documentary focus on common gun violence situations - suicide, accidental child shootings, street crime, and the widespread fear of a home invasion.