On August 1, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes in what was a previously unimaginable event. Winner of Grand Jury and Audience Awards at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival, Tower combines archival footage with rotoscopic animation of the dramatic day—based entirely on first-person testimonies from witnesses, heroes, and survivors—in a seamless and suspenseful retelling of the unfolding tragedy. The film highlights the fear, confusion, and visceral realities on a day when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.

See a Texas Standard feature about the film.

Tower has made the Best Documentary Feature Oscar short list!