WSFA 12 News to premiere “Searching for Solace” at Montgomery’s Davis Theatre

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - WSFA 12 News will premiere the film “Searching for Solace” on Sept. 26, 2023, at the Davis Theatre in Montgomery. The piece explores a schoolteacher who deals with grief and depression after surviving a school shooting.

Since the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999, there have been more than 386 shootings, impacting the lives of more than 350,000 students.

There were more school shootings in 2022 than in any other year since 1999. Beyond those that were fatally killed or wounded, those who experience the violence can be left profoundly traumatized, which has caused a major increase in mental health issues.

WSFA 12 News is thrilled to once again partner with Ricardo Bates and Batehouse Productions, as we did in 2022 with his film “Fruit.”

This young filmmaker is making a name for himself in the world of film. His debut piece, entitled “The Prattville Way,” was released in 2016 and was selected to several film festivals and streamed on Amazon.

In 2018, Bates co-authored a book named “Fruit,“ which focuses on mentoring youth. In 2021, he released “Fruit” as a documentary, which premiered on WSFA 12 News in 2022. It’s currently available for streaming on PBS.

Bates’ latest creation, “Searching for Solace” premieres at 7 p.m. on Sept 26 at the theatre. It will be followed by its full release with an airing on WSFA 12 News on Sept. 28, at 9 p.m.

You and your guests are cordially invited to join me at this premiere event (there is no ticket limit, but please no children). To secure your tickets, please click on the link below. Ricardo has created a film that I believe can help bring awareness to the growing mental illness crisis that impacts our community as well as our country.

Tickets for the premiere are available HERE, but it is requested that children not attend.

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