Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle

World Documentary Competition

World Premiere

USA | 95 MINUTES | English |

TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE

Drama, Documentary
"Protecting Life. Protecting Truth" is the company motto for Taser International. Originally created as a safer alternative to guns in law enforcement, the taser became the entrepreneurial passion project of brothers Tom and Rick Smith. In 1999, after years of re-calibrating (and increasing the energy output of) the device the M26 was released on the market and became the weapon of choice for police departments throughout the country.

With zero oversight and no federal regulation officers began wielding these electric rifles with the blessing of its manufacturer, only to encounter dire consequences. Between 2001 and 2012, there were 500 taser related deaths reported in the U.S. At a time when "use of force" and gun control are under heavy scrutiny, Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle adds a necessary voice to the discussion. As the death toll continues to mount in taser-related deaths we are reminded that it is not simply the lethal force of a weapon that needs to be regulated, but the behavior and bias behind it as well.

—Holly Voges

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Nick Berardini

Nick Berardini is a 2009 graduate of the University of Missouri’s prestigious School of Journalism. Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle is Berardini’s directorial debut.
Director
Nick Berardini
Screenwriter
Nick Berardini
Producer
Glen Zipper, Brock Williams, Jamie Goncalves, Ralph Zipper
Editor
Robert Greene, Bryan Storkel
Cinematographer
Brock Williams, Nate Trusedell
Executive Producer
Ross Dinerstein, Paolo Coppola, Neeraj Kohli, Boris Havkin, Dan Balda
Composer
Brooke Blair, Will Blair (The Blair Brothers)

CONTACTS

Print Source
Brock Williams
Boxcar Films
Austin, 78741
Phone: 573 864 5825
brock@boxcarfilms.com
US Sales Contact
Josh Braun
Submarine Entertainment
New York, NY 10013
Phone: 212 625 1410
josh@submarine.com
International Sales Agent
Josh Braun
Submarine Entertainment
New York, NY 10013
Phone: 212 625 1410
josh@submarine.com
Press Contact
Betsy Rudnick Fernand
Sunshine Sachs
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212 691 2800
Rudnick@sunshinesachs.com