A mother's love is strong enough to power through even the most unfathomable events. And that courage and strength is the core of Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who rescued her children during the Robb Elementary mass shooting that took place in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022.

Attendees at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin and people who bought public tickets watched the story unfold during the March 10 premiere of Uvalde Mom at the Paramount Theatre. The documentary will be shown at other film festivals with the aim of finding streaming distribution, and there is one more showing with public tickets on Friday, March 14.

The documentary revisits the events that took place on May 22, 2022, through the lens of Gomez, who is a lifelong Uvalde resident and single mother of two children. It's a deeply personal retelling of how she saved her sons that day, jumping over a fence and running into the school after being detained by law enforcement. Gomez had been restrained in handcuffs in an attempt to prevent her from entering the property, but she appealed to the arresting officer, who agreed to remove them. Then Gomez bolted.

Gomez started speaking out to local and national media about the failures of the 376 officers that waited for more than an hour before stopping the shooter. The film also details interactions between Gomez, her family, and the police; Gomez threatened legal action, alleging that officers began harassing her in person.

Events from her past related to a domestic violence dispute between Gomez and her children's father began to resurface. Onlookers questioned the validity of her experience that day and also questioned her role as a mother while on probation.

"A lot of people undug my past life and brought [up] things I had already left behind," she says. "And then I felt like I had to prove myself again, just like I had to prove myself 10 years ago."

Tina Quintanilla, Gomez's friend and the mother of a child who attended Robb Elementary, urged viewers to become more involved with advocacy against gun violence during the documentary's talkback. She extended the blame to both Uvalde police and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Director Anayasi Prado also called for more accountability for the failures that happened the day of the shooting.

"There's only two police officers that are being held accountable, and there were 376 officers there that day, not to mention other [members in] the line of command that should be held accountable as well," Prado said. "So let's not forget about Uvalde."

Director Anayasi Prado (holding microphone), Tina Quintanilla (red dress on left), Angeli Gomez (ivory suit in center) and their families attended the Uvalde Mom premiere at The Paramount Theatre on March 10.Photo by Amber Heckler

Through the stories of Gomez, her family, Quintanilla, and Robb Elementary teacher and shooting survivor Arnulfo Reyes, Uvalde Mom paints a powerful picture of bravery while also exposing the lack of accountability of Texas law enforcement and the failure of the state government in protecting its most vulnerable community members.

Uvalde Mom will have an additional screening on Friday, March 14, at 6 pm at the Hyatt Regency in Austin (208 Barton Springs Rd.). The screening is open to SXSW badge-holders, and public presale tickets ($30) are available for purchase.