BRYAN, Texas — Six months after the tragic deaths of ten people at the 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston, a documentary detailing survivors’ stories is set to premiere in theaters across the state, including in Bryan.
Filmmaker Charlie Minn said he wants to keep the story of Astroworld’s victims alive with his new film, titled ‘Concert Crush.’ Concert Crush tells the story of eight people who survived the stampede during Travis Scott's Astroworld concert back in November. Audiences will also hear from three attorneys and a security expert, but the movie’s main focus is those victims.
“Step by step, blow by blow, minute by minute, it’s a play-by-play of that night," Minn said. "And these eight people showed a lot of courage, showed a lot of poise and maturity for their age. Their stories are harrowing.”
According to an article published by Forbes magazine on April 13, event coordinating company Live Nation expressed concerns to a Harris County judge that this film will taint a potential jury pool in the civil cases surrounding the tragedy. Paris Maulet, 3L law student with Thurgood Marshal School of Law, who specializes in personal injury cases, told KRHD this concern could be valid.
"Films are very subjective in terms of who’s making them," Maulet said. "So if the film portrays a person to be at fault and ultimately liable for people losing their lives, then it’s definitely going to taint the jury pool.”
Minn has a challenge for the Texas A&M audience: to treat the death of concert victim and Aggie senior Bharti Shahani, as a serious injustice worth speaking out for. Minn said he wants the victims of Astroworld to be treated the same as any celebrity would if they had been killed.
“Because it’s Bharti Shahani and she’s not making millions of dollars and isn’t the football coach of Texas A&M, she gets basically no attention," he said. "I don’t know how else to say it, but that’s the truth."
The movie premiers this Friday at Premiere Cinema in Bryan, with a minimum week-long run. Should turn-out be strong, Minn hopes to continue to book more shows.
Tickets can be purchased here: