On April 20, 1999, two teenagers entered Colorado’s Columbine High School armed with guns and homemade bombs, planning to kill hundreds of their classmates. Within an hour they would go on to murder 12 students and one teacher before turning their guns on themselves.

More than 17 years later, the faith-based feature film I’m Not Ashamed recounts the story of the tragedy—not solely the events that transpired that day, but life through the eyes of Rachel Joy Scott, the first person killed during the school shooting.

The film, released Oct. 21, had a nationwide opening in 500 theaters, with stacked showings in Middle Tennessee, including Murfreesboro. Nashville-based producer and MTSU graduate Nise’ Davies worked on the film, with duties including casting, production and other aspects during the three-and-a-half-year filming process.

“When you work on an independent film, you have to wear a lot of hats,” Davies says. “Coming from a producing background, I also did casting, and, at times, I even helped with wardrobe and makeup.”

During her time as a mass communication student, Davies developed an interest in acting and modeling, and she went on to claim the titles of Miss MTSU and homecoming queen.

“I thought I might end up having a career in television, film or maybe a talk show,” she says. “I never thought I’d end up on the production side, but it just evolved.”

After college, Davies jumped into the business side of acting by launching talent agency Advantage Talent and Modeling; she later served as a casting director for a few independent films until she joined the team as a producer for I’m Not Ashamed.

“I wasn’t taught how to be a producer while at MTSU, I didn’t go to school for that,” Davies explains. “I just learned along the way, and I’m thankful that the good Lord guided us through the process.”

Despite the film’s story being set in Colorado, I’m Not Ashamed has a strong local connection. Other than exterior shots filmed at Columbine and news footage captured during the aftermath, most of the scenes were filmed in Nashville, and some of the actors and production team, including Davies, are from the Middle Tennessee area as well.

With the help of Scott’s mother, Beth Nimmo, as executive producer, I’m Not Ashamed is Rachel’s life story in her own words. Davies says the filmmakers crafted the script directly from Scott’s journal entries, which tell the journey of her faith and compassion for helping others. She adds that each voiceover heard in the film comes from entries in Scott’s personal journal or from a shared journal with close friend Nathan Ballard.

In addition to Scott’s original writings, Nimmo provided several of her daughter’s personal items for use in the film. Viewers might recognize Rachel’s red Acura, which turned into a memorial shrouded in flowers following the shooting.

“This movie is so special because of [Nimmo],” she says. “She saved everything . . . Rachel’s car . . . the real poster she made when she had a class with the shooters, which was the same one she used during her compassion speech when she presented a project [asserting] that she would change the world by acts of kindness through a chain reaction.”

The roughly-two-hour film is already having an impact on some moviegoers, Davies says.

“Even if a film is excellent—the acting, script, sound and video—there’s still no guarantee it’s going to change someone’s heart or impact their life,” she says. “That’s a supernatural thing that happens, and a filmmaker can’t control that.”

“People are are impacted by this film,” she continues. “And I, or the production team, can take no credit for that.”

Since the film currently is in limited release, Davies encourages people to check out the film soon in an effort to give it a lengthier box-office run.

“If you love it and it makes an impact, share your story so it stays in theaters for a long time,” she adds.

Among the cast are Atlanta native Masey McLain as Rachel Scott, Davies’ son Ben as Nathan Ballard and Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame starring as her cousin Charity, who Davies says served as an inspiration to Rachel’s faith.

Check Carmike Cinemas Wynnsong 16 for showtimes in Murfreesboro. For a full list of theaters and showtimes, visit imnotashamedfilm.com.