Gun shooting survivor Gabby Giffords shares her story in new film

By Alicia Powell

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Congresswomen and gun shooting survivor Gabby Giffords is sharing her story of recovery and determination in a new documentary released this week.

"Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” recounts the former Democractic Representative's journey since she was seriously wounded in an attack at a gathering of constituents in Tucson, Arizona in January 2011 in which six people were killed.

Giffords stepped down from Congress after sustaining a serious head injury and has since become a leading activist for gun restrictions in the United States.

"Move ahead, do not look back. Fight, fight, fight everyday,” she told Reuters about her mission to end gun violence despite a recent rash of mass shootings in the United States, including at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois and at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

The documentary includes an interview with former U.S. president Barack Obama, footage filmed during Giffords' recovery and an intimate look at her marriage to former astronaut and now Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.

It was directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, known for their 2018 Oscar-nominated film about late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"Gabby is yet another strong woman that we've had the opportunity to film and I would say really one of the most inspiring," West said.Asked what the film's message was, Giffords, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House last week, said: "For me it has been really important to move ahead, to not look back.

"I hope others are inspired to keep moving forward no matter what.""Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down" is released in U.S. theatres on Friday.

(Reporting by Alicia Powell, Editing by William Maclean)