New documentary "A Nightmare in Las Vegas" looks for answers surrounding deadliest mass shooting in US history

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- On Oct. 1, 2017, 22,000 fans were enjoying a night of country music in the open air during the family-friendly Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. And then some 1,100 rounds of gunfire turned a joyous evening into a national tragedy.

"A Nightmare in Las Vegas," a new documentary from filmmaker Charlie Minn, looks at just what happened that night.

"My films are certainly not for everybody," said Minn. "People ask me all the time, 'Why do you make such dark films that are sad?' And my answer is simple: because it's important."

Minn decided the victims' stories needed to be told. The film recounts the night a man went on a killing spree from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. When it was over, more than 500 people were shot -- 58 people murdered.

"The stories from the victims are powerful, emotional. Stories of healing, heroism and humanity," said Minn. "I'm sick and tired of hearing about the killer. The killer's name is not mentioned once in the film."

Minn, a former news reporter, interviewed survivors and witnesses to make his movie. One of those victims was Jasara Requejo.

"I'm bleeding, trying to wrap my arm up so that I can stop the bleeding, and we're laying on the ground for a good minute," said Requejo. "No one knew where it was coming from, what was going on. It felt like bullets were just raining down on us."

Requejo says talking about what happened is now helping her heal, and she hopes her words are helping other victims as well.

"I've just tried to guide people to have peace and to learn the new 'them' because we're different. We went there Friday night 'somebody,' and we left Sunday 'somebody else'. And so, I really, I try to help them understand that they're different and to embrace that different person and to love themselves again," she said.

"We have a victim section, a montage, where we see every murder victim up on the screen, who they were, what they did for a living. That's important," said Minn. "It's powerful. It's emotional."

"A Nightmare in Las Vegas" is in limited release and is expected to be on Amazon Prime by Oct. 1st, the one-year anniversary of the shooting.