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Sundance: Screening September 11A special presentation of films relating to the attacks
By Anne Hubbell PARK CITY, Utah (CNN) -- It's not unusual -- in fact, it's expected -- for the Sundance Film Festival to feature films with disturbing subject matter that resonates directly with some people. This year, the festival has presented a program sure to strike a chord with anyone who sees it -- especially the hundreds of festival attendees who live and work in lower Manhattan, a nexus of the independent film community. Five filmmakers bear witness to and reflect on the World Trade Center attacks in a special event entitled "September 11th," a cluster of films that had their Sundance premieres on Saturday. Eerie, sad, touching and optimistic, these films document initial reactions to the tragedy. The day, and after
- "The First 24 Hours," directed by Etienne Sauret, begins with a stationary camera shot of the north tower on fire, and continues through the second plane crash and both buildings collapsing. From there, handheld footage of ground zero and the surrounding area reveals the devastation and the quick response by rescue and recovery crews, as well as the clean-up effort. The most haunting images are those of once-bustling Lower Manhattan streets empty and covered in dust debris. Producer David Carrara remembered filming the burning towers and his realization that he had the opportunity to document the entire day. "At first it was instinctual. Then it became clear that the news media was not showing anything but the buildings blowing up," he said. "We felt compelled to put it together in a form that people could see and get something out of." - "From The Ashes: 10 Artists" by Academy Award winner Deborah Shaffer ("Witness To War," 1985) follows members of the creative community in New York's TriBeCa neighborhood as they put their lives back together and struggle to redefine the meaning of their work. - Jason Kliot's very effective "Site" consists entirely of close-ups of people's faces as they react to the tragedy. Unconcealed fear, confusion, grief and disbelief are revealed in the eyes of usually guarded New Yorkers. Kliot isn't even a professional director. He's simply a guy who grabbed his hand-held digital camera, went downtown and began filming reactions. - The powerful and straightforward "Voice of the Prophet," by Robert Edwards, is a 1998 interview with the head of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, the late Rick Rescorla. Sitting on the 44th floor of the World Trade Center, Rescorla recounts his experiences in battle and warns that actions taken abroad may spur retaliation from enemies of the United States. His words hit home: Rescorla died overseeing evacuation efforts that helped all but six of Morgan Stanley's 2,700 employees escape. 'Family' spirit- Like the residents of Whoville singing after the Grinch stole their Christmas, the spirit of hope and unity shines through in "The Making of 'We Are Family.'" This is Danny Schecter's documentary about the all-star charity recording of the Sister Sledge soul anthem. Record producer and event organizer Nile Rodgers, who wrote the song with his late partner Bernard Edwards, has said he wanted the event to be more egalitarian than some other star-studded singles. "I didn't want this to be only for people who belonged to an exclusive club, something that the world isn't invited to," Rodgers said in an interview before Sundance. So the film features common folk in New York and Los Angeles -- as well as pop stars, actors, industry bigwigs -- singing their hearts out and sharing their feelings. Rodgers says he welcomed "people whose lives were directly affected and people who were directly affecting our lives. "Of course, when the cops came in, they got the biggest round of applause." Rodgers may have spoken too soon. When the documentary was shown here in Park City, with Rodgers sitting in the back of the theater, the audience was visibly moved. By the end, they were clapping and singing, and when the lights came up, they stood and applauded the songwriter. Reuters contributed to this story. |
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