Commemorating 25th anniversary of 9/11 with free screening of documentary

A generation has passed since this important event changed the world. The award-winning documentary shares the story of compassion and humanity found in small town Gander, Nfld. during extreme uncertainty.

By: Lisa Chester

The award-winning documentary, You Are Here: A Come From Away Story returns to Stratford for a free screening on Sept. 11 at 4 and 7 p.m. in the city hall auditorium. The film documents the impact the event of the attacks on New York had on small town Newfoundland.

When the attacks occurred, all U.S. bound air travel was grounded and saw nearly 7,000 stranded passengers land in Gander, Nfld., population close to 10,000. This event was an emergency of such proportions that the world stopped, and the people of Gander stepped up to welcome these plane people that have come from away by opening their homes without hesitation to share their food and culture.

“Sept. 11 will always be a day of profound loss, but the story of Gander reminds us that even in terrible circumstances, people have a choice about how they respond. Thousands of confused and frightened strangers arrived without warning or any idea of what would happen to them, and communities across central Newfoundland stepped forward to feed them, shelter them and make them feel safe. They didn’t make speeches about kindness, they simply practiced it,” said Stratford Film Festival (SFF) executive director Megan Smith-Harris.

The film had been previously screened during two sold out shows last April with director Moze Mossanen in attendance for a live Q-and-A. He will return in a pre-recorded Q-and-A session, as well as retired Gander school teacher who was among the many residents that stepped forward to assist the stranded travellers, and Nick and Diane Marson, who met and fell in love in Gander then later married. This community event commemorating the anniversary is brought for the return screenings courtesy of the City of Stratford and SFF.

“I think after being so impressed by the reception here, it’s really great to have this iconic Canadian story again, which is not the flipside of 9/11, but it was the pulse of humanity even with all the tragedy that was going on,” said SFF general manager Bill Harris.

Harris, who was in New York for 9/11, worked in an office half a block from the United Nations headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, considered a prime target. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, he was headed into mid-town Manhattan to his job as senior vice-president of production and broadcast operations for A&E Networks.

“Like millions of people, I remember that morning with extraordinary clarity,” said Harris. “Twenty-five years later, I still think about the shock and uncertainty of that day and the weeks and months that followed. You Are Here gives us an opportunity to remember what happened, but through a story that also reminds us of the extraordinary humanity of good, decent, kind Canadians.”

You Are Here: A Come From Away Story was released in 2018 and won two Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Documentary Program. Through first-hand accounts and archival footage, the 84-minute film captures both the enormity of what happened in Gander and the deeply personal relationships that developed during those extraordinary five days.

While the screenings may be free, it is highly recommended that reservations be made in advance at stratfordfilmfestival.com