Video: Twenty Years Later: Remembering 9/11 Through Documentary Film

September 11, 2021 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the tragic events that occurred in Lower Manhattan. On this day of remembrance, join us for a screening of two recent short documentary films about the events and aftermath of September 11: Chief (Harvey Wang and Robert Maass, 2021) and In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 (Amy Schatz, 2019).  

A panel discussion moderated by Karen McMullen will follow the screenings. Panelists include Harvey Wang and Robert Maass, co-directors of Chief; William Feehan, grandson of Chief Feehan and musical composer of Chief; Amy Schatz, director of In the Shadow of the Towers; Liz O'Callahan and Carlos Williams, former Stuyvesant High School students ​​​​​​featured in the film. The panelists will reflect on their roles in creating artifacts of public memory and explore the continuing ramifications of 9/11 for the lives of New Yorkers today. 

This program is presented in collaboration with the 9/11 Tribute Museum. 

Please note that this program will take place indoors in Ronay Menschel Hall. All attendees must provide proof of vaccination and wear masks for the entirety of the program. 

Event Timeline: 
12:30 pm: Doors open to Ronay Menschel Hall (Museum's auditorium on the Ground floor). Seating is first-come, first-served. While we will give priority to those who pre-registered, we will open seats to walk-ins at 12:50pm.
1:00 pm: Program begins with introductory remarks
1:05 pm: Screening of Chief (24 min.)
1:30 pm: Screening of In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 (31 min.)
2:10 pm: Panel discussion 
3:15 pm: Panel ends

About the Films:
Chief (Harvey Wang and Robert Maass, 2021, 24 min.): When William Feehan died, tragically, during 9/11, he was the most senior and accomplished member of the FDNY. This intimate documentary short film pays homage to the "Chief," a humble and beloved man who made an outsized impact on New York City as well as on the art and science of firefighting. 

In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 (Amy Schatz, 2019, 31 min.): When the Twin Towers were attacked on September 11, 2001, students had just started their day at Stuyvesant High School, a few blocks away. In the Shadow of the Towers offers a unique eyewitness perspective on that tragic day – how it felt to be a young person at ground zero and how it forever changed the lives, and dreams, of eight former students and their families.

About the Panelists:
William Feehan, known professionally as CWB, is a music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. His work with the Artist Incorporated production team has produced major releases for artists M. Maggie and Tie Hixon, and brands such as E.L.F. Cosmetics, NYX and more, resulting in over ten billion streams. CWB is the grandson of Chief William Feehan, and this is his first film score.

Robert Maass is a photojournalist, filmmaker, and author/photographer of books for children. His work has been featured in many major publications, primarily in Newsweek. His documentary, Gotham Fish Tales, tells the unusual story of the fishery of New York City.  His lifelong love of New York City has led him, in the last five years, to lead walking tours around the city. 

Karen McMullen is a Features Programmer at Tribeca Festival and DOC NYC Film Festival, Director of Programming at the TIDE filmmaker, and screens for Sundance Film Festival. She’s a juror at the Pan African and Bentonville Film Festivals, Black Public Media and the Cinema Eye Honors. She moderates live and virtual filmmaker panels for the African Film Festival, Pure Nonfiction, Netflix, Hulu, Women Make Movies and HBO screenings. She’s a frequent guest speaker on television, radio and at filmmaking organizations. A Brown University graduate, she’s a post-production professor at Long Island University. She has picture and sound editing credits on features, documentaries, and short films.

Elizabeth (Liz) O’Callahan is a family physician who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She attended Stuyvesant High School from 1998-2002 and was on the sixth floor of the building, in gym class, when two planes crashed into the Twin Towers. She wrote a poem titled “Always Wear Your Walking Shoes” after walking several miles to get home that day. Liz is one of the co-authors of with their eyes: September 11^th—The View From a High School at Ground Zero, a play written from the interviews of members of her school community in the wake of 9/11.

Amy Schatz is a director and producer of children’s shows and documentaries whose work has earned multiple Emmy, Directors Guild of America, and Peabody Awards. She most recently completed HBO’s 2020 Emmy-winner, We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical and The Runaway Bunny, a musical based on the children’s classic. Additional titles include films for young people that explore some of life’s big subjects – from climate change to the Holocaust, to poetry and love: Song of Parkland, The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm, the Saving My Tomorrow series, Goodnight Moon, Classical Baby, and two films about 9/11: What Happened on September 11 and In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11.

Harvey Wang is a photographer, filmmaker, and lifelong New Yorker. He has published six books of photography. His award-winning films, ranging from documentary to experimental, have been seen in film festivals all over the world. His photography work is in many collections, including the Museum of the City of New York.

Carlos Williams is a Brooklyn native who graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 2005, and attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He began his career at Bain & Company, but in 2014 he embraced his passion for brand strategy and opened DBC, a creative agency located in Lower Manhattan.  DBC embraces its New York roots by working with the city, and nonprofit advocacy organizations like StuyHealth, which advocates for the students impacted by the World Trade Center cleanup. Carlos lives in Manhattan and volunteers in his free time as a mentor for high school and college-aged creatives.

Watch the Trailers: 

Watch the trailer for Chief here.

In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11: