The anniversary of September 11 is approaching and NBC has given a voice to the children of 9/11 with a special movie of the week which followed eleven children from six families over the course of a year, directly affected by the tragic events.
More than 3,000 children lost a parent that day, and some were not yet born – they were still in the womb when the towers collapsed. Their lives are linked by a terrible accident of fate that has made their childhoods part of the most significant and terrifying event of modern times.
The hour special airing Monday, September 5 from 10p-11p ET includes Caitlin Langone, now 22, who was 11 and in school at the time when a teacher told her that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Her father, an NYPD police office and volunteer fire-fighter in Queens was caught up in the horror as he helped in the rescue.
Spoke to Caitlin about how she’s gained understanding of who her father was. “There are so many stories. I mean the great benefit of daddy being in the NYPD and being involved as a volunteer firefighter is you become and your family indoctrinated and into the brotherhood so to speak. So once daddy passed away, I was never really alone. So it was like having 20 or 30 brothers and uncles who could tell you stories about your dad.”
What does she hope people get out of watching this film? “I just hope that like my truest wish regarding 9/11 is just for people to never forget. That’s why were promised so to speak that’s just what I hope for me. And I hope it gives them a better understanding and makes it more personal for them.”
I asked the films award-winning accomplished documentary film-maker Janice Sutherland whose work stretches from ‘Tsunami: Caught on Camera’, ‘Diane, The Witnesses in the Tunnel’, and ‘WW1: Finding the Lost Battalion,’ amongst others how she has the stomach for all these heavily emotional and compelling-stories. “I guess I’m kind of joined to stories –people’s real experiences really. Yeah, I tend to do the emotional subjects because those are the ones I find most interesting. But this was a fantastic film to do. It really was. I mean it’s just so great to meet all of these kids that are – turned this awful-awful thing around and sort of forced their lives. And you know, life affirming really I thought.”