Answering the Call: Ground Zero's Volunteers
Encyclopedia
Answering The Call: Ground Zero's Volunteers is a 9/11 documentary film that pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers who answered New York City's call for help following the September 11 attacks in 2001. The film was directed by Lou Angeli
and is narrated by actress Kathleen Turner
, both of whom served at Ground Zero
as volunteers.
Many personal accounts have risen from the ashes of the World Trade Center
Towers, but this story is unlike any that have preceded it. Answering the Call is the heartfelt chronicle about the thousands of civilian emergency personnel who responded to this nation's worst disaster. The documentary includes never before seen footage by Lou Angeli, a veteran volunteer firefighter and filmmaker, who himself was part of the rescue effort.
With that first 72 hours as a backdrop, Answering the Call weaves the stories of rescue and support volunteers at Ground Zero as the site develops into an Emergency Village. What happened there illustrates the power of the human spirit in the midst of an unimaginable tragedy. “We were all a brother and a sister at Ground Zero", one subject recalls.
Angeli was reluctant to make his footage public mainly due to the sensitive nature of this horrific event, and the deep wounds it inflicted in the hearts of Americans. But at the 2005 American Film Market, other film professionals spoke to him about how this footage could be woven into a worthy story. That story eventually became Answering The Call, a film that pays tribute to the fallen, remembers the heroes, and summons up lessons to be learned. The timing was right and Chesca Media Group, led by Patricia Olesky http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1776613/, made this possible by agreeing to produce the project.
Answering The Call: Ground Zero's Volunteers was officially released on September 9, 2006 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. The film was broadcast in China, Spain, Portugal, Poland, France and the UK, and was released as a DVD, Streaming Internet Video and Video On Demand in the United States. Exclusive distribution for the film is through Walter Behr, Behr Entertainment.
Lou Angeli
Lou Angeli is an American writer and film maker.-Biography:Delaware based multi-media producer Lou Angeli has been involved in filmmaking and television production most of his life. Angeli is also a firefighter, EMT and firefighter instructor whose primary area of expertise is firefighter safety...
and is narrated by actress Kathleen Turner
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
, both of whom served at Ground Zero
Ground zero
The term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
as volunteers.
Many personal accounts have risen from the ashes of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
Towers, but this story is unlike any that have preceded it. Answering the Call is the heartfelt chronicle about the thousands of civilian emergency personnel who responded to this nation's worst disaster. The documentary includes never before seen footage by Lou Angeli, a veteran volunteer firefighter and filmmaker, who himself was part of the rescue effort.
With that first 72 hours as a backdrop, Answering the Call weaves the stories of rescue and support volunteers at Ground Zero as the site develops into an Emergency Village. What happened there illustrates the power of the human spirit in the midst of an unimaginable tragedy. “We were all a brother and a sister at Ground Zero", one subject recalls.
Angeli was reluctant to make his footage public mainly due to the sensitive nature of this horrific event, and the deep wounds it inflicted in the hearts of Americans. But at the 2005 American Film Market, other film professionals spoke to him about how this footage could be woven into a worthy story. That story eventually became Answering The Call, a film that pays tribute to the fallen, remembers the heroes, and summons up lessons to be learned. The timing was right and Chesca Media Group, led by Patricia Olesky http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1776613/, made this possible by agreeing to produce the project.
Answering The Call: Ground Zero's Volunteers was officially released on September 9, 2006 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. The film was broadcast in China, Spain, Portugal, Poland, France and the UK, and was released as a DVD, Streaming Internet Video and Video On Demand in the United States. Exclusive distribution for the film is through Walter Behr, Behr Entertainment.
Program Credits
- Narrated by: Kathleen Turner
- Directed by: Lou Angeli
- Executive Producer: Patricia Olesky
- Producer: Bunny Dubin
- Associate Producer: Cass Warner
- Written by: Bunny Dubin and Lou Angeli
- Original Music: Geoff Levin
- Location Sound: Jose Ochoa, Jr.
- Lighting Design: Bill Mason and Patrick Wade
- Exclusive Distribution: Walter Behr, Behr Entertainment