Project Rebirth
Encyclopedia
Project Rebirth, Inc. is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
created to support victims and early responders to catastrophic events through documentary footage
recording the rebuilding at the site of World Trade Center
following the September 11 attacks and seven years in the lives of people directly affected by the event. It also intends to create a Project Rebirth Center to help educate responders and the public about dealing with such events. The organization was created in honor of the victims of the September 11 attack and those who responded to the traumatic event. Founded by producer Jim Whitaker, the organization is supported by dozens of corporate donors, including Aon Foundation, OppenheimerFunds Inc.
, and Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
. All profits from its documentary film Rebirth, officially released in January 2011, go to the support of the Project Rebirth Center.
with his wife. He told Huffington Post in 2011 that in the midst of his despair over the devastation, a glimmer of hope came to him when he realized that the site would not always look the way it did then. Wanting to convey those shifting emotions, he decided first to set up time-lapse cameras at the site to track its evolution, but gradually realized that telling the stories of the people involved was also important. Filming at the site began in March 2002. It was while showing the early edited footage to others that Whitaker's vision began to expand, and he realized that the film could have educational value in helping people learn from grief. From this realization, the idea of the Project Rebirth Center was born. Filming lasted for eight years; the overall cost of making the documentary that resulted was $9.5 million. The filming resulted in 900 hours of tape; while less than a quarter percent of this went into the final film, the footage is being made available to agencies dedicated to dealing with such events, including mental health agencies, law enforcement and firefighters.
. Originally, Whitaker, who directed, had intended to focus on the site solely, with a film to be included in a future museum, but told Filmmaker magazine in 2011 that his time at Ground Zero convinced him that the stories of the people needed to be told as well to "capture the human dimension of the event." Although nine people were followed, the finished film focuses on the lives of five individuals: a teenager, Nick, whose mother died; a firefighter, Tim, who lost colleagues; a woman, Tanya, who lost her fiancé; a woman, Ling, who has undergone over 40 surgeries to help deal with the devastation of the attack; and a construction worker, Brian, who is helping to rebuild. Early reception of the documentary was positive, with Sundance audiences responding with a standing ovation
and film critic Kirk Honeycutt enthusing that "Every choice Whitaker has made, from his decision not to show any of the footage from that terrible day to whatever methods he used to get his heroes to express themselves so candidly, pays off beautifully. The word "inspiring" gets overused but 'Rebirth' is really and truly inspiring." All profits from the documentary are to help fund the Project Rebirth Center.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
created to support victims and early responders to catastrophic events through documentary footage
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
recording the rebuilding at the site of 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...
following the September 11 attacks and seven years in the lives of people directly affected by the event. It also intends to create a Project Rebirth Center to help educate responders and the public about dealing with such events. The organization was created in honor of the victims of the September 11 attack and those who responded to the traumatic event. Founded by producer Jim Whitaker, the organization is supported by dozens of corporate donors, including Aon Foundation, OppenheimerFunds Inc.
Oppenheimer Holdings
Oppenheimer Holdings is an investment bank and full-service investment firm offering investment banking, financial advisory services, capital markets services, asset management, wealth management, and related products and services worldwide...
, and Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was formed in July 2002, after the September 11 attacks to plan the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan and distribute nearly $10 billion in federal funds aimed at rebuilding downtown Manhattan....
. All profits from its documentary film Rebirth, officially released in January 2011, go to the support of the Project Rebirth Center.
History
Project Rebirth was built out of Jim Whitaker's visit to Ground ZeroWorld Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
with his wife. He told Huffington Post in 2011 that in the midst of his despair over the devastation, a glimmer of hope came to him when he realized that the site would not always look the way it did then. Wanting to convey those shifting emotions, he decided first to set up time-lapse cameras at the site to track its evolution, but gradually realized that telling the stories of the people involved was also important. Filming at the site began in March 2002. It was while showing the early edited footage to others that Whitaker's vision began to expand, and he realized that the film could have educational value in helping people learn from grief. From this realization, the idea of the Project Rebirth Center was born. Filming lasted for eight years; the overall cost of making the documentary that resulted was $9.5 million. The filming resulted in 900 hours of tape; while less than a quarter percent of this went into the final film, the footage is being made available to agencies dedicated to dealing with such events, including mental health agencies, law enforcement and firefighters.
Rebirth
On January 23, 2011, Project Rebirth released the documentary Rebirth at the Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. Originally, Whitaker, who directed, had intended to focus on the site solely, with a film to be included in a future museum, but told Filmmaker magazine in 2011 that his time at Ground Zero convinced him that the stories of the people needed to be told as well to "capture the human dimension of the event." Although nine people were followed, the finished film focuses on the lives of five individuals: a teenager, Nick, whose mother died; a firefighter, Tim, who lost colleagues; a woman, Tanya, who lost her fiancé; a woman, Ling, who has undergone over 40 surgeries to help deal with the devastation of the attack; and a construction worker, Brian, who is helping to rebuild. Early reception of the documentary was positive, with Sundance audiences responding with a standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
and film critic Kirk Honeycutt enthusing that "Every choice Whitaker has made, from his decision not to show any of the footage from that terrible day to whatever methods he used to get his heroes to express themselves so candidly, pays off beautifully. The word "inspiring" gets overused but 'Rebirth' is really and truly inspiring." All profits from the documentary are to help fund the Project Rebirth Center.
External links
- Project Rebirth
- http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/rebirth/index.html
- http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/projects/project-rebirth
- http://cndls.georgetown.edu/project-rebirth/
- http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/rise-of-freedom/index.html#/v/4504456/rise-of-freedom-project-rebirth/?playlist_id=161320