One week after September 11, 2001, San Francisco-based filmmakers Jay Rosenblatt and Caveh Zahedi asked 150 independent filmmakers to create a short film or video related to the events. Thirteen of these works are included in Underground Zero, a feature-length video that studies the significance of September 11th through a variety of creative, personal and cultural lenses.
Films
The End of Summer - Frazer Bradshaw (3:00)
Maybe we're too grown up?
The Voice of the Prophet – Robert Edwards (7:00)
An interview with Rick Rescorla - a retired Army colonel, veteran of combat in three wars and head of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter˜ - filmed in his office on the 44th floor of the World Trade Center in 1998.
China Diary (911) - Eva Brzeski (12:00)
China. September 11, 2001. The filmmaker watches from across the world as the Twin Towers fall a mile from her home. Her deep connection to the buildings in New York is shaken as life in China goes on.
Isaiah's Rap – Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman (3:00)
A 14-year-old musician and poet responds to the attack on his TriBeCa neighborhood.
Brief Encounter with Tibetan Monks - Paul Harrill (5:00)
Seeking peace in a time of world crisis, the filmmaker discovers that finding examples of non-violence is more complicated than he anticipated.
Scene from an Endless War - Norman Cowie (2:00)
An excerpt from a videotape on globalization, militarism and the "war against terrorism."
The World is a Classroom - Caveh Zahedi (14:00)
An allegory about the Bush and Bin Laden in each of us.
A Strange Mourning - David Driver (5:00)
On Friday, Sept. 14, 2001 people gather on a street corner in Los Angeles, California to mourn the tragic events of the week. Their fervent display of patriotism reflects the mood gripping the nation.
21 - Laura Plotkin (3:00)
In the aftermath of 9/11 many violent and racist attacks occurred through out the USA. 21 chronicles Niomi, a Brooklyn resident who recalls being brutally accosted ten days after the twin towers collapsed.
Carefully Taught - Valerie Soe (4:00)
A short essay responding to the blind patriotic fervor following Sept. 11, illuminated by Hollywood visions of the American dream.
The World As We Know It – John Haptas & Kristine Samuelson (4:00)
Smart bombs or not, just war or not, the guilty and innocent alike are dying–as they always have–in appalling numbers, through the centuries.
Prayer – Jay Rosenblatt (3:00)
Faith and fear. Duck and cover.
Untitled – Ira Sachs (6:00)
Portraits taken from the fliers posted on the streets of New York in the days following the events.
