We all have our stories and memories of 9/11. Ask anyone anywhere in the world, and you will get a personal point of view of planes crashing into both towers of the World Trade Center ten years ago. Today, we all remember and reflect what we have seen, heard and felt and how 9/11 changed the course of our lives.
On September 11, 2001, I was in Rome with my mother.
We had been sightseeing all day, soaking up Italian impressions, capturing snapshots to take home and to collect in our keepsake albums. It was four o’clock in the afternoon, and we were looking for an authentic place to unwind and to discuss our day. Ahead of us, a crowded pub. It was happy hour time in Italy. An experience we were told not to miss.
As we walked into the door, we noticed the densely packed grapes of people in front of two television sets. For the size of the crowd in the room, it was awfully quiet. We combed through and found two stools at the bar to sit down. You could have heard a pin drop. My eyes wandered to the TV: Shaky footage of black smoke, red bold letters screaming: “Terrorist Attack on America”. Dear God, another catastrophe film made by Hollywood, I sighed, as I spotted a plane approaching the World Trade Center. The titles shifted to “LIVE REPORT”. A fireball, an unified gasp shook the room.
Suddenly it dawned on me. A tear silently streamed down my face, I had no words. “Are you American?”, an Italian woman asked, “I’m so sorry”, and she hugged me tightly. For the rest of the night we were glued to the TV set.
That day we were embraced by the world – what happened?
For the next ten days, Chasing Visions Films will cover a variety of voices looking at America ten years later... for today's promotional trailer, please click connecting dots.
© Colleen Yorke. All rights reserved.