Voices in the Wind , World Trade Center Documentary by Director Leslie D. Weinberg
During the fall of 2001, while finishing up my MFA in film at Columbia University, the catastrophic events of September 11th occurred. On the Friday before the towers fell, it was an exquisitely beautiful fall day, but I woke up feeling a sense of dread and impending doom.
Not sure why, I decided to rent a bike to try and get out of my funk. I rode from mid-town down the West Side Highway with a small backpack, a book, and a towel so I could sit in the grassy park near the World Trade Center. Regretting not bringing my camera, I bought a disposable black and white plastic camera at a nearby kiosk with one roll of 24 black-and-white film inside.
I wandered around the towers and took these photos. Later in the afternoon, I called a friend who met me at the plaza between the towers to listen to some jazz music on the mall, which happened every Friday afternoon. My mood had lifted as people working in the buildings came out to share some good vibes after the workweek. I met a nice guy that day who worked in the towers who gave me his number. I was planning to call him the following week, but sadly discovered his number was disconnected.
On that fateful day, I was about to leave my apartment in mid-town on the west side around 8:30 a.m. to attend my production internship downtown. While getting ready to go, I heard the news on the radio that a bomb had hit the World Trade Center.
My first impulse was to grab a camera and go to the roof of my high-rise building, where I knew there was a clear view of lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center. I watched in horror as a plane hit the second tower while the first tower fell. Seeing it in real-time and not with the rectangular borders of the TV was unbelievably surreal. My neighbors on the roof, cried and hugged realizing their loved ones who had left that morning to work at the Trade Center could not be reached.
As a film student, in shock and unsure what to do with myself, I did the only thing that gave me some sense of comfort and normalcy. It was not a time to sit alone in one’s apartment, so I felt compelled to go out with my camera and capture this moment when all New Yorkers seemed bonded in shock and grief. I packed up my camera bag and set out to capture footage and interview anyone who wanted to talk. It was therapy for me and for others to express their emotions during this time of rare comradery among usually stoic New Yorkers. In the weeks and months that followed, I went out with my video camera whenever I felt blue, continuing my documentary project. Each time I interviewed someone, I felt a little better. Making the film helped me to put this event into perspective by getting other viewpoints. After one year of interviews, I had collected over forty-five hours of footage, which resulted in the following 45-minute documentary, which was mostly overlooked in the glut of media coverage.
But my perspective has changed after twenty-five years, and each time I watch it it becomes more meaningful. As time passes the small moments captured my film seem to have more weight. City dwellers united in harmony and empathy was an unexpected by-product of the immense heaviness of the tragedy.
There are some hopeful moments of song, humor, and irony thrown into the mix. Voices in the Wind was screened in several festivals around America, most notably in Los Angeles at the beautiful vintage Fine Art Theatre in 2005. Some of my footage was used in a group documentary for HBO; some was donated to the National Archives and Records Administration.
Leslie D. Weinberg is a photographer, writer, and documentary filmmaker. She graduated from Columbia University Film School with an MFA in 2002. Currently, working on another personal documentary about Left-Handedness, Leslie makes picture books for adults and children through her independent publishing company, Aker Press. For image usage or further info please contact: Leslie@AkerPress.com
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