On this twentieth anniversary, please join us for a gathering with longtime Pleasantville resident and activist, Andrea Garbarini, featuring a screening of the short film she produced ten years ago as a tribute to her husband and those others who perished in 9/11.
From the Ground Up is the story of five NY firefighters’ widows ten years after 9/11. It’s their journey—taking two steps forward and one step back—through tears, depression, and laughter, to triumph through tragedy. It’s five women finding strength in each other as they forge through madness, comforting their children while the world watches. Filmed across New York, the film is a personal and emotional account of how 9/11 permeates the lives of these women. We see how this tragedy has strengthened them, forcing them to dig deeper, to give meaning to their lives and empower their families and communities. Turning evil into good, they’re making a difference: They’ve raised funds to build a library, a playground, homes for autistic children, and for returning disabled vets; they’re funding children’s foundations, autistic foundations, school gardens, and reaching out to widows overseas. Lifting our spirits, they honor their heroic husbands in the most fitting, personal ways they can imagine.
