From the Ground Up

  • Thursday, Sep 10

Showtimes updated on Tuesday evenings
Legend
OCOpen Captioned
Special Content
35mm
SFSensory Friendly
Cinema Studies

From the Ground Up

Q&A with Producer Andrea Garbarini

On this twenty-fifth anniversary, please join us for a gathering with longtime Pleasantville resident and activist, Andrea Garbarini, featuring a screening of the short film she produced in 2011 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.

Presented in Partnership with:

Logo for Films on Purpose

SPECIAL EVENTS

Q&A with producer Andrea Garbarini

Q&A with producer Andrea Garbarini

Thursday, Sep. 10 2026, 7:00

  • Andrea Garbarini is a documentary filmmaker based in Pleasantville, NY. She began her filmmaking career as a producer on From the Ground Up with Gage and Gage Productions. The film, which explores the resilience and achievements of five 9/11 widows in the aftermath of the attacks, won multiple awards and was featured on PBS and the OWN Network. Since then, Andrea has focused her filmmaking efforts on social justice, with her last two films exploring pressing humanitarian issues. Her most recent project, The Arrivals, chronicles the experiences of thousands of migrants bused from Texas to New York City. Throughout her work, Andrea seeks to spark meaningful dialogue about the social and humanitarian challenges facing people today.

Tickets: $11 (members), $16 (nonmembers)

Buy Tickets

This film is part of the Community Matters: Now More Than Ever series.



Coming Soon

Wet Hot American Summer: 25th Anniversary

Opens 8/14—Tickets on Sale Now

Late Fame

Opens 8/14

Cookie Queens

Opens 8/14

SIX the Musical Live!

Opens 8/15—Tickets on Sale Now

The Jacob Burns Film Center is proud to receive generous support from:

Email Sign Up

Get updates on screenings at the JBFC Theater, upcoming events, and more!