"The Box" - September 11 documentary

A new documentary about how the events of September 11, 2001 affected people is being finsihed by film maker Dave Wallin-Eddy.

On September 11, 2001 Dave Wallin-Eddy wanted to do something to help
out. As a film maker with over 20 years of experience behind him and a
monthly show called "Sound Visions" his first instinct was to use that
experience to help. The first result was special "Sound Visions",
subtitled "September 11, 2001: New York City", that aired throughout the
world in October 2001. That was also the catalyst for what was to come.

Since late September Wallin-Eddy has been making a documentary about
the events of September 11 in lower Manhattan. While other higher
profile programs have been made this project has stayed relatively low
key...for a reason. "I am truly independent in doing this" says
Wallin-Eddy "There is always talk of indy films being made and people
are in awe how at these projects can be made with such low budgets. In
my case I have no budget, I have no funding or any sponsorship. I also
have no crew. So I am truly an independent filmmaker, I guess, in it's
purest sense." What Wallin-Eddy has found over that last several months
is that some people embrace the idea and others simply want to make
money from the event. "I did one interview with a news cameraman who was
trapped when the first tower fell. He told me he did this because it was
not mainstream and not being sold. On the other hand I have had more
than a few people say to me 'how much you pay?' without even caring what
the project was for or about." For Wallin-Eddy this project is something
being does not for commercial broadcast but for Public Access as well as
any school or library that wants it.

This was a project that started off to be one thing and has grown into
something else. "A friend of mine lives in lower Manhattan and would
email me telling how her neighborhood was doing in those early days
because she was below the locked zone. Every morning the residents would
meet to discuss what was needed to be done to help out because no food
could be brought in for the stores and her neighborhood fire department
lost 7 men in the collapse." But by the time the details had been worked
out the area had opened up and things were somewhat getting back to
business as usual. So the story took a shift from just one neighborhood
to people and how that day affected them. "I didn't want to make this
just about the NYPD or just about the FDNY. I wanted to make it about
the event and how people were affected by it. Obviously some people were
a lot closer to the event than others and obviously it was some peoples
jobs to be on the scene. But I wanted this to be more of the person, not
their jobs."

What has resulted is a varied list of people interviewed and exclusive
video and photographs from September 11 and the months after. "This has
been something that I have felt a need to do and I have tried to explain
that to several people who at first may have been a bit stand offish.
Almost everyone involved has donated their video and images. It really
became harder in January when several people I had been talking to for
several months were suddenly contacted by HBO who were, more or less,
waving cash in front of them, in some cases wanting to purchase
'exclusive rights in all media.' Suddenly some people who were not
thinking about the money started thinking about it. In one case I was
told I could use some video but when HBO paid them $500 for a copy of it
I got the brush off. It had nothing to do with the project or who was
doing it, it was all about the money." For Wallin-Eddy the road thus far
has been at times frustrating and other times emotional. "All the talk
of moving on and I found for many this is not an option. In some cases
those who have told me I should not do this project because it is time
to move on are people who were not anywhere near the World Trade Center
that day. Some of the EMT's who were first responders that I interviewed
are still in counseling. Some of the FDNY members still have not
recovered their lost brothers. I myself find it hard to think this is
now June and it has been 9 months since September 11. I am still getting
footage from people, in the last week I have gotten almost an hour of
new video people shot on that day, most of it has never been seen
before. So until I finish the editing on this I personally live this
event over and over again."