"CHILDREN OF 9/11" SPECIAL TO AIR ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH AT 10 PM ET ON NBC
TEN YEARS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001, "CHILDREN OF 9/11" GIVES A VOICE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, TO YOUNG PEOPLE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THAT FATEFUL DAY
NEW YORK, NY - August 15, 2011 - On September 11, 2001, over 3000 children lost a father or a mother. They come from many different walks of life, but are united by a terrifying shared experience. On Monday, September 5th at 10 pm ET, NBC will present "Children of 9/11," a riveting special which gives a voice to the young people directly affected by this terrible event. The special follows a year in the lives of some of these children, watching them overcome the loss and turn their lives around, by achieving ambitions that would make their parents proud.
For the first time, this special gives a voice to the young people directly affected by 9/11. A bitter twist of fate has indelibly linked their childhood to the worst terrorist attack of modern times. As the film interweaves their stories, home movie footage creates intimate portraits of the families, both before and after the event. Powerful interviews reveal the tough and inspiring personal journeys that the children have taken.
The special follows a year in the lives of 11 children from six families across America, including Thea Trinidad, who at 10 years old couldn't understand why her father was calling to say goodbye. Caitlin Langone, 22, was in school when a teacher told her that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Her father, a police officer and volunteer fire-fighter in Queens was caught up in the horror as he and his brother helped in the rescue. Rodney Ratchford, 21, lost his mother, an IT specialist in the United States Navy when the Pentagon was attacked. Tommy Strada, 17, whose father was a partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, still finds it hard to cope and identify with friends. His younger brother, Justin, was just four days old when his father died. Farquad Chowdhury was the first child born to a 9/11 victim- born two days after the attacks. His father was a waiter at Windows on the World. Halley, Madison and Anna Clare Burnett's father Tom was one of the brave men who fought the hijackers on board United flight 93. His daughters describe him as a role-model and continue to celebrate his heroism.
The events of 9/11 are a very grown-up story, but the impact on thousands of kids should never be forgotten. Over the course of a year, this film sheds light on the special pressures faced by these children, as they attempt to overcome the tragedy. They have lost parents, and much of their childhood, to an act of terrorism ... but through this loss they are slowly gaining a sense of the true value of life.
"Children of 9/11" is produced by Julian Ware at Darlow Smithson Productions.
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