"Rebirth" Screening at Emelin Reminds Us Of 9/11 Survivor's Losses

A survivor who was in one of the towers when it was hit and who was badly burned. A teenager who lost his mother. A young woman who lost her fiancé. A retired firefighter who lost all his friends. A construction worker and first responder who lost his brother.

The heart wrenching stories of these five people directly affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 make up the film Rebirth, which was screened last week at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck.

Phyllis Lindy Gutterman—chairman of the Mamaroneck Village Council for the Arts—was eager to set up a local screening of Rebirth after she viewed it at the Sundance Film Festival and saw that Mamaroneck residents Brian and Helen Rafferty were the film's executive producers.

“I was so moved, and also so, so proud to know that someone in our community was involved in the making of something of such impact and such importance,” Gutterman told the audience before the screening.

Brian Rafferty is chairman of the Board of Directors at Project Rebirth, an organization that began chronicling the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site shortly after the attacks. Fourteen time-lapse cameras remain at the site.

Also addressing the audience before the screening, Brian Rafferty thanked his father-in-law, Peter Glancy, a 27-year member of the New York City Fire Department, for his support and input.

“Knowing how important Pete’s [Glancy] career and his firefighter brothers are to him,” said Brian Rafferty, “for him to understand what we were up to was the validation I needed for all the sweat that’s gone into this.”

Brian Rafferty talked about showing the 30-minute version to firefighters and first responders, as well as mental health and other professionals who provide vital services after disasters.

To them, the movie emphasized, “the resilience and the strength that people have even after the most horrible things that you can imagine going through,” said Brian Rafferty, clearly in awe of the participant’s coping abilities.

Delancey and other first responders were among those in the audience. Also present at the screening were former Village of Mamaroneck Fire Chiefs Dean DeLitta and Lawrence Cetrone, Westchester County Legislator Judy Myers, and Village Trustees Sid Albert and John Hofstetter.

The film chronicles the continuation of and rebuilding of lives that were deeply affected by 9/11. The participants were interviewed each year since 2002, often on or near the anniversary of the attacks. The viewer never hears the questions asked by director Jim Whitaker nor do we know the identity of the interviewees.

As the years progress, we see the teenager who lost his mother mature into a young man. We see the survivor’s burn scars worsen as they “mature” and then improve after some 40 odd surgeries. We see the young woman who lost her fiancé grieve, struggle with dating and ultimately find love again and start a family. We also see the brother and the friend as they grow older and more mature.

Rebirth also shows its subjects continuing to piece together their lives and cope with the tragic losses of close family members and friends.

Brian Rafferty, speaking on behalf of Project Rebirth, sees the film as a fundraising tool for the continuation of Rebirth’s efforts to chronicle the rebuilding of Ground Zero as well as to support first responders now and after future disasters. The film will also be a part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum at Ground Zero and short films focusing on all nine of the original interviewees will also be featured.

Rebirth will be shown nationally on Showtime on September 11, the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Worldwide theatrical releases and a DVD release are also planned. For more information, visit the organization's website here.

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