Five years after the tragedy of September 11, and what does the world have to show? Is there a new monument forever remembering those who were lost on that day? No, of course not, because for the past five years there has been bickering and arguing over how to adequately remember those who perished that day. However, there is not a shortage of Hollywood blockbuster movies being put out to “commemorate” and “pay homage” to those who were lost in the tragedy. The whole idea of having Hollywood make millions off of a tragedy that affected, and is still affecting, so many lives is plain wrong, but I guess some would say, “That’s show business.”
In the epitome of irony, these 9/11 blockbuster movies are being indirectly encouraged by the Tribecca Film Festival. The festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in response to the attacks on 9/11 in an effort to foster economic and cultural recovery in lower Manhattan. This past year, the festival introduced a new competition to the festival, “The New York Narrative Film Competition,” which according to the website’s description says it presents “stories ranging from dramas dealing with lost love and post 9/11 grief, to suburban tales, slapstick comedies, and films that use the Republican National Convention as their backdrop.” This encouragement of 9/11 films and how the tragedy of September 11 can be grouped with slapstick comedies of New York is a disgrace.
How can making money off of a tragedy, as Hollywood is trying to do, be seen as a good act? The films United 93 and World Trade Center both have contributed a percentage of their ticket sales to memorials and charities connected to the tragedy. So basically, it’s okay to make a Hollywood blockbuster about the tragedy of 9/11 as long as a percentage of those billions of dollars in sales revenue go to charity?
Giving proceeds to charity is not a panacea or blank check for Hollywood to feel justified in making these movies, especially now. It is too soon to be making movies about 9/11.
As a native New Yorker, I was a freshman in high school when the planes hit the World Trade Center, and I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. No movie or documentary will ever be able to capture the fear, the pain, the uncertainty, and all the stories from that day. I knew so many people who lost family and friends. The plumes of smoke could be seen from the edge of where I live in Staten Island. There are still so many people who can’t even hear the date without flinching or having a surge of pain in their eyes. I could not listen to the introduction to World Trade Center on its website; the pain is still too real and too deep.
Events like the tragedy of September 11 must be documented and forever remembered for our future generations; however, it is too soon. What irks me is that a proper monument of remembrance has not even been built in the place where the towers once stood to pay respect and honor to those who were lost that day. There are, however, already movies making millions and forcing the wounds of 9/11 to be reopened even before they’ve really gotten a chance to close. Maybe the world is ready to hear the stories and events of 9/11, and how the lives of individual New Yorkers on that day became one, but I don’t think New York is ready to relive that terrible day—I know I’m not.
