FULLY BOOKED!

Twenty-five years after the events of September 11, 2001 changed the world, the Stratford Film Festival and the City of Stratford will mark the anniversary with two community screenings of the acclaimed Canadian documentary You Are Here: A Come From Away Story on Friday, September 11 at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Stratford City Hall Theatre.

Rather than focusing solely on the tragedy of that day, You Are Here tells one of the remarkable stories of hope and compassion that emerged in its aftermath.

When U.S. airspace was closed following the terrorist attacks, dozens of international aircraft were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, bringing nearly 7,000 unexpected visitors to a community of roughly 9,000 people. With little warning and limited hotel space, residents of Gander and surrounding communities opened schools, churches, community halls—and their homes – to complete strangers.

For five days, they provided meals, clothing, showers, transportation, places to sleep and, perhaps most importantly, reassurance and friendship to people stranded far from home during an unimaginable moment in history.

Their story would eventually inspire the international hit musical Come From Away. Director Moze Mossanen’s award-winning documentary goes beyond the stage production to introduce audiences to the real residents, passengers, pilots, first responders and community leaders whose experiences inspired it.

Both Stratford screenings will be hosted by Stratford Film Festival General Manager Bill Harris, an American expat who grew up in New York City and lived and worked in the United States before making Stratford his permanent home five years ago.

For Harris, the anniversary is also deeply personal. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he was headed into mid-town Manhattan to his job as Senior Vice-President of Production and Broadcast Operations for A&E Networks.

Harris says the film also carries particular meaning for him as an American whose family straddles both sides of the border. Married in Toronto to SFF Executive Director Megan Smith-Harris, a Canadian, Harris is also the father of their adult son, who holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship.

Mossanen, who joined SFF for screenings of the film during Canadian Cinema Week last April, had planned to return to Stratford for the anniversary. Instead, he has been invited back to Gander for a special September 11 screening of the documentary. He will still be part of the Stratford event through a pre-recorded conversation. Also joining the post-screening programme via pre-recorded interviews are retired Gander schoolteacher Diane Davis, who was among the many residents who stepped forward to help the stranded travellers, and Nick and Diane Marson, who met and fell in love while stranded in Gander and later married. Their story became one of the memorable storylines in the hit musical Come From Away.

You Are Here: A Come From Away Story was released in 2018 and won two Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Documentary Program. Through first-hand accounts and archival footage, the 84-minute film captures both the enormity of what happened in Gander and the deeply personal relationships that developed during those extraordinary five days.

The September 11 screenings are  community events, sponsored by the City of Stratford and the Stratford Film Festival. Admission is complimentary, with a Pay What You Wish option for audience members who would like to help support future SFF community screenings.

Advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Reserve here!