In the wake of the tragic events of 9/11, ordinary citizens stepped up to the plate and became heroes. Dale Fabrigar‘s dramatic short, Boatlift 9/11, tells one such story.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Captain Jan (Sofia Helin) and her daughter, Britt (Preslea Elliott), are working their tugboat in New York Harbor when they witness two airliners slam into the Twin Towers. Not knowing exactly what has happened, they know they have to head toward the danger. As Britt gathers bottles of water, they spot hundreds of people waiting for rescue on the dock.
When they arrive, Britt starts handing out bottles of water, but against her mother’s judgment, she begins inviting people on board. Knowing the tugboat isn’t meant for passengers, Captain Jan tries to limit how many people board, since it can only carry so many safely. Then the first tower crashes down, sending a wall of concrete dust and debris over the people on the dock and the tugboat.
Passengers lean over a tugboat’s rail to pull a man from the foggy harbor in Boatlift 9/11.
“When they arrive, Britt starts handing out bottles of water, but against her mother’s judgment, she begins inviting people on board.”
The film’s title, Boatlift 9/11, refers to the largest civilian maritime operation in history, which brought 500,000 New Yorkers to safety. While celebrating the bravery of average Americans, filmmaker Dale Fabrigar, along with writers Tricia Aurand and Marc Paoletti, shows that the operation was more than just picking people up and heading to New Jersey. Their boats could have been overwhelmed. The survivors could have panicked. The dust and debris made it almost impossible to see or breathe. Many obstacles could have led to disaster, but these brave souls came together to save as many as they could.
Yes, director Fabrigar performs a little movie magic, filming on a boat while a CG disaster unfolds in the background. These effects don’t look cheap, and they give Sofia Helin and Preslea Elliott a convincing world to play against. As Britt, Elliott brings out a young person’s desire to save as many people as possible. Helin, as Captain Jan, grounds the rescue in the logical, practical details of saving lives without putting everyone at risk.
Boatlift 9/11 is a thrilling tribute to the everyday heroes who turned their boats toward Lower Manhattan when the country needed them most. Fabrigar focuses on the human side of disaster, not the spectacle. Boatlift 9/11 captures both the courage and the hard choices that made the largest maritime evacuation in history possible.
For screening information, visit the Boatlift 9/11 official website.
"…ordinary citizens stepped up to the plate and became heroes."
