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As part of Lafayette’s Imagining America first-year experience, Lou Reda Productions will screen its documentary The Day the Towers Fell 7 p.m. Sunday at the Williams Center for the Arts.
On hand to discuss the film will be Reda, the film’s executive producer; Sammy Jackson, producer, director, and editor; and Hal Buell, photo consultant. Released in 2002, it received Emmy nominations in the Nonfiction Special and Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program categories.
The documentary is based on the experiences of over 18 professional and amateur photographers who rushed into the World Trade Center to document the terror attacks as they were occurring. Produced for the History Channel, it features the photos and verbal reflections of the photographers who captured images of victims jumping from the burning towers, rescue efforts, and the ash clouds that resulted from the destruction.
Gladstone A. (Fluney) Hutchinson, dean of studies, believes that the film’s unique quality lies in its discussion of the human experience as shown through the lens of Sept. 11. He notes that Lafayette students have taken a greater interest in different cultures in the post-9/11 environment.
“It’s a way for us to reflect on this tragedy that has been redefining how Americans view each other,” he says. “By bringing the lead journalists and producer of the film to share their experiences in framing these events, we think it will be a powerful restatement of how we have to be committed to the strengthening of our society.”
The Imagining America program has two distinct features. The Class of 2008 focused on artist Sekou Sundiata’s The 51st (Dream) State and its discussion of the perfect American society. The Class of 2009 is continuing the theme of American identity through the exploration of characteristics that American society shares with others and those unique to the United States. The Day the Towers Fell fits this second objective by exploring the scope of those affected by the terrorist attacks.
“When we realize that many people from around the globe died on September 11 and question why they were all there in that place and time, we see that the American identity is a global one, that all are connected in the American identity,” Hutchinson says.
Lou Reda Productions, Inc. is an Easton-based television production and publication packaging company. It has produced over 200 cable and network specials and series episodes for the History Channel, A&E Television Network, and Discovery Channel. It has been a recipient of many awards, including the Peabody People’s Choice Award and Department of Defense Award. Reda served the United States Navy in the Marshall Islands and Philippines from 1943-46 with the 100th Battalion, Seabees.
Hutchinson is pleased to showcase the local production company for Lafayette’s diverse first-year student population. He sees the event as an opportunity to highlight the surrounding Easton community as well as the intellectual environment of the College.
“We have a gem sitting right here in Easton in Lou Reda and the Lou Reda Productions group,” he says. “We are so grateful and honored that this internationally known and recognized group would choose to show their film at Lafayette. In addition to the issue of humanity, we want our students to appreciate the richness of our local color, so Lou being a local filmmaker is very important.”
Lafayette’s Imagining America is a pilot program for members of a national consortium of more than 60 colleges and universities called Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life. The group is committed to public scholarship – and the joining of serious intellectual endeavor with a commitment to public practice and public consequence – in the arts, humanities, and design.
With 400 seats and an expected attendance of about 600 students, the screening and discussion are open only to the campus community. Members of the public who wish to attend may contact Hutchinson’s office at (610) 330-5080. Admission is free.