Voices in the Wind - a documentary by Leslie Weinberg

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRLEAP) SEPTEMBER 9, 2006 — The 40 minute film, shot and narrated by writer/director leslie weinberg, was made as a video diary during the weeks and months following the collapse of the world trade center. A film student at columbia university during that time, she was making other documentaries and couldn’t look away from what was happening some 40 blocks away.

“Watching the towers fall from the roof of my building. I couldn’t bring myself to go out of my apartment on the day. But i did manage to take some still photos. The next morning i had to go down there with my video camera and experience it for myself rather than watch the distorted news coverage.
I began shooting everything and everyone i came in contact with.
It was my form of therapy for the weeks and months to come,”
Said weinberg.

Over the course of a year she collected 45 plus hours of footage which was edited into voices in the wind. In addition, twenty minutes of her footage was sold to hbo for the group documentary they composed assembling dozens of videographers together.

“Although the voices project was done five years ago, i decided to hold off in releasing it as i thought there was too much sensationalism in the media connected with 9/11. It seems that watching the movie now it has more of an impact. I’m not at all trying to compete with other film makers out there who are releasing their films now such as oliver stone and the flight 93 movie. Mine is not an interpretation of events that occurred. It’s just my perspective on how it was living in a great city like new york during one of the most catastrophic moments in history and most defining moments of our american consciousness.”

The film made its world premiere this summer at a small festival in colorado, the crested butte reel fest, where it was received to smiles
And tears. Weinberg plans to show in more film festivals and hopefully present it over network broadcast in the future.

Featured in the film is an impromptu sidewalk interview with dan rather, and panel discussion taking place in new york at the time with jon stewart, susan sarandon, and the late playwrite wendy wasserstein. Several interviews are conducted with world trade center survivors and professor robert thurman, head of tibetan studies at columbia university.

“There was a lot of religious and spiritual activities going on in the city after 9/11. I tried to represent all sides, interviewing jews, christians, muslims and a couple of buddhist monks who crossed my path. My aim was to present a balanced view of new yorkers reactions to 9/11”.

The fine arts theater on 5668 wilshire blvd will have two special screenings of to commerate the five year anniversary

September 9th at 5:45 p.m. & sept 11th at 12:45 p.m.