9/11 First Responder Documentary Update
John Citara and Other Forgotten Heroes To Be Featured In New Film
Mar 20, 2009 Leslie C. Halpern
In a Suite 101 blog posted on November 18, 2008, the plight of John Citara, an ailing 9/11 First Responder, was first brought to readers’ attention.
Filmmaker Brian Johnson Works on Documentary
Central Florida filmmaker Brian Johnson had started work on an untitled film about Citara’s problems paying his health care bills, obtaining accurate diagnoses for his multiple symptoms (including constant pain, vomiting foreign substances, and coughing up blood), caring for his young son, and facing an uncertain future.
Johnson completed principal photography in November and has been working on the film since then, producing a trailer now posted at YouTube.com. He also created a website in order to benefit 9/11 First Responders still suffering the effects of their heroism. He plans for all proceeds generated by the website to go toward educating the public about the deadly health issues facing the First Responders and funding various 9/11 First Responder Advocacy efforts.
The Documentary Three Weeks In September
Now near completion, with a projected date sometime in summer 2009, the film is titled Three Weeks In September: A 9/11 First Responder Documentary. The film is a Light For Shayne Production, a reference to Citara’s toddler. Full Sail University film students assisted Johnson on the project.
One of the film’s goals is to show how Citara’s life (and the lives of thousands of others who came to help) changed forever following those three weeks in September 2001. After witnessing the destruction of the World Trade Center on television, the former teacher of disabled children and construction worker left with some friends from their homes in Pennsylvania to volunteer at Ground Zero helping in any capacity, including search and rescue.
Earlier footage from that time shows Citara on his way to New York and at Ground Zero working amid the chaos and destruction. Shots also show him hard at work at the actual site, digging through the dust of toxic chemicals still burning in the ruins of the buildings and jets. Some of this footage is included on the YouTube video.
Johnson also shot his own footage in locations around Florida and New York, combining Citara’s story with the stories of other people associated with 9/11 in various capacities.
In The Words Of John Citara
In a personal interview last November, Citara revealed that he had consulted more than 30 doctors about his current condition – by now that figure has likely doubled.
“I get tests and medication, but no real treatment,” he said. “I feel like all the 9/11 people are forgotten. So far the doctors and medicines haven’t helped me despite the money supposedly designated for First Responders. There doesn’t seem to be enough grant money trickling down to help my situation.”
For more information about the effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, read Powerful Acting in Reign Over Me.
John Citara (l) and Brian Johnson (r)
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