Two years after the tragedies of 9/11 brought the UM community and country closer, UM students, faculty, employees and friends once again joined together in remembrance of the victims.
Among the most talked-about of the events, UM’s Cosford Cinema premiered a 9/11 documentary film by UM alum Mike Trebilcock.
The documentary was described by those who saw it as a vivid account of how the South Florida Task Force II, an Urban Search and Rescue Team, hurried to rescue victims from the collapsed World Trade Center.
Trebilcock was a member of that team.
According to the film’s invitational flyer, the film, though graphic with the realities of the catastrophic event, is not meant to shock, but rather “to honor and commemorate the September 11 victims, and pay tribute to New York’s uniformed services.”
Trebilcock, who received his Master of Fine Arts degree in motion picture production at UM in 1997, worked off-duty to create the documentary and is pleased that many of the local firefighter-rescuers were invited to attend.
“There’s an extreme compassion I felt that comes through in the film,” Trebilcock said. “Even watching the events on September 11 unfold, any firefighter feels that it could have been him in there.”
Trebilcock has worked on other films of a political nature, including The Devil’s Corridor, the true story of a Black Panther revolutionary.
“This film is a tribute to the FDNY and the New York Port Authority Police, as well as the 28 urban search and rescue units that teamed up to help,” Trebilcock said.
During the film, a ceremony was held on the Rock that included testimonials from people directly affected by the events of September 11.
Those present sang patriotic songs and held a candlelight vigil that symbolized each person’s light spreading into darkness.
Overall, organizers were pleased with the 9/11 remembrance events.
“It was a great opportunity to take time out of our busy schedules to reflect not only on the tragic event, but on how fortunate we are to be alive – to be free,” said Robert Castro, intern for student affairs.
Jaclyn Lisenby can be contacted at jlisenby@umsis.miami.edu.