Tuesday, October 08, 2002

Wilmington, NC – First broadcast on Public Television's WNET-13 in metropolitan New York in September, the acclaimed documentary The Lessons of September: One School Remembers will receive its North Carolina premiere from 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22, in UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium. The screening is free and open to the public.

At the screening will be North Carolina filmmaker and UNCW Communication Studies faculty member Dr. Lou Buttino, co-producer of the story. Joining him will be the executive director of the program, John DeNatale, and Paulette Hasson and Lisa DellaPietra, interviewees in the film who lost family members on 9/11. The screening will be followed by a question and answer period.

“This is a different kind of 9/11 story,” said Dr. Buttino. “It's about healing and hope. It's about moving on. It provides practical and inspiring lessons for us all no matter our circumstance. John (the executive producer) kept us on track, and there isn't a single image of the towers in the story. The people interviewed seemed to find new words for the new emotions they were feeling.”

Narrator of the documentary is actor John Turturro (Quiz Show, Brother Where Art Thou?). WNET-TV is nominating the documentary for an EMMY and for a George Foster Peabody award for Distinguished Achievement. Broadcasters consider the prestigious Peabody the broadcast equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize.

The documentary focuses on one school in Brooklyn over the course of one year and how it came to terms with the terrorist attacks. The school was particularly hard hit, losing 11 of its alums. One student lost her aunt, a heroic policewoman; a teacher lost her brother, a fireman; and the school lost one of its most beloved and active parents, another fireman.

“I'm very proud to have worked on this story,” said Dr. Buttino. “9/11 is obviously was one of the most shattering events in American history. I also came to know and developed a great deal of respect for the people in the program. They have shown remarkable courage and a remarkable generosity of spirit.”

A reception for Mr. Natale, Ms. Hasson and Ms. DellaPietra will be held from 9 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the University Union Living room. Refreshments will be served.

Dr. Buttino is an award winning documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on PBS, NPR and ESPN. He has received numerous academic honors, including UNCW's Distinguished Scholar Award.

He's currently completing a documentary on the choices young men made during the Vietnam era and how those choices affected their lives. Under consideration is a new documentary on UNCW men’s basketball superstar Brett Blizzard. A special collection of Dr. Buttino's work, which includes, books, articles, and other works, has been inaugurated at UNCW's Randall Library.

Joining Dr. Buttino as co-producers of the documentary were Kate Geiss, who also served as director of photography, and Robert Aberlin. Aberlin and Buttino are partners in CUDU Productions, a New York-North Carolina documentary production company.

The event is sponsored by the Student Government Association, William Madison Randall Library, the Office of the Chancellor, the Department of Communication Studies, and the Film Studies Program.

For more information, contact Randall Library at 910/962.3270.