New documentary examines unanswered questions

Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a small group of grieving families waged a tenacious battle against those they believed sought to bury the truth about the event — including, to their amazement, President Bush. In the new documentary 9/11 Press for Truth, six of them, including three of the famous “Jersey Girls,” tell for the first time the powerful story of how they took on the greatest powers in Washington. While they were victorious in compelling an investigation, they believe the 9/11 Commission failed to answer most of their questions about how and why their family members died.

Indianapolis native Ray Nowosielski and his friend John Duffy had been touched by Sept. 11 but never thought much further about it. In the spring of 2003, during their last semester of film school at Columbia College in Chicago, a friend mentioned a Web site called “The Complete 9/11 Timeline.” That evening, Duffy and Nowosielski decided to take a look. They found themselves unable to stop reading. Though the young filmmakers had never had any interest in the genre of documentary, as the months passed they grew to believe that this was a story the American public needed to hear. By the second anniversary of Sept. 11, they were seeking the funding for what would eventually become 9/11 Press for Truth.

The film is based in large part on “The Complete 9/11 Timeline” Web site created by Paul Thompson in 2002, and his subsequent book The Terror Timeline published by Harper Collins in 2004. Thompson, a Northern California native and Stanford University alumnus, became intrigued by several stories regarding Sept. 11 that suddenly appeared in the press, and found himself poring over news of the attacks on the Internet and growing increasingly frustrated with how incomplete the story of Sept. 11 was.

Thompson began gathering and condensing every credible fact on Sept. 11 that he could find, setting a rule for himself that he would only include what he could find in mainstream news sources, and posted those facts online in chronological order. Today, “The Complete 9/11 Timeline” consists of information from over 7,000 mainstream news stories on Sept. 11, each fact immediately followed by sourcing which links back to the original news article.

The Sept. 11 families discovered the timeline early on, and it became a highly-valued tool for research by the Family Steering Committee, a group of 12 family members who had loved ones die on Sept. 11 and who led the fight for a full-fledged investigation. It was only due to pressure from the Sept. 11 families that, 14 months after the attacks, the first hearing finally began. In 9/11 Press for Truth, five of the most prominent members of the Family Steering Committee tell their story for the first time, and offer their powerful arguments for why they believe Sept. 11 still needs investigation.

9/11 Press for Truth is showing around the country this month, including premieres in New York and Los Angeles. In Indianapolis, the film will run from Friday, Sept. 8 through Monday, Sept. 11 at Hollywood Bar & Filmworks with 7 p.m. screenings each night.

Paul Thompson will attend the Sept. 8 screening at Hollywood Bar & Filmworks (247 S. Meridian), and will answer questions and sign copies of his book The Terror Timeline afterwards. There is also an after-party on Sept. 8, beginning at 9 p.m. at Subterra Lounge (250 S. Meridian), hosted by DJ Helicon and DJ Indiana Jones and sponsored by Oranje. For more information go to www.911pressfortruth.com.