Stuyvesant High School was honored to host the premiere of HBO's documentary, In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 on Tuesday, September 10, 2019.
Joining over 400 students, parents and staff members invited to view the film, were over 130 alumni who returned to Stuyvesant. Principal, Eric Contreras delivered opening remarks and introduces HBO's Executive Vice President of Documentary Programming, Lisa Heller.
In the Shadow of the Towers revisited the events of 9/11 through conversations with eight Stuyvesant alumni who, as teenagers, lived through the attack and whose lives were forever changed by it. The film was dedicated to Alumna '04, Cathy Choy, who shortly after filming passed away of gastric cancer at the age of 32. Cathy's family joined us for the premiere at Stuyvesant in tribute. After the documentary concluded, a panel discussion was led by current junior, Reilly Amera with Director and Producer and seven-time Emmy®-winner Amy Schatz (and current 2023 parent), as well as English Teacher and then STC faculty advisor and author of With Their Eyes, Annie Thoms and alumni from the film, Mohammad Haque, Carlos Williams, Michael Vogel, and Ilya Feldsherov.
Following the documentary, HBO hosted snacks in the lobby for all attendees and then a closed reception in the 5th floor cafeteria.
The documentary aired on HBO on September 11, 2019 at 9pm. Also directed and produced by Amy Schatz, is the film What Happened on September 11, a short film for children, exclusively on HBO FAMILY and platforms. The 30-minute family documentary, produced in association with the 9/11 Tribute Museum, is an introduction to the events of 9/11 for a young audience. Both films will be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms. This film features an interview with our own Assistant Principal, Jennifer Suri and her daughter.
The event was coordinated by Asheba Edghill, Publicity/Media Producer Manager for HBO together with Dina Ingram, Director of Family Engagement at Stuyvesant High School with support from the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association.
Photos by Kris Connor, Getty Images/ courtesy HBO; copyrighted
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