Pleasantville Resident Honors 9/11 Victims Through Documentary

For one Pleasantville family, the events of 9/11 changed everything.

Lieutenant Charles Garbarini, a New York City firefighter, perished during the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, leaving behind his wife, Andrea and two sons, Dylan and Philip.

"It's been a tremendously difficult journey, not only emotionally, but financially and just time-wise," said Andrea Garbarini who produced the documentary From the Ground Up, which follows the lives of 9/11 widows.

"I've never done anything like this before—I've never been involved in a documentary film and it takes a lot of time, money and effort to produce something," she said.

Garbarini partnered with her friends Beth and George Gates to create the film, and served as its executive producer.

"They're the ones that actually did it," she explained. "I had a lot of the ideas and I was able to orchestrate the women being involved."

The documentary has so far been accepted into the Telluride Mountain Film Festival and Staten Island Film Festival. Garbarini hopes to submit the film to additional festivals in the future, and plans to donate all proceeds from the film to the 9/11 Foundation that supports families affected by the attack.

The women featured in the film include Maureen Fanning, Una McHugh and Kate Richardson.

"I thought it was important for some of these women's stories to be told by us, by the families [of 9/11 victims]," explained Garbarini. "Some people have done amazing things with the bad situation that was handed to them."

Garbarini revealed the film gave her and other widows the opportunity to remember their spouses.

"We got to speak about our husbands. It's about the accomplishments after [9/11]. The journey," she said. "It's difficult to relive 9/11, but it's also rewarding to be able to tell the stories of these women in a positive way...because out of that rubble came good."

Garbarini said she chose to make a documentary because "Visual media is very powerful. You're able to influence so many people in a short period of time. A theater is a captive audience."

She added, "I think documentary filmmaking is just very powerful and it can bring across so many issues. It's becoming more and more accepted in mainstream media."

While Garbarini has already donated proceeds from the film to the , including funds for 's , as well as two basketball courts, a fundraiser this Saturday will help offset some of the film's expenses.

also held its seventh annual in honor of the resident in February, as Lt. Garbarini loved to play the sport when he wasn't fighting fires.

"I think it's important to never forget 9/11, it was a gash in the side of humanity. It took many lives and hopefully we can learn to live with each other without violent extremism," Garbarini reflected.

As for Saturday, she said, "I hope to raise some money to fund the post production costs and have a good time with my friends."

The "From The Ground Up" fundraiser will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 at . There is a $25 entrance fee that includes one drink. There will be live music, as well as a raffle and 50/50.