Socialize

ShareThis  

DONATE

Donate to become a Project Partner.

Find 9/12 is a documentary about life beyond tragedy.

10 years after 9/11 we follow an unlikely American hero seeking freedom from those events.

Daniel Rodriguez captured the nation’s attention as ‘The Singing Policeman’ in the wake of the September 11 attacks. His unforgettable televised performances of the National Anthem and God Bless America helped comfort millions of Americans.

They found in him a voice for their sorrow and hope. And he found in them a reason he survived.

Shortly after Daniel left the police force to become a successful recording artist and international concert performer. Nine years later his career remains intimately connected to the events of 2001. He is forced to talk about it most days, but he has never allowed himself to reflect with any depth. He is paid to provide catharsis to his audiences, but his own healing is blocked by the constraints of his professional character.

'The Singing Policeman' is a myth and a mask. He's a strong, proud, defiant hero. But, heroes are fantasies. With the 10th anniversary looming, Daniel Rodriguez, the human within the hero begins to question and acknowledge his frailties. Courage in the face of falling buildings is instinctual, but the courage to confront long buried fears is another kind altogether. This Knight in shining armour sets out to rescue himself and discovers that to save himself he must lay down the mask and cape.

Daniel visits the people at the heart of his 9/11 experience. Mayor Giuliani. Cardinal Egan. Police Chief Hoehl. Families who lost loved ones and for whom he sang at funerals. He retraces his steps through 9/11 and visits Ground Zero where the physical rebuilding is underway.

Daniel's life transforms by confronting his memories and beliefs with bold honesty. He wrestles the issue of forgiveness which stands as a barrier to his inner peace, and explores his faith with new vigour.

He manages to see and release the burden of guilt he carries as a survivor. He pledges to begin living for himself again - honoring the fallen, but not defined by them.

His story is an inspirational allegory. We all experience traumas and tragedies that shape our lives. We all take on roles and behaviours to survive and overcome those challenges. But, at some point the very things we relied on to survive become an impediment to our healing.

Daniel's journey is his opportunity to reclaim his story. To write a new chapter that gives his 9/11 experience new meaning. To own his story rather than being owned by it. An opportunity to open up a new future.

Find 9/12 is a unique and important story at a time when the world is hungry for fresh voices and stories about the events of 2001 that "changed the world forever".