Interview With Penny Little, Director of 911: Dust and Deceit at the World Trade Center
Published March 27, 2007
Where did you get all the video footage?
I filmed the interviews and Lenny Charles filmed on 9/11.
Where did you find the people to interview?
One person lead to another. Jenna Orkin was particularly helpful, as was Joel Kupferman in finding people to interview. I was asked to tour Europe on a 9/11 tour to speak and show a preview cut of the film. I hoped to get more interviews on that tour, especially with William Rodriguez, a janitor in the World Trade Center, who helped rescue dozens of people. He was the last person pulled out alive from the rubble of the North Tower, and has health effects which are directly the result of his exposure on 9/11.
Then I got an email forwarded to me from Rachel Hughes, who volunteered at Ground Zero. Rachel had been asking for help via online 9/11 groups. I called her immediately, and arranged for her to come to Europe, if her doctors would allow. There were two separate tours actually – one which was dealing with the environmental issues, and one which questioned the government’s official story about 9/11. Rachel and I became friends. I stayed with Rachel in New York on several occasions in 2005-2006 to finish the film, and got a few more interviews.
I really wanted to speak to members of Congress who are involved in the issue, like Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and Rep. Jerold Nadler. I persisted, and someone who was friends with Nadler helped get that interview – Nadler had been on my list of potential interviews for Electile Dysfunction, and was one of the reasons I originally went to NYC.
I wasn’t able to get an interview with Hillary Clinton, who has also been an advocate for those who are sick.
How long did you work on this project?
January 1, 2005 through January 11, 2007. The deadline was for world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
(More information about the film, and ordering information, is available at a site set up for that purpose. The site also has a trailer for the film.)
- Interview With Penny Little, Director of 911: Dust and Deceit at the World Trade Center
- Published: March 27, 2007
- Type: Interview
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Politics: U.S., Interviews, Politics: War and Terrorism, Video: Documentary, Video: News
- Writer: Scott Butki
- Scott Butki's BC Writer page
- Scott Butki's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
What a crying shame that people are still focusing on the "toxicity" of the dust instead of its most remarkable and revealing quality: the distribution of particle sizes.
The abundance of nanoparticles within the dust reveals that the dust could not have resulted from the use of (conventional/chemical) "explosives" any more than it could have resulted from any kind of "collapse".
Only some kind of exotic weaponry could have caused such widespread devastation on a (near-)molecular level.
So you are saying the dust contents prove some kind of 9/11 conspiracy?
I set out to make this movie to illustrate how the agencies and individuals within the Government lied to the people of New York, denied the ongoing toxicity of the atmosphere, and how their false reassurances have caused tens of thousands of people to get sick, and some to die.
This movie is not about about how the buildings failed, and related anomalies regarding their collapses. That is an entirely different subject, and demands an entire movie devoted to it, with new interviews, and impeccable research. However, if the government has lied to us about what was in the air, could they have lied to us about anything else?
There was testing and analysis done by Thomas Cahill which show the anomalous size of the particles, amongst other data. I found out about his studies *after* I had completed filming. Smaller particles are more toxic because they lodge deep in the lungs, in the body, and are not expelled. This was mentioned in my film by Marjorie Clarke. I am not aware of any studies which show exactly how the particles have affected people at the cellular level, or how their health will be affected in the future by these toxic particles which remain in their bodies. This is a study which I believe needs to happen, and this study may include the information about particle sizes, thus raising those questions. If anyone knows of any such studies, please respond.
Again, the focus of my movie is about people, especially the fact that people are being poisoned, and that the government knew and has not yet, even to this day, helped most of them.
I will not speculate about "exotic" weapons, firstly because I believe it doesn't serve the people who need help; secondly, because I have no evidence; and thirdly, because it's not on topic for *this* particular film.
I wonder if Michael Moore's latest stunt will breath more interest to this good movie.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/61623)
Since September 2001 I have maintained a free and confidential "9/11 list-serv".
The "9/11 list-serv" distributes daily e-mails containing newspaper articles and other relevant information re: 9/11 issues of interest to 9/11 families, 9/11 organizations and interested individuals.
The 9/11 List-serv archives can be accessed. If you would like to 'subscribe' to this free service - resond on the url above.