The story of Windows on the World is inseparable from the tragedy of September 11th. What inspired you to revisit its story and focus on the life, joy, and ambition that defined it before that day?
The tragedy of September 11 is so enormous that it can sweep away the memory of everything that was beautiful within the World Trade Center. Windows on the World was an iconic innovative restaurant with a staff full of ambitious creative chefs, prep cooks, servers and bartenders from all over the world. It was the consummate New York experience that became, for a while, the highest-grossing privately owned restaurant in America. We wanted to bring back a piece of history to honor the hundreds of people who worked at Windows and the 170 people - workers and visitors - who lost their lives there.
How did archival footage, photography and music help bring Windows on the World to life for viewers who never experienced pre-9/11 New York?
We really want to steep our viewers in the experience of New York in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. We, along with our small team of producers, researchers, editors and composers, worked hard to create those vibes using old news clips, home videos taken by Windows staff members, period music and cool graphics, designed to match the aesthetic of Windows. Even if you weren’t a New Yorker when Windows opened in 1976, we hope you’ll feel like one watching our film, if only for a moment.
How did the restaurant’s rise mirror New York’s transformation from the grit of the 1970s to the ambition of the late 1990s?
Windows on the World opened at the very depth of New York’s financial crisis in 1976. The city nearly went bankrupt that summer, and it was a dirty, gritty, crime-ridden place. The rave reviews and success of Windows, which happened immediately after it opened, marked a turning point in the city’s fortunes. This destination restaurant, along with the financial institutions also housed in the World Trade Center, were signs of life that ebbed and flowed in the 1980s and 90s as New York regained its footing as the financial capital of the world.
Twenty-five years after September 11th, how do you hope this film adds to the way we remember the Twin Towers and the life experienced within them?
We hope our film brings back memories of Windows for anyone who had the privilege to visit, and reminds people of the contributions of the many immigrants who worked there. We profile Sekou Siby, from the Ivory Coast, and Nathalie Tolentino, from Peru, who each found the American Dream in entry jobs at Windows. Perhaps people will recognize the Sekous and Nathalies in their own communities. Across America, more than 22% of the workers in restaurants are foreign born, and an even higher percentage are entrepreneurs, opening restaurants that help drive our economy and enrich our country.
Comments
Post a Comment