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Seven
years of filming will conclude this summer with our final shoot at the
school in Loghar. We are now raising post production funding to begin
the editing our 450 plus hours of footage into a compelling story.
For a look at a sample of our work-in-progress, visit the Video page to view the 56 minute piece that screened at the Berkshire International Film Festival, Film Columbia and the Green Mountain Film Festival.
Ten years
We never met Peter Goodrich.
We never heard his laugh, listened to his political thoughts or shook his hand. But we know as a child he struggled with dyslexia and he loved to play in the woods with his brother. We’ve heard how he graduated from the Berkshire School, went to Bates College and got married. We know he worked for a software company and had a deep desire for learning. We know that on Sept. 11, 2001 he boarded a plane at Logan airport that would later be flown into the World Trade Center.
In the years that followed his murder, Peter’s legacy was carried out by his parents, Don and Sally Goodrich. Together, in the name of Peter, they built a school in Afghanistan and sponsored students from that country as they studied in the United States. They worked to change political policy and pushed for understanding of a country that most are resigned to hate.
Sally taught us that surviving requires action and healing requires change. At her funeral in December of 2010, family remarked that Sally had two lives: The one before Sept. 11 and her calling after. But, her fire inside was always the same.
As the country marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the crew of “Axis of Good: A story from 9/11” remembers a passionate woman that changed our thinking and the legacy of a man we’ve never met.
The Documentary
A common tragic anchor of modern American culture is the terrorist attack on the country on September 11, 2001. Each American was impacted uniquely that day. This documentary film isolates one American family and follows them as they strive to transform the evil actions of 9/11 into an equally strong impact for good in the world. Their journey out of their grief and into the complex world of Afghanistan leads them through twists and turns, triumphs and setbacks unimaginable to them on September 10, 2001.
Don and Sally Goodrich lost their son Peter on September 11, 2001. A native of Williamstown, MA, Peter was flying to California from Boston when his flight, United Flight 175, was hijacked and crashed into the South Tower of The World Trade Center.
The purpose of this documentary feature is to highlight the impact that this one human loss has had on a mother, a family, a community, a country and the entire world. The film offers an unvarnished view of the struggle to find meaning in an event so horrific.
Through six years and over four hundred fifty hours of filming, director Rick Derby and his film crew obtained a rare glimpse into the personal lives of the Goodrich family, specifically, Sally Goodrich and her mission to build a school for girls in Afghanistan. While it would have been easy to exclude the internal conflict that inevitably impacts this family system and focus on the school alone, the film instead chooses to equally explore the duality of emotions the family experiences in the face of their mother’s unyielding obsession to complete the school’s construction on the other side of the world.
There are several sub-plots in the film, including: Sally’s diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer, Don’s diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, the discovery that the village elder who helped them build the school in Afghanistan was harboring weapons for the Taliban, the suicide bomber that detonated a bomb by the school killing 13 students and the reemergence of Taliban rule in the territory where the school is located.
Axis of Good: A Story from 9/11 ultimately focuses on Sally Goodrich’s efforts to bridge cultural divides. The film presents more than a simple story of hope and inspiration; it captures the invisible connections between nations that appear at deadly odds.
Since 2004, the project has amassed 450 plus hours of footage chronicling this compelling and heartfelt journey. The tapes are meticulously logged and captured onto media drives. The project is ready for Post Production. In June 2011, the project received a completion grant designated to cover mastering costs. The project is seeking funds to cover the Post Production / editorial stage.
For a look at a sample of our work-in-progress, visit the Video page to view the 56 minute piece that screened at the Berkshire International Film Festival, Film Columbia and the Green Mountain Film Festival.
Ten years
We never met Peter Goodrich.
We never heard his laugh, listened to his political thoughts or shook his hand. But we know as a child he struggled with dyslexia and he loved to play in the woods with his brother. We’ve heard how he graduated from the Berkshire School, went to Bates College and got married. We know he worked for a software company and had a deep desire for learning. We know that on Sept. 11, 2001 he boarded a plane at Logan airport that would later be flown into the World Trade Center.
In the years that followed his murder, Peter’s legacy was carried out by his parents, Don and Sally Goodrich. Together, in the name of Peter, they built a school in Afghanistan and sponsored students from that country as they studied in the United States. They worked to change political policy and pushed for understanding of a country that most are resigned to hate.
Sally taught us that surviving requires action and healing requires change. At her funeral in December of 2010, family remarked that Sally had two lives: The one before Sept. 11 and her calling after. But, her fire inside was always the same.
As the country marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the crew of “Axis of Good: A story from 9/11” remembers a passionate woman that changed our thinking and the legacy of a man we’ve never met.
The Documentary
A common tragic anchor of modern American culture is the terrorist attack on the country on September 11, 2001. Each American was impacted uniquely that day. This documentary film isolates one American family and follows them as they strive to transform the evil actions of 9/11 into an equally strong impact for good in the world. Their journey out of their grief and into the complex world of Afghanistan leads them through twists and turns, triumphs and setbacks unimaginable to them on September 10, 2001.
Don and Sally Goodrich lost their son Peter on September 11, 2001. A native of Williamstown, MA, Peter was flying to California from Boston when his flight, United Flight 175, was hijacked and crashed into the South Tower of The World Trade Center.
The purpose of this documentary feature is to highlight the impact that this one human loss has had on a mother, a family, a community, a country and the entire world. The film offers an unvarnished view of the struggle to find meaning in an event so horrific.
Through six years and over four hundred fifty hours of filming, director Rick Derby and his film crew obtained a rare glimpse into the personal lives of the Goodrich family, specifically, Sally Goodrich and her mission to build a school for girls in Afghanistan. While it would have been easy to exclude the internal conflict that inevitably impacts this family system and focus on the school alone, the film instead chooses to equally explore the duality of emotions the family experiences in the face of their mother’s unyielding obsession to complete the school’s construction on the other side of the world.
There are several sub-plots in the film, including: Sally’s diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer, Don’s diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, the discovery that the village elder who helped them build the school in Afghanistan was harboring weapons for the Taliban, the suicide bomber that detonated a bomb by the school killing 13 students and the reemergence of Taliban rule in the territory where the school is located.
Axis of Good: A Story from 9/11 ultimately focuses on Sally Goodrich’s efforts to bridge cultural divides. The film presents more than a simple story of hope and inspiration; it captures the invisible connections between nations that appear at deadly odds.
Since 2004, the project has amassed 450 plus hours of footage chronicling this compelling and heartfelt journey. The tapes are meticulously logged and captured onto media drives. The project is ready for Post Production. In June 2011, the project received a completion grant designated to cover mastering costs. The project is seeking funds to cover the Post Production / editorial stage.