This year marks 25 years since the events of 9/11. Village Preservation invites you to a special screening of a new documentary, 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero, that looks at how a city came together to remember and rebuild after the worst tragedy in its history.

After the 9/11 attacks, once the smoke cleared and the rubble was removed, New Yorkers faced a fundamental question: who gets to decide the future of Ground Zero? Some wanted the towers back, while others believed the site should remain a memorial. So the city decided to do one of the bravest—or stupidest—things in the history of city planning. They gathered 5,000 representative New Yorkers into the largest town hall in American history. People expected chaos, yelling, maybe even a fistfight. But what happened was democracy. And guess what? It was beautiful.

There will be a guided discussion after the screening, offering a chance for the audience to share their thoughts, reflections, and memories on how our neighborhoods were impacted.