Mike Piazza's go-ahead homer on Sept. 21, 2001, was more than any old game-winner. The two-run shot gave a grieving city and nation a moment of elation when it needed it most, 10 days after the 9/11 attacks.
Twenty-five years later, the story of Piazza’s homer and the first sporting event in New York City since the attacks will take to the big screen at DOC NYC -- America's largest documentary festival. Emmy-nominated director Celia Aniskovich, in association with MLB Studios, will debut “10 Days Later,” a short film detailing Piazza’s heroics and the meaning behind the game at Shea Stadium.
With the help of Dial Tone Films, founded by Aniskovich, the film takes viewers inside the night through people who lived it, including first responders, fans, victims’ families, and, of course, Piazza. The film will debut on Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. ET at Village East, Theatre 3, as part of the DOC NYC Festival.
“I was in fourth grade when the towers fell, and for 10 days it felt like nothing was ever going to be OK again. Then, the Mets came home,” Aniskovich said. “I have loved this team my whole life, and I sat in front of the television with the rest of the world and watched Mike Piazza hit a baseball into the night sky. And for the first time since that morning, I felt something other than fear. I have wanted to make this film for as long as I have known what a film was.
“This is a film by New Yorkers, about New Yorkers. Twenty-five years later, we still say, ‘We will never forget,’ and we mean it. But I also wanted to make a film about everything that has happened since. We rebuilt. We raised families. We came back to the ballpark. And somewhere along the way, we learned that even in the darkest moments, there is joy. That night was the first proof of it, and I wanted to make sure the people who gave it to us are never forgotten either.”
With production support from Canon U.S.A., Inc., Grammy-award-winning rap icon Nas has also boarded the film as an executive producer. Additional executive producers include Nick Trotta of MLB Studios, Stephanie Williams and Laura Froelich. “10 Days Later” details the night through MLB archival footage, original interviews and new material at Citi Field.
The film further explores the fear many in attendance had, as the game was among the first large gatherings in the city since the attacks. The Mets and Braves taking the field acted as an act of defiance to prove the country would go on without the fear of terrorism uprooting America’s way of life. As seen through U.S. history, baseball is often intertwined with that way of life, and is a fabric of everyday culture.
“The first night baseball returned to New York after 9/11 will always be about much more than what the Mets did at Shea Stadium,” said MLB deputy commissioner, business and media Noah Garden.
“It was a powerful night of unity and connection, with Mike Piazza's game-changing home run becoming a lasting symbol of perseverance, community and the healing process. Twenty-five years later, we're honored to come together with Dial Tone Films, the terrific Celia Aniskovich and New York cultural icon Nas to relive that unforgettable night at Shea, and hopefully carry the stories from those who experienced it to the next generation.”