I WAS THERE

AMC Loews 34th St. – 9:30pm
Friday, October 20th

I WAS THERE By Jorge Valdés-Iga
82 min | Drama | Hungary, Mexico, USA | 2017
Out of Competition

SYNOPSIS:

Gus Johnson (James A. Lee) is a New York City firefighter who barely escaped the World Trade Center on 9/11 and instantly became a hero. Except the only reason he survived was because he panicked and ran away, a secret he kept hidden under PTSD and survivor’s guilt. Years later, Samuel Lyons (Carl Ford), a photographer who crossed paths with Gus on 9/11, confronts Gus with a photo that proves Gus was a coward. Samuel blackmails Gus into telling the truth to his family, forcing him into a journey of self-discovery and acceptance which reunites him with his son Frankie (Sebastián Zurita) who enlisted in the military to fight for him.

DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY:

Jorge Valdés-Iga is a Mexican-American filmmaker and photographer. In 2008 Jorge was recognized by American Cinematographer magazine for his short film “Milia”, and shot the documentary “Cocaine Cowboys 2”. In 2009 Jorge was hired to direct the Japanese feature film “Hotel Chelsea”, and in 2011 he was hired to co-direct the horror-comedy “You Can’t Kill Stephen King”. “I Was There” was Jorge’s first film as a writer / director. It started the festival circuit in 2016. Jorge also produces and directs advertising under his agency Valdesiga. His work can be seen at www.valdesiga.com