direct witness to history
The first thing Paul Eliasin remembers is the smoke. thick. dark. Unnatural. The news filled the air long before it became clear what was happening.
Three days after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Paul was no longer watching the tragedy unfold on a TV screen. He was present at Ground Zero as a first responder. With my camera in hand.
“I never planned to be a part of history that day,” says Paul. “But I was standing in the middle of it when the world changed.”
He was not just a spectator. As a longtime theater teamster in New York's film and TV industry, Paul had years of experience on production sets. But 9/11 was not a movie set. It was real. Raw. Horrible.
And he captured it.
A filmmaker's look at a moment of crisis
When the towers fell, Paul, a caring man with a good heart, became upset. And he wanted to do whatever he could to help. When he got a chance to help after his first day there, he noticed that no one was documenting it. He picked up his camera and documented what naturally came to him. Not for profit. Not for fame. But because he knew that these moments matter.
“I didn't know what I was recording,” he says. “I just knew I had to do it.”
During those first days and weeks, Paul Eliasin filmed five hours of footage. He also took more than 300 photographs. Some of what they saw was almost too hard to process: first responders working around the clock, people covered in ash searching for loved ones, and the silent peace where the towers once stood.
What he caught wasn't just destruction – it was humanity. Bravery. Sadness. resilience.
Why did he wait to share it?
Paul was in no hurry to release his footage. He has held it for more than two decades. Now, with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, he feels the time is right.
“I wanted to create something powerful,” he says. “Not just to remember what happened, but to honor those who lived through it, those we lost and the strength that came after. We must never forget.”
Paul is planning a documentary that will use his unseen footage and photographs to tell the story from a street-level view. It will include personal experiences, community voices and untold stories
He is not looking at this project as a separate filmmaker. He was part of it. He believes his perspective – behind the lens and as a New Yorker – offers something different.
If you're interested in joining film and have experience in post-production, film festivals, editing or documentary directing, or if you're a writer or college student looking for an internship and want to learn about any area of the film industry, or help out at Ground Zero. And never got the opportunity to do so. Please contact me at paulee27777@outlook.com.
Thank you.
A life built on resilience
Paul's decision to tell this story now is based on his own journey. Growing up in Brooklyn, one of eight children, he became incarcerated following his mother's mental health crisis. He struggled with feelings of failure, dropped out of school, and at one point thought he had no future.
But he changed his life. He got his GED, studied theology, and worked his way up in New York's film industry – spending more than 30 years as a Teamster on major sets like Law & Order SVU, Men in Black, and The Sopranos. He even directed and released his own feature film, Up in Harlem, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Still, he says nothing in his career has stayed with him the way 9/11 did.
“I can't forget the faces,” Paul says softly. “I can't forget the fear. And I can't forget how people came together.”
A call to reflect and respond
Paul hopes his upcoming project will not just inform but spark repeated conversations.
“Everyone remembers where they were,” he says. “But not everyone saw what I saw. I want people to share their stories, too. What they felt. What they feared. What they learned.”
Where comments are allowed – on social media, streaming platforms, or community events – he encourages people to share how 9/11 shaped them.
“I want this to be a place where people connect. That's how healing happens.”
looking towards 2026
As the 25th anniversary approaches in 2026, Paul has been working quietly behind the scenes. He has been watching the footage for hours. Sorting photos. Preparing the script. Reaching out to people he met that day and in the weeks that followed.
He knows this story will not be easy to tell. But it is necessary.
“This is not just my story,” he says. “This is New York's story. This is America's story. And we still have a lot to learn from it.”
