A September to Remember
"A September to Remember" is a social justice drama inspired by actual events, pulling the curtain back on one of the darkest days in American history. It tells the untold story of the racism and violence that Middle Eastern Americans faced in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
On the worst day in modern American history, Ali's anguish is amplified after he falls victim to an appalling hate crime, and once the perpetrator's identity is dramatically revealed to be close to home, Ali is conflicted in his urge for retribution.
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Sam GollestaniDirector
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BABAK SARRAFANWriter
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SAM GOLLESTANIWriter
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SAM GOLLESTANIProducer
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BABAK SARRAFANProducer
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BARNABY DALLASProducer
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ARIYA GHAHRAMANIKey Cast"Ali"
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AMELIE PORCELAIN ANSTETTKey Cast"Julie"
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BRIAN COHENKey Cast"Rudy"
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SHARMIN SEHATKey Cast"Ali's Mom"
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KIA MOUSAVIKey Cast"Ali's Dad"
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JOSEPH WALTERSKey Cast"MR. NEAL"
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TRACY TODDKey Cast"MRS. NEAL"
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, True Events
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Runtime:10 minutes 20 seconds
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
For over twenty years, Los Angeles based Emmy nominated
producer & director Sam Gollestani has been at the cutting edge
of film and television production. Sam has created & delivered hit
projects for FOX, Disney, Sony, and NBC Universal.
For nearly two decades, he has collaborated with Emmy Award
winning production house, Mark Burnett Productions for iconic TV
shows including “Survivor”, “The Contender”, and “The World’s
Toughest Race” starring Bear Grylls which was the #1 summer
series for Amazon Prime in 2020. He was also a producer on the
film "Killer Movie" starring Kaley Cuoco and Paul Wesley for
Amazon, and most recently, Sam was the showrunner and
director for the 2024 Asian TV Award winning “The Challenger:
Battleground” for HBO/Discovery, and "CryptoKnights" starring
Adrian Grenier premiering worldwide in Q4.
After being appointed head of entertainment production for FOX
Television, Sam relocated to Singapore then Hong Kong to launch
and oversee original content for the Asia Pacific region for 5
years. This included a year under the Disney banner, upon their
acquisition of FOX. When he’s not immersed in creating
compelling content, Sam is a professor of film and television at
San Jose State University and brings his invaluable experience,
knowledge and skill to each project he’s a part of.
I feel the term "passion project" gets thrown around a lot these days, but it couldn't be a more apt and appropriate description for this film that is very close to my heart. I was inspired to make it shortly after we crossed the 20 year anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, when I was honored to be asked to return to my Alma mater San Jose State University to teach film. Ironically, the same department I had graduated 20 years prior.
As chronicled in our film, I witnessed the horrific events unfold that day while attending class as a student. It was such a full circle moment to be at the helm and tell my story with half our crew comprising of my dedicated students, while filming on the very same campus. I'm so proud of my entire crew for their shared passion and hard work in bringing this film to fruition. It turned out to be such a cathartic experience and I really hope our audience enjoys watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.
What I didn't realize then that I do now, was that 9/11/01 was the start of being looked at differently by some of my fellow Americans. As a proud first generation middle eastern American, I'm really hoping this story's message resonates with everyone: We are weakest when divided, but strongest when united.
In our film, we did our best to honor the city and all the victims and their families from that tragic day. It would be our honor to be given a platform to tell our story and share our tribute.
Thank you and regards,
Sam