We're a festival that was started because of an act of war, so we have always had films and panel discussions that bring up difficult subjects.

On a very deeply personal level, I was anxious about it.

Sept. 11 was the most photographed event in the world. The media has shown it over and over again. Over time, artists have digested it. I think it's very important to see filmmakers' point of view. Why not now?

We have diverse cultures and diverse audiences coming to see films. We are working hard not to repeat ourselves and to have the festival be something that the audiences and the industry feel belongs to them.

A lot has happened in the world and as a country we seem to have a short term memory loss.

The festival was basically created eight months after September 11 and it was to give our neighborhood something to look forward to and to help the renewal, and to do that you need to laugh.