After The Fire Movie Showing Tonight at St. Barnabas

The story of the Seton Hall fire that took the lives of three college students and injured 58 others in 2000 is a deeply personal one for the staff at Saint Barnabas Medical Center.

Two of those most critically burned - freshmen Shawn Simmons and Alvaro Llanos - spent months recovering in the hospital's burn center and also formed lasting bonds with the hospital staff.

Their story was chronicled in the New York Times bestseller "After the Fire" written by journalist Robin Gaby Fisher. The photographs from the articles about the fire by Matt Rainey won the Pulitzer Prize and the story has now been adapted to the big screen.

On Thursday, today, the Burn Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center is hosting a free community screening of the film “After The Fire” at 7:00 p.m. in the Islami Auditorium at Saint Barnabas Medical Center at 94 Old Short Hills Road in Livingston.

The documentary film, “After the Fire,” by Guido Verweyen provides a glimpse into the passionate struggle and heroism of these two burn victims as they journey from that fateful night, through months of recovery. It features real news footage and interviews with firefighters, prosecutors, family members nd hospital staff.

Meet and hear from Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist  Fisher, whose novel about Llanos and Simons inspired the documentary. She said recently about the film, "I think it's a great film and I know Shawn and Alvaro are really proud of it. Since the fire, they have both served as an inspiration for so many people. I think the film really does justice to them and to the incredible staff of the burn unit at St. Barnabas. The doctors and nurses and everyone in the burn unit are really quiet heroes who do God's work. Anytime someone honors them, the way this film does, it's a good thing."

Advanced reservations are required. Please contact Beverly Foster, Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation, at 973-322-4344 or bfoster@barnabashealth.org. The film is 40 minutes long.  Light refreshments and complimentary parking will be provided.
 
“Rarely comes a story along that rattles and shakes you to the core and at the same time celebrates the power of the human spirit in a more memorable and gripping way,” Verweyen said. “It’s Shawn’s and Alvaro’s lives in ‘After the Fire’ that makes this story extraordinary. Their loyalty to each other, and their resolve to live their best lives, despite the tragedy, will hopefully touch a wide audience.” The film also tells the dramatic search for the two arsonists – and the elaborate cover up that nearly obscured the truth. 

To learn more or to watch the movie trailer go to www.AfterTheFireMovie.com.