Heartfelt Come From Away Film Tells Story of Love and Generosity After 9/11 

Out Broadway legend Jenn Colella stars in Come From Away, the heartfelt musical based on the true story of the 200 planes that were diverted to the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11 and the bonds that were formed between the 7,000 "come from aways" and the town's residents. From Apple Original Films, Come From Away is a filmed production of the stage musical that had out-of-town turns at La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, Calif., the Seattle Repertory Theater in Seattle, and Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., before making its Broadway premiere in March 2017.

The official synopsis for the Apple Original Film reads:

Come From Away is the filmed version of the award-winning Broadway musical which tells the story of 7,000 people stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the US are grounded on September 11, 2001. As the people of Newfoundland graciously welcome the "come from aways" into their community in the aftermath, the passengers and locals alike process what's happened while finding love, laughter and new hope in the unlikely and lasting bonds that they forge.

In the show, Colella plays Beverley Bass, "the third female commercial airline pilot hired by American Airlines in 1976, [who] went on to become the very first female captain in 1986. Bass cofounded the International Society of Women Airline Pilots a few years after she was hired -- which today has hundreds of members from all over the world," according to the press notes. A true groundbreaker, Bass retired in 2008 after a 32-year career.

The show also includes a gay couple based, the Kevins, based on a real-life couple. Kevin Tuerff, CEO and cofounder of Enviromedia, an environmentally and socially conscious marketing firm, and his partner, Kevin were diverted to Newfoundland in the wake of 9/11. Inspired by the generosity, of the Newfoundlanders, Tuerff subsequently sent his employees out on the streets of his Austin home base with $100 bills with the goal of doing good deeds for strangers. That has morphed into the Pay-It-Forward 9/11 foundation, which encourages people everywhere to remember the generosity of the people of Newfoundland by doing three good deeds on September 11, according to Fords.org.

The live performance of Come From Away was filmed at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City, where the Broadway production was staged, for an audience that included 9/11 survivors and frontline workers, according to press notes.

The film premieres on Apple TV+ on September 10, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and directed by Christopher Ashley, the production also stars Petrina Bromley, De'Lon Grant, Joel Hatch, Tony LePage, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Emily Walton, Jim Walton, Sharon Wheatley, and Paul Whitty.

Watch the trailer for the film below.