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'The Guys' tells the true story of a Brooklyn fire captain (Anthony LaPaglia ) who enlisted the help of a reporter (Weaver) to write eulogies for men he lost in the attack on the World Trade Center.
'It shows a little bit of light that came out of that catastrophe', Simpson said, before showing a trailer of the film at a state Capitol news conference attended by state senators and local firefighters.
Weaver and Simpson, who have a second home in upstate New York, made Albany their first stop on a five-city, five-day tour. Other stops are in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago.
'It really is a thrill for me to be standing here. I'm just prolonging this (speech) a bit', said Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, as he moved a little closer to Weaver - whom he called 'Signore', Italian for 'sir'.
'This film will really define an impression of the lives of some of the people that were killed and how the captain related to that', Bruno continued.
An invitation-only advance screening of the film was slated for Monday night at a shopping mall outside Albany.
'You have honoured us with this film. So few understand the impact 9/11 had on firefighters', said Charlie Morello, president of the state Professional Firefighters Association, causing Weaver to become teary-eyed.
The low-budget film is adapted from an off-Broadway play written by reporter Anne Nelson and directed by Simpson. The play, also starring Weaver, opened Dec. 4, 2001, in Simpson's Flea Theatre - about 11 blocks from ground zero - and ran for about a year.
'It was a very moving experience to perform the play', Weaver said. 'We wanted to present it to the public as quickly as possible. It think it provided some comfort for people'.
'The Guys' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on the one-year anniversary of the attacks last September. It is slated for release March 28. Select markets for that date include Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Sacramento, Calif., said Jack Foley, president of distribution for Focus Features in New York City.
The five-city promotion is part of a 'grass-roots campaign, in a graceful, tasteful and sensitive way', he said.
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