BBC One has commissioned a feature-length documentary marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 from Top Hat Productions and directed by BAFTA Award-winning Arthur Cary. The film will tell the story of the two-hour period when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers, changing the world forever. It will also tell a parallel narrative looking at how those two hours changed the lives of those who were there, with past and present interacting throughout the film.
“9/11: The Twenty-Year Anniversary,” a 1x90’ for BBC One, is made by Top Hat Productions. Keshet International will distribute the documentary internationally, launching it officially as part of its Mipcom 2020 slate. “This film takes a new and different look at an important subject matter. All of our lives changed because of the events of 9/11, but for those who were there, the effects are long-lasting and deeply felt. The core cast of this film has not spoken publicly before. By looking at what happened to them on the day and their lives twenty years on, we can see how the shockwaves of that event still reverberate in profound ways today,” said Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, History, and Religion at BBC.
Meanwhile, Darren Kemp, Executive Producer of the show, commented: “9/11 is a remarkable story that never ended for those who lived through the tragic events of that day. The twentieth anniversary is an opportunity to take a fresh look at the events two decades ago and to see how they continue to play out in the lives of those who were there”.
The two hours of 9/11 will be an unfolding chronology, almost in real-time, told by contributors who have extraordinary stories of heroism and survival to tell, illustrated with a personal and public archives of the day. The film will juxtapose that two hours story with the 20 years since exploring how the lives of individuals continue to be affected by moments that took place in that two hour period and how the world continues to be shaped by it.