In remembrance of the attacks on September 11 in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania 20 years ago this year, National Geographic will premiere “9/11: One day in America,” a six-part documentary series which chronicles the events of that day – at times minute by minute – through gripping first-person narratives of the first responders and survivors who were there.
“9/11: One day in America” is a 9/11 documentary series about the events of that day, produced in official partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The first episode, entitled “First Response,” premiered on June 11 at the Tribeca Film Festival as an official selection. The series is also an official selection of AFI Docs and Sheffield International Documentary Festival.
Developed and executive produced by 72 Films, Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin, the visceral and powerful series will air over four consecutive nights on National Geographic beginning August 29, with limited commercial interruption. Episodes will be made available next day on Hulu. The series spans seven hours, with the first episode of the show reaching feature doc length.
To create this docuseries, the filmmaking team sifted through 951 hours of archival footage – some never seen before – to make an immersive and emotionally charged seven-hour account of that fateful day 20 years ago. It offers a comprehensive and intimate look at how the tragic events of that day impacted so many lives - capturing the heroic acts of selflessness and bravery of strangers saving one another at all costs and revealing the triumph of the human spirit when tested beyond belief.
The archive includes never-before-seen moments, such as footage taken of the towers from apartments and streets nearby just after the planes hit, the triage area right in front of the towers at the very early stages following impact, and intimate rescue missions during that terrifying day.
“We all remember exactly where we were on September 11, 2001. Amidst the tragedy, chaos and sadness, what we also remember are the incredible feats of heroism, selflessness and humanity on display that day. With this series, we aim to immortalize these stories and continue National Geographic’s legacy of authentic, powerful storytelling that provides deeper meaning around important historical events,” said Courteney Monroe, President of National Geographic Content.
"Our hope with this series was to bring to the forefront the true human experience of 9/11 in a way that would honor both the victims and the survivors of the attacks that day – a series that forgoes the geopolitical implications and instead focuses on the experience of the people that were there. National Geographic offers unparalleled access in its documentary storytelling, and we couldn’t be more humbled than to partner with our friends at 72 Films, Nat Geo and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for this project,” added executive producers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin.