We recommend some sources to help you better understand 9/11 and its aftermath, as we mark the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Today: seven documentaries about 9/11.
In two days, the twentieth anniversary of September 11, 2001, will be celebrated. We are continuing to recommend resources for learning more about the day and its effects. Today, we recommend documentaries. Documentaries are more than facts. You will be able to see the reasons behind what happened and how they affected those there.
There are dozens of documentaries about 9/11. It is impossible to list all the documentaries that are worth your time. Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero and The Man Who Knew are some examples of early 9/11 documentaries. S.10 These include Paramount+’s The 26th Street Garage, The FBI’s Untold Story of 911, Discovery+’s No Responders Lost Behind, CBS’s The CIA Race Against Time-The True Story of the CIA 9/11 and a series of offerings from the History Channel: Rise & Fall: The World Trade Center; 9/11 Legacy; 9/11; Four Flights; and I Was There.
We look forward to watching all these offerings. Today, we will stick to our rule that we recommend resources available at the time of posting. Here are seven 9/11 documentaries that we recommend:
9/11, Seven Documentaries
9/11: Inside the President’s War Room (2021). Have you ever wondered what it was like being in the George W. Bush administration during 9/11? Inside The President’s War Room tells the story. Interviews with ex-Bush administration officials, including President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of States Colin Powell, give a glimpse into the shock and horror felt by America’s leaders at the events of 9/11. On Apple TV, you can view 9/11: Inside President’s War Room.
9/11: One Day in America (2021). New York City’s 9/11 attacks brought about tragedy, but they also showed the courage and patriotism of its residents. National Geographic’s 911: One Day In America presents the events of September 11, 2001, in New York City through the eyes of those who survived and those who helped them. Paramedics and firefighters rescue victims and survivors attempt to reunite with loved ones. Watch 9/11: One Day In America on Apple TV, Amazon Prime or YouTube. “>Hulu.
Generation 9/11 (2021). Nearly three thousand people were killed in the attacks on September 11. One hundred were fathers who were expecting their children. PBS’s Generation 9/11 tells the stories of seven children who lost their fathers in the terrorist attacks. In their twenties, they reflect on their experiences growing up without their fathers and their relationship to 9/11. Generation 9/11 can be viewed on the PBS website.
Seven Documentaries You Should Watch 9/11
In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 (2019). Lower Manhattan students at Stuyvesant High School watched as the Twin Towers collapsed, and their school was shaken in response. Amy Schatz, the director of Stuyvesant High School, gathered eight former students to share their memories from that day twenty years ago. This documentary gives a young perspective on the attacks from those who were only a few years old at the time. On HBO Max, you can watch In the Shadow of the Towers.
Muslim in Trump’s America (2020). Director Deeyah Khan explores the legacy of 9/11 and the recent rise in anti-Muslim intolerance using interviews with Muslim Americans and hate groups members. Khan captures an unforgettable moment in America, filming before and during the COVID-19 pandemics and the George Floyd protests. Muslim in Trump’s America won a Peabody Award in 2021. You can watch it on YouTube.
Revealed: The Hunt for Bin Laden(2021). Navy SEAL Team Six raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, around 1:00 a.m. on May 2, 2011. The al-Qaeda leader was killed just moments later. Although the raid was only thirty-eight minutes long, it took years of planning and searching. Revealed, based on the 9/11 Memorial and Museum exhibit with the same title, recounts the decade-long search for bin Laden. Director Andrew Kukura interviews former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former CIA Director Leon Panetta, and other top U.S. officials to show how the U.S. intelligence community tracked bin Laden and how the administration responded when he was located. Check out the CFR discussion after you have watched Revealed. Revealed is available on Amazon Prime and Google Play.
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021). The United States launched a war against jihadist terror on 9/11. This fight continues today. Turning point explains the events of September 11, 2001, and the consequences of the war against terrorism. It also covers the timeline and effects of these events. Interviews with Bush administration officials, U.S. military personnel, Taliban members, and others are included in the documentary. Turning Point can be viewed on Netflix.