description 9/11 Overview
The CBS documentary 9/11 draws on footage made by Jules and Gédéon Naudet while working with firefighter James Hanlon on a film about a New York rookie firefighter. Their project became a firsthand record of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the emergency response. Material filmed inside the World Trade Center places viewers close to the confusion and danger encountered by firefighters, giving the documentary an unusually immediate historical perspective. Its strength lies in the difference between witnessing events as they unfold and explaining them afterward.
The footage records uncertainty and urgent decisions without the clarity that later accounts can impose. It suits historians and researchers, as well as viewers seeking a detailed account of the day through the experience of those responding to it. The subject matter is distressing, and the documentary's focus on human experience makes it a different kind of record from a conventional news recap.
help 9/11 FAQ
Who directed the 9/11 documentary?
The documentary was directed by French brothers Jules and Thomas Naudet. They had originally been filming a documentary about a rookie New York City firefighter when the September 11 attacks occurred.
How did the Naudet brothers capture footage inside the World Trade Center?
Jules Naudet was accompanying firefighters on a routine gas leak call near the World Trade Center when he captured the only clear footage of American Airlines Flight 11 striking the North Tower. The brothers then continued filming inside the towers during the rescue operations.
When was the 9/11 documentary broadcast?
The documentary aired on CBS in 2002, approximately six months after the attacks. It went on to win multiple awards and has been re-broadcast on subsequent anniversaries of September 11.
What makes the 9/11 documentary footage unique?
The Naudet brothers' film contains the only known video of the first plane hitting the North Tower and rare interior footage from inside the World Trade Center lobby during the crisis. No other camera crews had that level of sustained access to first responders inside the towers.
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