9/11 (2002)

The documentary footage was captured by French filmmaker brothers Jules and Thomas Naudet and their collaborator James Hanlon, who were originally filming a documentary about a probationary firefighter at a New York City firehouse. Jules Naudet inadvertently captured the only clear video of the first plane striking the North Tower while filming on the morning of September 11, 2001. Their extraordinary access produced the most intimate visual record of the day's events from inside the World Trade Center response.

The documentary shows the Naudet brothers entering the lobby of the North Tower with the fire department and filming the chaotic command operations inside the building as the crisis unfolded. It includes audio and video of firefighters receiving orders, the sounds of bodies falling, and the interior collapse of the South Tower. Much of this footage had never been seen publicly before the broadcast.

The special first aired on CBS on March 10, 2002, approximately six months after the attacks. It aired without commercial interruption and was hosted by Robert De Niro. The broadcast was watched by tens of millions of viewers and became one of the most-watched documentary programmes in American television history.