9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers
Programme Summary:
September 11th 2001 is the most terrifying and enduring tragedy of our time: its brutality is as chilling 8 years later, as it was on the day itself. The images of that day stay with all of us; but for many of the families of those trapped inside the World Trade Centre, the most powerful legacy of that fateful day is the voices calling from inside the towers, whether telling loved ones they were safe, saying goodbye when all hope was lost, or even seeking comfort from strangers in a desperate call for help.
This film is about how it feels to hear from a person trapped somewhere in the midst of that crisis and how family members can use those words to make sense of their loved one’s final moments and to find peace and closure within them. For some, their loved one’s memory is embodied by a recorded message; for others, it’s the recollection of a call they took in person, the meaning of which they failed to understand at the time; for others, all that is left is the recording of the loved one's call to emergency services, seeking information as they fought to save themselves and their colleagues.. Whilst no single call can describe scenes that were unfolding, taken together the words contained in The 9/11 Calls are not just a chilling view of tragedy within the towers; more importantly they are a window onto acts of bravery, decency and grace during those brutal minutes.
Programme Info:
Broadcaster: Channel 4
Distributor: IMG
Genre: Factual
Format: 1 x 90 min
Production year: 2009
Producer: Natalie Burke
Director: James Kent
Executive Producer: John Smithson
Additional details
Awards:
2010 - Shortlisted for Best Documentary at Broadcast