September 11 (2002)
The international anthology film, September 11 (2002), features a total of eleven short segments directed by filmmakers from eleven different countries. Each segment offers a unique perspective on the tragic events of September 11, 2001 in New York City, with a duration of 11 minutes, 9 seconds, and one frame.
1. Iran (Samira Makhmalbaf). The information about the events of September 11, 2001 reaches an Afghan refugee camp where bricks are being made for new shelters, in anticipation of potential attacks from the United States. In this setting, a young teacher attempts to educate her students about the tragedy and encourage them to observe a minute of silence as a tribute to those who lost their lives. However, her efforts prove unsuccessful and she resorts to enforcing the moment of quiet near a chimney (the closest resemblance to a skyscraper).
2. France (Claude Lelouch). On September 11, 2001 in New York City, a young deaf-mute French photographer was accompanying her fiancé, who worked as a tour guide for disabled individuals. He had plans to take a group to see the Twin Towers. Earlier, she had tried to explain that their long-distance relationship would not work out, but he insisted on leaving a message on his computer before the trip, expressing that only a miracle could keep them together. Upon his return home, covered in dust from miraculously surviving the attack.
3. Egypt (Youssef Chahine). On September 10, 2001 in New York City, director Yusuf Shahin was wrapping up filming at the World Trade Center when a police officer firmly instructed him and his crew to leave as they did not have authorization to be there. Two days later, Shahin attended a press conference but requested to postpone it due to his distress over the recent attacks. This sparked a journalist’s reaction. While standing on a cliff near his home, Shahin is visited by the ghost of a young American soldier who died in the 1983 attack on multinational forces in Lebanon. The soldier informs Shahin that he is the only one who can see and understand him because he is attuned to what is happening around them.
4. Bosnia-Herzegovine (Danis Tanovic). Despite the tragic events in New York, a girl from Srebrenica still believes it is fitting to honor the monthly demonstration as a tribute to those who fell victim to the massacre carried out by Bosnian Serb soldiers on July 11, 1995.
5. Burkina Faso (Idrissa Ouedraogo). In Ouagadougou, back in September of 2001, a young boy named Adamà found himself in a difficult situation. With his mother sick and in need of medicine, he was forced to leave school and take on the job of a newsboy to earn money. However, when Adamà spots a man resembling Osama bin Laden two weeks after the attacks, he sees an opportunity to solve his financial troubles. Along with some friends, they plan to capture the man rumored to have a bounty of 25 million from their boss. Their intentions are clear – using the money for Adamà’s mother’s treatment and possibly aiding other sick individuals in their country.
6. United Kingdom (Ken Loach). Pablo, a Chilean refugee residing in London, writes a letter to the families affected by the September 11 attacks. He shares his personal experience on a significant September 11 event – the Chilean coup of 1973, led by General Augusto Pinochet with support from the US. In his letter, Pablo recounts US involvement in financing right-wing and subversive groups, leading up to the violent overthrow of democratically elected President Salvador Allende in 1970. As a result of this turmoil, Pablo and his fellow citizens endured imprisonment and torture before being forced into exile. Sadly, he reveals that he cannot return to Chile as his family and children were born and raised in the UK.
7. Mexico (Alejandro González Iñárritu). A dark screen. Background noises and everyday life sounds are suddenly disrupted by the shouts of those who witnessed the AA11 flight crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The black screen is periodically interrupted by footage of the attacks and various voices from television announcements, victims’ screams, plane explosions, and phone calls from victims and their loved ones all overlapping. Eventually, the sound fades out and the two towers can be seen collapsing without any noise. As violins play in the background, voices resurface as the screen gradually shifts from black to white.
8. Israel (Amos Gitai). Tel Aviv is rocked by a suicide attack. In response, soldiers, policemen and doctors work together to coordinate security and rescue efforts for several intense minutes. Upon arriving at the scene, a journalist and her crew attempt to gather information from the police on site, but are met with firm requests to vacate the area. Frustrated, the journalist protests and then launches into a list of past events that occurred on September 11th. Despite her persistence in reporting, the director’s voice can be heard in the background reminding her of the gravity of this date, which will not soon be forgotten.
9. India (Mira Nair). A Pakistani mother has not heard from her son Salman since the day of the Twin Towers attacks. The CIA and FBI have been interrogating her, as they suspect that the young man, who follows the Muslim faith, may have been involved in the attacks. They specifically inquire about his absence from work on that day and why he still held a police academy card despite leaving to pursue a career in medicine. Despite not giving up hope for her son’s return, news outlets begin to spread rumors about her connection to the attack, causing further alienation for the woman and her family.
10. United States of America (Sean Penn). A man in his later years lives alone in an apartment that is often darkened by the presence of the Twin Towers. He copes with his feelings of loneliness by speaking to his deceased wife as if she were still alive, and tending to her flower pot that had suffered from lack of sunlight. When the Towers come tumbling down, the sudden influx of light brings new life to the flowers. The man is overjoyed by this turn of events and eagerly attempts to show his wife the blooming vase, only to realize that the light has revealed the illusion in which he had been living. Through tears, he mourns his wife’s absence as he witnesses her flower pot thriving once again.
11. Japan (Shohei Imamura). In August of 1945, in Japan, Yoichi returned from war with post-traumatic disorder. His actions were akin to that of a snake, much to the dismay of his parents and wife. Despite attempts from his family to bring him back to a more ‘human’ state, their efforts proved futile. As a result, the other villagers viewed them all with suspicion and fear. However, this did not stop Yoichi’s wife from engaging in an extramarital affair. While her and her lover discussed the terrible experiences Yoichi must have endured, including the use of a new type of bomb during the Hiroshima bombing and the impending end of the war, things took a turn for the worse.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
The international anthology film, September 11 (2002), features a total of eleven short segments directed by filmmakers from eleven different countries. Each segment offers a unique perspective on the tragic events of September 11, 2001 in New York City, with a duration of 11 minutes, 9 seconds, and one frame.
1. Iran (Samira Makhmalbaf). The information about the events of September 11, 2001 reaches an Afghan refugee camp where bricks are being made for new shelters, in anticipation of potential attacks from the United States. In this setting, a young teacher attempts to educate her students about the tragedy and encourage them to observe a minute of silence as a tribute to those who lost their lives. However, her efforts prove unsuccessful and she resorts to enforcing the moment of quiet near a chimney (the closest resemblance to a skyscraper).
2. France (Claude Lelouch). On September 11, 2001 in New York City, a young deaf-mute French photographer was accompanying her fiancé, who worked as a tour guide for disabled individuals. He had plans to take a group to see the Twin Towers. Earlier, she had tried to explain that their long-distance relationship would not work out, but he insisted on leaving a message on his computer before the trip, expressing that only a miracle could keep them together. Upon his return home, covered in dust from miraculously surviving the attack.
3. Egypt (Youssef Chahine). On September 10, 2001 in New York City, director Yusuf Shahin was wrapping up filming at the World Trade Center when a police officer firmly instructed him and his crew to leave as they did not have authorization to be there. Two days later, Shahin attended a press conference but requested to postpone it due to his distress over the recent attacks. This sparked a journalist’s reaction. While standing on a cliff near his home, Shahin is visited by the ghost of a young American soldier who died in the 1983 attack on multinational forces in Lebanon. The soldier informs Shahin that he is the only one who can see and understand him because he is attuned to what is happening around them.
4. Bosnia-Herzegovine (Danis Tanovic). Despite the tragic events in New York, a girl from Srebrenica still believes it is fitting to honor the monthly demonstration as a tribute to those who fell victim to the massacre carried out by Bosnian Serb soldiers on July 11, 1995.
5. Burkina Faso (Idrissa Ouedraogo). In Ouagadougou, back in September of 2001, a young boy named Adamà found himself in a difficult situation. With his mother sick and in need of medicine, he was forced to leave school and take on the job of a newsboy to earn money. However, when Adamà spots a man resembling Osama bin Laden two weeks after the attacks, he sees an opportunity to solve his financial troubles. Along with some friends, they plan to capture the man rumored to have a bounty of 25 million from their boss. Their intentions are clear – using the money for Adamà’s mother’s treatment and possibly aiding other sick individuals in their country.
6. United Kingdom (Ken Loach). Pablo, a Chilean refugee residing in London, writes a letter to the families affected by the September 11 attacks. He shares his personal experience on a significant September 11 event – the Chilean coup of 1973, led by General Augusto Pinochet with support from the US. In his letter, Pablo recounts US involvement in financing right-wing and subversive groups, leading up to the violent overthrow of democratically elected President Salvador Allende in 1970. As a result of this turmoil, Pablo and his fellow citizens endured imprisonment and torture before being forced into exile. Sadly, he reveals that he cannot return to Chile as his family and children were born and raised in the UK.
7. Mexico (Alejandro González Iñárritu). A dark screen. Background noises and everyday life sounds are suddenly disrupted by the shouts of those who witnessed the AA11 flight crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The black screen is periodically interrupted by footage of the attacks and various voices from television announcements, victims’ screams, plane explosions, and phone calls from victims and their loved ones all overlapping. Eventually, the sound fades out and the two towers can be seen collapsing without any noise. As violins play in the background, voices resurface as the screen gradually shifts from black to white.
8. Israel (Amos Gitai). Tel Aviv is rocked by a suicide attack. In response, soldiers, policemen and doctors work together to coordinate security and rescue efforts for several intense minutes. Upon arriving at the scene, a journalist and her crew attempt to gather information from the police on site, but are met with firm requests to vacate the area. Frustrated, the journalist protests and then launches into a list of past events that occurred on September 11th. Despite her persistence in reporting, the director’s voice can be heard in the background reminding her of the gravity of this date, which will not soon be forgotten.
9. India (Mira Nair). A Pakistani mother has not heard from her son Salman since the day of the Twin Towers attacks. The CIA and FBI have been interrogating her, as they suspect that the young man, who follows the Muslim faith, may have been involved in the attacks. They specifically inquire about his absence from work on that day and why he still held a police academy card despite leaving to pursue a career in medicine. Despite not giving up hope for her son’s return, news outlets begin to spread rumors about her connection to the attack, causing further alienation for the woman and her family.
10. United States of America (Sean Penn). A man in his later years lives alone in an apartment that is often darkened by the presence of the Twin Towers. He copes with his feelings of loneliness by speaking to his deceased wife as if she were still alive, and tending to her flower pot that had suffered from lack of sunlight. When the Towers come tumbling down, the sudden influx of light brings new life to the flowers. The man is overjoyed by this turn of events and eagerly attempts to show his wife the blooming vase, only to realize that the light has revealed the illusion in which he had been living. Through tears, he mourns his wife’s absence as he witnesses her flower pot thriving once again.
11. Japan (Shohei Imamura). In August of 1945, in Japan, Yoichi returned from war with post-traumatic disorder. His actions were akin to that of a snake, much to the dismay of his parents and wife. Despite attempts from his family to bring him back to a more ‘human’ state, their efforts proved futile. As a result, the other villagers viewed them all with suspicion and fear. However, this did not stop Yoichi’s wife from engaging in an extramarital affair. While her and her lover discussed the terrible experiences Yoichi must have endured, including the use of a new type of bomb during the Hiroshima bombing and the impending end of the war, things took a turn for the worse.
