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September 11, 2001, is a date that anyone alive at the time remembers exactly where they were and the rush of thoughts going through their minds as the tragic events of the day unfolded. However, around a third of the nation was either too young or not even born. For all of our sakes, filmmakers have taken it upon themselves to help all of us understand what happened that day and to keep the memory alive.
Over the 25 ensuing years, there have been several movies and documentaries made to honor the lives of those who were lost in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, and the heroes that risked theirs to save those who they could. Below are a collection of powerful films that honor the tragedy, courage, and memory.
United 93 (2006)
This historical drama directed by Paul Greengrass chronicles the events as they unfolded aboard United Airlines Flight 93, one of the four commercial airlines hijacked on 9/11, and on the ground as they happened in real-time. The courageous passengers and crew, realizing the fate that awaited their flight, took action to retake the aircraft, overpowered the hijackers and stormed the cockpit. Their self-sacrifice kept Flight 93 from being used to cause even further harm.
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World Trade Center (2006)
Directed by Oliver Stone, this drama tells the story of two Port Authority officers, Sgt. John McLoughlin, played by Nicolas Cage, and Officer Will Jimeno, played by Michael Peña. After the two enter the World Trade Center towers to help people escape the first tower collapses, trapping them in the rubble. Their story is one of hope and courage and survival in the face of despair.
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9/11: One Day in America (2021)
Made in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, this six-part series produced by National Geographic truly keeps the memory of the events of September 11, 2001, alive. The documentary follows the events as they unfolded through archival footage and testimony from eyewitnesses and survivors.
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102 Minutes That Changed America (2008)
This real-time documentary of the events of 9/11 was produced by the History Channel using amateur footage taken by over 100 people who were in and around the World Trade Center. There is no narration or interviews, just a compilation of videos spliced together to see what everyone was seeing, albeit from different vantage points, as it happened.
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)
This is a five-part Netflix documentary directed by Brian Knappenberger which leads viewers from the creation of al-Qaida through the 9/11 attacks and then how the United States responded with its War on Terror and its effects on the nation.
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Turning Point: Generation 9/11 (2026)
Brian Knappenberger did a follow up that was released this year that looks at how the lives of those who were too young to remember or born after 9/11 have been affected by those attacks and their consequences.
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Man in Red Bandana (2017)
President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Welles Crowther with the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year. He helped as many as 18 people escape the South Tower before dying, who could only identify him by the red bandana he was wearing.
This documentary, narrated by Gwyneth Paltrow, relates how that bit of information helped his parents find out about his heroic actions months later and the film shares the story of his life.
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