BBC lines up Top Hat 9/11 anniversary doc

BBC1 in the UK has commissioned a feature-length documentary from London-based prodco Top Hat Productions marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Clare Sillery

9/11: The Twenty-Year Anniversary (1×90’) will tell the story of the two-hour period when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Flight 93. It will also tell a parallel narrative looking at how those two hours changed the lives of those who were there, with past and present interacting throughout the film.

The doc will use personal and public archive footage and feature contributions from victims’ relatives, survivors and responders to the scene.

The film is being exec produced by Darren Kemp, with Chery Hockey producing and Bafta winner Arthur Cary directing. Keshet International will distribute it internationally.

Clare Sillery, head of commissioning, documentaries, history and religion at BBC1, said: “This film takes a new and different look at an important subject matter. All of our lives changed because of the events of 9/11, but for those who were there the effects are long lasting and deeply felt. The core cast of this film have not spoken publicly before. By looking at what happened to them on the day and their lives 20 years on, we can see how the shockwaves of that event still reverberate in profound ways today.”