9/11: One Day in America is an American documentary television miniseries directed by Daniel Bogado and produced by Caroline Marsden. The series follows the (2001) September 11 attacks through archival footage, eyewitnesses, and survivors. The series consists of six episodes, the first at 1 hour and 14 minutes and the remaining five at 44 minutes each, for a total of 294 minutes viewing time (4 hours, 54 minutes). The series premiered on National Geographic in 2021 from August 29 to September 1.
The series received six nominations at the 43rd News & Documentary Emmy Awards, winning two, including Outstanding Historical Documentary. It also won the Royal Television Society Programme Award for Documentary Series and the Broadcast Award for Best Documentary Series, and was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Factual Series.
Overview The series follows the terrorist attacks through time-line archival footage, accounts from eyewitnesses and survivors, and with new footage never seen before by the public.
Episodes
Production
In May 2020, National Geographic announced a six-part documentary series commemorating the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The series was produced by 72 Films in official collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The production took three years. The filmmakers interviewed 54 people for a total of 235 hours and sifted through 951 hours of archival footage, including material that had not previously been shown on television. The series was structured as a chronological, first-person account of the attacks, using testimony from survivors, eyewitnesses and first responders alongside contemporary footage.
Daniel Bogado directed the series, with Caroline Marsden serving as series producer. Dan Lindsay, T. J. Martin and David Glover served as executive producers for 72 Films, while Carolyn Payne was executive producer for National Geographic. Joe Bini served as story consultant and David Schweitzer composed the music, and the series was edited by Chris Nicholls, Audinga Kucinskaite, Dan Lavender and Sam Bergson.
Release Before its TV premiere, the series had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2021. It was screened at the Sheffield Doc/Fest on June 13, 2021. It was also screened at AFI Docs on June 24, 2021.
Reception
Critical response On Metacritic, the series received a score of 91 out of 100 based on four critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal described the series as a "tour de force", adding: "The series is deliberately, painstakingly, enthrallingly thorough—so much so that the impact of the second plane into the south tower doesn't occur until halfway through the feature-length opener." David Sexton of New Statesman wrote: "However much you have watched footage of, or read about, the attacks, it forces you to endure the day as never before; to experience it more directly, in greater detail." Melanie McFarland of Salon wrote: "By having subjects speak directly into the camera, the filmmakers create an intimacy between the survivors and the viewers that makes is easier to bear witness and relive that nightmare with them and for them."
Viewing figures
Awards
Year Award Category Result 2021 The Buzzies Congress Awards for Excellence Best History Long Format 2022 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Historical Documentary 2022 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Promotional Announcement 2022 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing: Documentary 2022 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Research: Documentary 2022 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Music Composition 2022 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Lighting Direction and Scenic Design 2022 Royal Television Society Programme Awards Documentary Series 2022 Broadcast Awards Best Documentary Series 2022 Televisual Bulldog Awards Best Documentary Series 2022 BAFTA Television Awards Factual Series 2022 FOCAL International Awards Best Use of Footage in a History Feature Shortlisted 2022 Edinburgh TV Awards Best Documentary Shortlisted 2022 Grierson Awards Best Documentary Series Shortlisted Legacy
National Geographic subsequently developed One Day in America into a documentary franchise. In 2023, the network described JFK: One Day in America as the second installment of the Emmy-winning One Day in America franchise.
National Geographic also produced a discussion guide for 9/11: One Day in America, containing discussion questions, thematic material and activities intended to accompany viewing of the series.
For the 25th anniversary of the attacks in 2026, National Geographic incorporated material originally filmed for 9/11: One Day in America into an interactive video archive containing more than 100 hours of footage and approximately 500 clips. References
External links