New 9/11 Doc Commissioned by C4

LONDON: Channel 4 has commissioned Darlow Smithson Productions to produce a new feature-length documentary, to mark the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, featuring recordings of calls from people who were trapped in the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

9/11: Phone Calls From The Towers will air as a 90-minute special on Channel 4 in September. The project will feature newly uncovered audio recordings from people who were trapped in the World Trade Center after the towers collapsed, along with a host of previously unseen home movies and testimony from the victims’ families.

Simon Dickson, Channel 4’s deputy head of documentaries, said, "Eight years on from the attacks, this amazing film is a genuinely fresh approach to the 9/11 story, using very powerful recordings, some of which have never been heard before."

He continued: "The messages are an incredibly moving testament to the memories of the people who died in the Twin Towers and reveal the dignity, courage, humanity and love shown at the worst of times. And the victims’ families, who have cooperated in the making of the film and provided most of the recordings, talk heart-breakingly about speaking to their loved ones for the final time as they watched powerless as the disaster unfolded on TV.

"The messages are, of course, a double-edged legacy—there is only a recording because someone missed the call, but as a result the families have something concrete to turn to for comfort. They have helped some of the families to move on, while others still find the emotions incredibly raw. And the messages prompt us all to ponder whether, faced with such a terrible situation, we could act with such courage and compassion."

John Smithson, the chief creative director of Darlow Smithson Productions, commented: "9/11 is one of the most significant historical moments of our time. This film highlights humanity at its best. The phone calls revealed for the first time in this film don’t convey the panic and fear felt by millions, but the love and dignity that they held on to. Darlow Smithson feels proud to have produced a testimony to those whose lives were lost, and to bring it to a wide audience."