11'09'01: September 11th 2001 (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico, 2002)
Runtime: 11 min 09 sec 01 frame
Synopsis:
To evoke the sheer scale of the shock wave which followed September 11,
To testify to the resonance of the event throughout the world,
To better convey the human dimension of this tragedy,
To bring reflection to emotion,
To give a voice to all,
A collective film
11 directors from different countries and cultures
11 visions of the tragic events which occurred in New York City on September 11, 2001
11 points of view engaging their individual conscience
Complete freedom of expression.
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Born Mexico, 1963. A highly successful director, producer and D.J. for WFM, a radio station in Mexico by the age of twenty-three. In 1990 he was appointed creative director of Televisa. In 1991 he founded the production company, Zeta Film. In 2000, his debut film Amores Perros won the Critic’s Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and many other awards worldwide.
Where were you on September 11 2001? What did you feel when you learnt about these events?
I had been in Los Angeles for 4 days, after having arrived to start my next film project. Paradoxically, I was searching for security for my family after having lived in Mexico City, which has become a tough and unsafe place to raise kids. Ironically, we were received by the terrorists. My Mexican assistant called me early in the morning and I watched as everything was happening live. My hands were shaking and I couldn’t tear myself away from the TV for two days.
What events or personal experiences did you want to bring to light through your short? What personal echo to the events of September 11?
I wanted to express that this event is beyond politics; that it has more to do with the dark side of our nature. It has more to do with Cain and Abel than with Bush and Osama. This is a problem of human beings projecting themselves, their fears and desires, through a God that has been deformed for their own convenience, and using him to justify their actions. This is something that is happening in the east and the west. It is about the emotional spirituality, the fanaticism, the fundamentalism, the nationalism and the misinterpretation that man has made of God’s light. That of which, more than illuminates, blinds peoples’ reason. I wanted to explore the human suffering of this specific day, rather than losing myself in 11 minutes of political gibberish and rhetoric. If you review the terminology of Bush’s speeches and Osama’s messages, it is scary because beyond reasonable fact, they were talking about good, evil and God, all of which are very vulnerable and subjective matters. So the question at the end is for both sides of the world.Awards:
2003: Meilleur film de l'Union Européenne, nominated for César Best European Union Film
2003: National Board of Review, USA, winner Freedom of Expression Award, Year Result Award
2002: Venice Film Festival, winner of Year Result Award
| Credits:
Director/Scriptwriter: Alejandro González Iñárritu |
Galatée Films |
