9/10: The Final Hours
| Company type | Documentary film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 2014 |
Area served | United States, Canada |
Key people | Erik Nelson (director), Amy Briamonte (producer), Mark Leggett (music) |
| Products | Documentary film |
9/10: The Final Hours is a 2014 documentary co-produced by American and Canadian teams, presenting firsthand accounts from people reflecting on their experiences on September 10, 2001—the day preceding the September 11 attacks that led to the destruction of the Twin Towers. Directed by Erik Nelson and produced by Amy Briamonte, this film debuted in 2014 on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. Although it had minimal marketing and lacked an official IMDb listing, the documentary garnered favorable reviews and was broadcast on National Geographic channels. The musical score, created by Mark Leggett, was also made available as a separate release.
Plot
The documentary 9/10: The Final Hours includes interviews with various individuals who were present on the day before the attacks. Among them are staff members from the Windows on the World restaurant located atop 1 World Trade Center, WPIX news anchor Jim Watkins, a Canadian photographer who possessed one of the final tickets to access the World Trade Center's observation deck, and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick. Also featured are artists Wolfgang Staehle and Monika Bravo, dancer Valda Setterfield, among others. The film incorporates photographs taken by Konstantin Petrov, an Estonian immigrant who worked as a night shift electrician at Windows on the World and narrowly escaped after finishing his shift at 8:00 a.m. Additionally, the documentary presents visuals from the 9/11 Memorial Museum and highlights the "Tribute in Light" memorial, which projects vertical turquoise beams from the original Twin Towers’ footprints.
Reception
The film 9/10: The Final Hours was met with positive critical reception. Alex Ashlock of WBUR characterized it as "engaging, though occasionally challenging to view," emphasizing its concentration on events of the day before September 11 and the enduring effects on those interviewed. The Arab Times underscored its relevance to business audiences, pointing out how "ordinary choices made a difference between survival and tragedy."
Distribution of the documentary spanned several outlets, including a YouTube release by cinematographer Thomas Kaufman, availability for streaming on Amazon Prime within the United States, and airings on National Geographic’s television channels.