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List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks

From Alfawiki
9/11 in arts and media
Company typeCultural topic
IndustryArts, Media
Founded2001
Area served
Worldwide

Art and design

  • A Garden Stepping into the Sky (2002–03), created by Ron Drummond, is a memorial concept for the World Trade Center that combines memorialization with usable commercial, cultural, or residential areas. Acclaimed by novelist Samuel R. Delany and architecture critic Herbert Muschamp, it was highlighted in a documentary by filmmaker Gregg Lachow and broadcast on CNN and KOMO-TV News.
  • Since 2005, Scott Blake's 9/11 Flipbook continuously reenacts the crash of United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower, complemented by reflective essays from various contributors about both the attacks and the flipbook itself.
  • The 2011 painting Golden Angels Over Lower Manhattan by Polish artist Leokadia Makarska-Cermak, who witnessed the attacks firsthand in Lower Manhattan, was exhibited during the Sanctuary Still remembrance event at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church on September 11, 2011.
  • Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi’s Save Manhattan series employs installations made from books, videotapes, and audio to reconstruct the pre-9/11 Manhattan skyline through fading images and shadows, symbolizing themes of memory and loss.
  • In his distinctive artistic manner, Gerhard Richter’s 2005 painting September conveys the profound historical significance of the attacks.

Biology

  • The Indian elephant nicknamed Osama bin Laden (elephant) received its moniker due to behavior reminiscent of recklessness associated with the attacks’ mastermind.

Classical music

International

  • The 2002 international anthology film 11'09"01 September 11 includes segments from various countries, exploring worldwide perspectives on 9/11.
  • Copilot (2021), a German-French production directed by Anne Zohra Berrached, centers on hijacker pilot Ziad Jarrah of United Airlines Flight 93 and his relationship with Aysel Sengün prior to 9/11.

Documentaries

Video, Television, and Theatrical Releases: Feature Films

Year Title Director Notes
2017 9/11 Martin Guigui adapted from John Patrick Carson's play Elevator.
2006 The 9/11 Commission Report Leigh Scott film version of the 9/11 Commission Report.
2018 12 Strong Nicolai Fuglsig portrays the initial deployment of U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan post-9/11.
2002 25th Hour Spike Lee set against the backdrop of post-9/11 New York City and Ground Zero.
2007 A Broken Sole Antony Marsellis a trio of short films using 9/11 as a contextual setting.
2012 Airborne Dominic Burns independent movie featuring a hijacked plane and a fictional "Firelight Protocol."
2014 American Sniper Clint Eastwood includes televised coverage of the 9/11 attacks.
2010 The Conspirator Robert Redford reflects on government actions in the post-9/11 era through analogy.
2011 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Stephen Daldry depicts the attacks and their impact on one family.
2006 A Few Days in September Santiago Amigorena focuses on a CIA operative possessing intelligence regarding the attacks.
2006 Flight 93 Peter Markle television drama aired on A&E, about United Airlines Flight 93.
2004 The Hamburg Cell Antonia Bird TV film exploring radicalization leading to one of the hijackers on Flight 93.
2018 The Looming Tower Hulu miniseries examining the events preceding 9/11.
2007 Reign Over Me Mike Binder narrative about a man dealing with loss caused by the attacks.
2010 Remember Me Allen Coulter features the World Trade Center attack as a climactic event, shown indirectly.
2019 The Report Scott Z. Burns based on the investigation into CIA interrogation methods after 9/11.
2004 Tiger Cruise Duwayne Dunham Disney Channel Original Movie portraying USS Constellation’s Tiger Cruise during 9/11, designed to educate children about the events.
2006 United 93 Paul Greengrass dramatic retelling of events aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
2008 W. Oliver Stone biographical film about George W. Bush, including his response to the attacks.
2006 World Trade Center Oliver Stone focuses on rescue operations following the terrorist attacks.
2021 Worth Sara Colangelo depicts the process surrounding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
2012 Zero Dark Thirty Kathryn Bigelow begins with calls from individuals trapped inside the towers during the attacks.

Middle East, South Asia, and Diasporic Communities

Documentaries: Video, Television, and Theatrical Releases

  • Arabs and Terrorism (2007) is a U.S. documentary available in six languages, featuring footage from 11 countries and including 120 interviews with experts and everyday individuals across the United States, Europe, and the Arab region.
  • Being Osama (2004), a Canadian documentary that delves into the lives of six Arab men named Osama living in Montreal following the events of 9/11.
  • Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath (2006) is an American documentary examining the murder of a Sikh man amid heightened post-9/11 tensions.
  • It's My Country Too: Muslim Americans (2005) follows the South Asian rock group Junoon as they tour across America during the post-9/11 era.
  • Stand Up: Muslim-American Comics Come of Age (2009) profiles five comedians who use their craft to address issues arising in the post-9/11 environment.

Feature Films: Video, Television, and Theatrical Releases

Year Title Director Notes
2007 AmericanEast Hesham Issawi Drama centered on Arab-Americans living in Los Angeles after 9/11.
2009 Amreeka Cherien Dabis Independent American/Canadian film portraying a Palestinian American family’s challenges in suburban Chicago following 9/11.
2008 The Baby Doll Night Adel Adeeb Egyptian drama set in Cairo in the aftermath of 9/11.
2003 Bandhak Hyder Bilgrami U.S. film addressing discrimination faced by South Asian Americans after 9/11.
2007 Brick Lane Sarah Gavron British narrative focusing on a Bengali woman’s life in London before and following 9/11.
2006 Hope and a Little Sugar Tanuja Chandra Indian film exploring the effects of 9/11 on a Sikh family and their Muslim friend.
2011 I Am Singh Puneet Issar Indian film inspired by the murder of Ranveer Singh’s brother amid post-9/11 tensions in the U.S.
2006 Just Your Average Arab Raouf Zaki American film featuring Arab-American characters attending a class titled "Post-9/11 Survival Guide."
2007 Khuda Kay Liye Shoaib Mansoor Pakistani film depicting three Pakistanis’ experiences before and after 9/11, with an emphasis on Muslim Americans.
2009 Kurbaan Rensil D'Silva Indian drama chronicling Avantika Ahuja and Ehsaan Khan’s journey between India and the U.S. post-9/11.
2004 Madhoshi Anil Sharma Indian film where Anupama Kaul’s sister dies during the events of 9/11.
2010 My Name Is Khan Karan Johar Indian coming-of-age story about Rizwan Khan’s experiences in Mumbai and America focusing on Muslim Americans after 9/11.
2009 New York Kabir Khan Indian film portraying three college students in New York affected by the aftermath of 9/11.
2006 The Road to Guantanamo Michael Winterbottom British docudrama about British Pakistani and Bangladeshi men impacted by post-9/11 circumstances.
2010 Tere Bin Laden Abhishek Sharma Indian comedy centered on a journalist fabricating an Osama bin Laden video to facilitate immigration to the U.S.
2004 Yasmin Simon Beaufoy German-British production set within a British Pakistani community before and after the events of 9/11.
2006 Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota Naseeruddin Shah Indian film depicting individuals aboard flights involved in crashes at the WTC and Pentagon on 9/11.
2013 Viswaroopam Kamal Haasan Indian film illustrating India’s intelligence agency’s role in America’s War on Terror following 9/11.

Internet

  • Ill Bethisad (1997–present) is a collaborative alternate history endeavor. The 9/11 event features terrorists attacking two twin towers, but with notable alterations: "New York City" remains named "New Amsterdam"; the assault employs airships instead of airplanes; the "World Trade Towers" resemble the Chrysler Building rather than the World Trade Center; and due to structural distinctions, the towers are only partially destroyed. This was the sole attack that day, executed by a cult known as "The Janus Fellowship," whose goal was to replicate a tragedy from an alternate reality for enlightenment purposes. For four years, no culprits were identified, fueling conspiracy theories until the creators introduced the cult to explain this absence.[1][2]
  • The Best Page in the Universe (1997–present), created by George Ouzounian ("Maddox"), is a satirical website. It mocks the 9/11 conspiracy film series Loose Change through "Unfastened Coins," which applies similar conspiracy logic to the Titanic disaster, implying government involvement in its sinking to expose flaws in Loose Change's reasoning.[3] Another page titled "There is no 9/11 conspiracy you morons" dissects inconsistencies in Loose Change, highlighting that its creator Dylan Avery remains alive despite claims of government suppression, emphasizing how unlikely such a vast secret could remain hidden. Maddox also notes coincidental imagery on certain U.S. dollar bills predating 9/11.[4]

Literature and poetry

Template:In popular culture

Fiction and non-fiction

Australia

  • Miles Hitchcock’s "The Caribou Herd" (2003), recipient of The Age Short Story Award, narrates from an elderly Englishman with dementia flying to New York on the day of the attacks, reflecting on twentieth-century history.

Europe

  • A Manhã do Mundo (The Morning of the World) (2001) by Pedro Guilherme-Moreira.
  • Brick Lane (2003) by Monica Ali follows Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman residing in England before and after 9/11.
  • Burnt Shadows (2009) by Kamila Shamsie.
  • Dead Air (2002) by Iain Banks, partially set in London on September 11, features a left-wing radio shock jock attending a wedding as news of the attacks breaks (Tuesday afternoon UK time).
  • Eleven (2006) by David Llewellyn, set in Cardiff and London during 9/11, explores its effects on British lives.
  • False Impression (2005) by Jeffrey Archer, a thriller unfolding during and after 9/11; protagonist Anna Petrescu survives the World Trade Center assault.
  • Netherland (2008) by Joseph O'Neill, follows a Dutch businessman traumatized by 9/11 while living in New York.
  • Saturday (2005) by Ian McEwan, set in London post-9/11 but before the July 7 bombings, illustrating global shifts following the attacks.
  • When God Was a Rabbit (2011) by Sarah Winman, whose protagonist believes her brother and his friend perished in the crashes during their time in America.
  • Windows on the World (2003) by Frédéric Beigbeder, set inside the North Tower restaurant on September 11, following Carthew Yorston and his sons’ struggle for survival. Each chapter corresponds to one minute from 8:30 to 10:30. A parallel narrative features Beigbeder discussing his reasons for writing.

North America

  • Alissa Torres’s graphic novel American Widow (2008), recounting her experience losing her husband in the WTC on 9/11.
  • Between Two Rivers (2004) by Nicholas Rinaldi
  • Thomas Pynchon’s detective novel Bleeding Edge (2013), set between the dot-com crash and post-9/11 era.
  • Brooklyn Follies (2005) by Paul Auster
  • Stephen King’s The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004), featuring an artifact housed in the World Trade Center prior to its destruction.
  • Ken Kalfus’s A Disorder Peculiar to the Country (2006), portraying a New York couple’s experiences amid personal struggles during 9/11.
  • Claire Messud’s The Emperor's Children (2006), tracking three friends in NYC before and after 9/11.
  • Philip Roth’s Everyman (2006), about a man relocating due to fears following 9/11.
  • Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005), about a boy seeking his father’s secrets after losing him in the Twin Towers collapse.
  • Don DeLillo’s survivor-focused novel Falling Man (2007).
  • Pete Hamill’s immigrant tale Forever (2003), spanning an immortal life culminating with events on 9/11; revised post-attacks.
  • Jay McInerney’s The Good Life (2006), set around September 11.
  • H. M. Naqvi’s depiction of Pakistani students pre- and post-9/11 in Home Boy (2009).
  • Pat Forde’s Hugo-nominated sci-fi novella "In Spirit," involving spiritual time travel connecting families of victims to moments from 9/11.
  • John Irving’s Last Night in Twisted River (2009), with key scenes occurring September 10–11, 2001.
  • Porochista Khakpour’s The Last Illusion (2014)
  • Colum McCann’s novel Let the Great World Spin (2009), linking Philippe Petit’s Twin Towers tightrope walk from 1974 with New York after 9/11.
  • Jacob M. Appel’s story of a wrongfully accused New Yorker post-attack in The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up (2012).
  • Joyce Carol Oates’s short story "The Mutants" (2004).
  • Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel ending with Manhattan attacks recorded on VCR, My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018).
  • Nelson DeMille’s thriller connecting TWA Flight 800 to 9/11, Night Fall (2004).
  • Non-fiction collection edited by Alia Malek: Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9/11 Injustice (2011).
  • William Gibson’s marketing consultant protagonist whose father vanished on September 11 morning in Pattern Recognition (2003).
  • Shaila Abdullah's novel Saffron Dreams (2009)
  • Barbara Kingsolver's essay collection responding to social justice and environmental issues post-9/11, titled Small Wonder (2002).
  • David Foster Wallace's novella "The Suffering Channel" (2004), set shortly before the attacks featuring a journalist working at Style Magazine located in the World Trade Center.
  • Porochista Khakpour's novel Sons and Other Flammable Objects(2007)
  • John Updike's exploration of post-9/11 America through a radical Muslim youth in Terrorist(2006)
  • Stephen King's supernatural short story "The Things They Left Behind" about survivor guilt narrated by a man who avoided being at WTC during attacks(2005)
  • N. M. Kelby’s novel focusing on physicist mother-daughter memory gaps linked to past events, Theater of the Stars: A Novel of Physics and Memory(2003)
  • Giannina Braschi's cross-genre work dramatizing Twin Towers collapse as American empire decline symbolized on 9/11, titled 'United States of Banana'(AmazonCrossing 2011)
  • Post-attack aftermath focus in United We Stand(2009)
  • Tom Robbins’ depiction of military and CIA responses to attack news in 'Villa Incognito'(2003)
  • Eric Walters’ novel 'We All Fall Down'(2006) where "Bring Your Kids to Work Day" coincides with 9/11 exploring father-son dynamics amid tragedy
  • Jess Walter's 'The Zero'(2006) about NYC police officer struggling with memory loss after attacks

Poetry

  • Seamus Heaney's loose translation responding to attacks titled 'Anything Can Happen' (2004), based on Horace's Ode 1.34
  • Wisława Szymborska's reflective poem 'Photograph from September 11' (2002)
  • Frank Bidart's 'Curse' (2002) addressing aftermath themes
  • Ben Lerner's 'Didactic Elegy' exploring related motifs
  • Richard Howard's contemplative collection 'Fallacies of Wonder' (2001) recalling Twin Towers
  • Dionne Brand's 'Inventory' (2006), emphasizing witnessing within globalized post-attack context
  • Ismail Khalidi's examination of cultural perspectives in 'Routine Procedure(s) 2: Prayer Beads of Cold Sweat or Driving While Izlaamic' (2006)
  • Pascale Petit's 'The Hudson Remembers' (2008) reflecting New York impact
  • Sharon Olds’ 'September 2001, New York City' (2013) capturing personal and collective remembrance
  • Simon Armitage's poetic response 'Out of the Blue' (2005)
  • Billy Collins’ memorializing poem 'The Names' (2002)
  • Michael Symmons Roberts’ sequence ‘Last Words’ (2002) addressing final moments
  • Naomi Shihab Nye's Middle Eastern life exploration post-attack in '19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East' (2002)
  • Frederick Seidel's poem 'December' (2001), including line referencing area code “212” published in Wall Street Journal

Television

  • In ‘‘Euphoria’’’s pilot episode, narrator Rue Bennett mentions being born “three days after 9/11” while footage shows a plane crashing into a tower.
  • The animated series ‘‘Family Guy’’ references “Nine-eleven” during Lois Griffin’s mayoral campaign episode “[It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One]”.
  • ‘‘Homeland’’(2011–2020) centers on CIA officer Carrie Mathison and Marine Nicholas Brody, addressing national security concerns and collective trauma following September 11.
  • ‘‘Ramy’’ episode “Strawberries” portrays adolescent struggles intensified by attacks with brief classroom footage featuring towers.
  • FX drama ‘‘Rescue Me’’(2004–2011) integrates NYC firefighters’ experiences dealing with aftermath of attacks into its storyline.
  • The ‘‘X-Files’’ spinoff ‘‘The Lone Gunmen’’ pilot aired six months before September 11 depicting thwarted plot involving hijacking plane into World Trade Center.
  • ‘‘Travelers’’ Season 2 opens with consciousness transmission test targeting World Trade Center moments prior to Flight 11 crash.

Theater

  • Meron Langsner wrote documentary play ‘‘Bystander 9/11’’(2001), drawing from surviving NYC attacks experience.
  • Wajahat Ali’s ‘‘The Domestic Crusaders’’(2005) portrays Pakistani-American Muslim family navigating societal shifts post-September 11.
  • Sam Shepard authored ‘‘The God of Hell’’(2004), partly inspired by post-attack atmosphere.
  • Anne Nelson’s ‘‘The Guys’’(2001) depicts collaboration between fire captain and writer composing eulogies for lost comrades.
  • Neil LaBute wrote ‘‘The Mercy Seat’’(2002), about man contemplating faking death after surviving attacks.
  • Craig Wright’s ‘‘Recent Tragic Events’’(2003), set September 12, focuses on blind date amid aftermath tensions.
  • Dinner party centered ‘‘Omnium Gatherum’’(2003) by Theresa Rebeck and Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros discusses victims’ impact.
  • William Finn composed song cycle ‘‘Elegies’’(2003), concluding with pieces about September 11 influence.
  • Ismail Khalidi dramatized young Arab-American life altered post-attacks in ‘‘Truth Serum Blues’’(2005).
  • Giannina Braschi created cross-genre work ‘‘United States of Banana’’(2011), imagining world shaped by post-attack realities involving iconic literary figures.
  • Dark comedy ‘‘Good Morning Gitmo’’(2014) by Mishu Hilmy and Eric Simon set decades later at Camp Delta among staff and detainees.
  • Canadian musical ‘‘Come From Away’’(2017) by Irene Sankoff and David Hein depicts Gander Newfoundland response to diverted flights during Operation Yellow Ribbon; received Tony Award for Best Direction and nominated for Best Musical.
  • Adam Gwon’s ‘‘Ordinary Days’’(2008) features song “I’ll Be Here,” evoking September 11 loss.

Video games

  • ‘’8:46’’ is a virtual reality experience placing players inside World Trade Center during attacks.
  • ‘’Laden VS USA’’ is an LCD handheld game themed around September 11 featuring images such as WTC wreckage, Osama Bin Laden, George W. Bush; offers gameplay as either Osama piloting planes into towers or U.S. defending them. Manufactured possibly by Panyu Gaming Electronic Co. Ltd. in China; origin uncertain due to counterfeiting prevalence. Some copies sold within U.S., including NYC; sparked controversy leading Brooklyn store withdrawal and bans from several retailers due to tastelessness. Highlighted via YouTube review by Mike Mozart of JeepersMedia for its unexpected market presence.
  • ‘’Terrifying 9.11,’’ an unauthorized Game Boy Color port of arcade run-and-gun ‘’Metal Slug,’’ modified post-attacks to include footage showing events plus cutscenes featuring George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden exchanging taunts. Neither Nintendo nor SNK licensed this title. Developed possibly by Ruanxin Co., Ltd., or published under Hitek name; gameplay largely preserved despite hardware limits. Released in English and Chinese; infamous for controversial theme. A ROM hack released in 2018 restored much original content removing cutscenes but retained altered title screen depicting World Trade Center backdrop.

See also

References

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External links

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