Pictures: Netflix
Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks that saw the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and other attacks across the States. What documentaries and movies does Netflix have covering the events of that day? Here’s a look at what’s streaming in 2023.
Sadly, Netflix’s library covering the pivotal day in US and world history isn’t quite as extensive as, say, Disney+/Hulu (which houses the National Geographic library and got four new docs this year alone); it has been growing.
Turning Point 9/11 And The War on Terror
Released on Netflix: September 1st, 2021
Available on Netflix: Globally
Courtesy of NETFLIX
Netflix released its first-ever documentary series about the day on its 20th anniversary year in 2021. Directed by Brian Knappenberger (The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz), the series uses interviews and exclusive footage to chronicle the before and after.
5 episodes were released in total, and the series goes in multiple different directions. Episode 1 primarily focuses on the day itself, with much of the other episodes focusing on the short and long-term repercussions of the day.
Worth
Released on Netflix: September 3rd, 2021
Available on Netflix: Globally
Also released on Netflix on the 20th anniversary year of the attacks was this new scripted feature film that comes from the Obama production company, Higher Ground.
Directed by Sara Colangelo, the movie follows a lawyer facing an emotional reckoning and uphill battle as he attempts to put a dollar value on the lives lost.
The Anthrax Attacks In The Shadow of 9/11 (2022)
Released on Netflix: September 8th, 2022
Available on Netflix: Globally
The week after 9/11, a slew of biological attacks rocked the US capital, with five people eventually killed and 17 injured. This documentary, directed by Dan Krauss, follows those events.
Clark Gregg (Painkiller, Agents of Shield) lends his acting performance to the documentary, playing the role of Bruce Edwards Ivins, a microbiologist and vaccinologist who became central to the legal case.
Spy Ops (Episode 1 – Operation Jawbreaker)
Released on Netflix: September 8th, 2023
Available on Netflix: Globally
Picture: Netflix
Newly released on Netflix in 2023, is Spy Ops, a new eight-part documentary using expert testimony from insiders from the British MI6 and American CIA to detail some of the most prolific operations and plots over the past few decades.
The very first episode takes a look at what happened just a couple of weeks after the 9/11 attacks, with CIA operatives arriving in Afghanistan in the hopes of dismantling the Taliban.
History 101 (Season 1 – Oil and the Middle East)
Released on Netflix: May 22nd, 2022
Available on Netflix: Globally
History 101 is a two-season Netflix docuseries that looks into many different topics, including Nuclear Power, Fast Food, The Rise of China, GPS, and much more.
One of the episodes in season 1 covered how oil and the Middle East have evolved over the past few years and, perhaps more importantly, destabilized the region, leading to the events that played a role in 9/11.
How to Become a Tyrant (Episode 2 – Crush Your Rivals)
Released on Netflix: July 9th, 2021
Available on Netflix: Globally
Picture: Netflix
This documentary series looks into some of the biggest tyrants in human history, and in episode 2, Saddam Hussein, who was the President of Iraq from 1979 through 2003.
9/11 was one of the key events that led to the ultimate war in Iraq, and intrinsically linked to that is the rise of Saddam Hussein, who at one point was believed to be behind the attacks (President Bush later admitted that not to be the case).
9/11 Documentaries and Movies Available on Netflix Internationally
World Trade Center
Available on Netflix: At least 14 countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, France
Picture: Paramount Pictures
Nicholas Cage headlines this docudrama film from director Oliver Stone. It’s about the Port Authority Police who were dispatched to the North Tower on that fateful and leads a group of volunteers to help rescue people from the North Tower.
The movie sometimes heads to Netflix in the United States, with its last tenure on the service ending in June 2022. According to JustWatch, the movie currently resides on Showtime / Paramount+.