List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks

This list of cultural references to the September 11 attacks and to the post-9/11 sociopolitical climate, includes works of art, music, books, poetry, comics, theater, film, and television.

Art and design

A Garden Stepping into the Sky (2002–03) by Ron Drummond is a design for a World Trade Center Memorial built out of the "clay" of functional interior space suitable for commercial, cultural, or residential uses. Praised by New York novelist and critic Samuel R. Delany and architecture critic Herbert Muschamp, Drummond's design was the focus of a documentary by the award-winning independent filmmaker Gregg Lachow and was featured on CNN and KOMO-TV News. 9/11 Flipbook (2005–present) by Scott Blake allows viewers to watch a continuous reenactment of United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Accompanying the images are essays written by a wide range of participants, each expressing their personal experience of the September 11 attacks. In addition, the essays' authors posted their responses to the request that they reflect on, and respond to, the flipbook itself. Golden Angels Over Lower Manhattan (2011), a painting by the New-York based Polish artist, Leokadia Makarska-Cermak, who was in Lower Manhattan during the attacks. She presented the painting at the Sanctuary Still remembrance event held at the St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church on September 11, 2011. Save Manhattan, a series of works by the Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi. Three Installations show Manhattan as if the attacks did not take place, and a light is projected to create a sharply defined shadow of the pre-9/11 skyline of the city. Save Manhattan 1 is made with books, Save Manhattan with videotapes and Save Manhattan 3 is a sound installation with speakers. In the Save Manhattan Video, the skyline progressively dissolves and becomes the memory and the ghost of something that was but that is not anymore. September (2005), a painting by Gerhard Richter

Biology Osama bin Laden (elephant) – an elephant in India nicknamed after the attacks' mastermind due to its tendencies of reckless mass murder

Classical music

Robert Gulya – Guitar Concerto (2001), written for Johanna BeisteinerInterview with Robert Gulya Video. Gramy Records. 2010. (Hungarian with English subtitles)

Film International 11'09"01 September 11 (2002), an international anthology film composed of contributions from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Egypt, France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, and the US, each exploring reactions to 9/11. Copilot (2021), a German-French film by Anne Zohra Berrached, based on United Airlines Flight 93's hijacker pilot Ziad Jarrah and his relationship with Aysel Sengün, prior to the events of the 9/11 attacks. 9/11: I Was There, also released as 9/11: Life Under Attack, (2021) British documentary from the perspective of ordinary people who filmed during the attacks. , German film (2010) , Italian film (2007) 9/11: The Falling Man, 2006 documentary film by Henry Singer 2009 British film

North America

Video, television, and theatrical release: documentaries 102 Minutes That Changed America, a 2008 American made-for-television History Channel documentary which follows the events of 9/11 through raw footage. 9/11, a 2002 Franco-American made-for-television CBS documentary which includes the only footage shot inside the World Trade Center that day. 9/11: One Day in America, a 2021 6-part documentary miniseries for National Geographic. 911: In Plane Site, a 2004 American documentary film which advocates 9/11 conspiracy theories. 9/11: Inside the President's War Room, a 2021 American documentary film for Apple TV+. , 2016 film by Sharon Petzold 9/11 Kids, a 2020 Canadian documentary film about the now young adults who were in the classroom where president George W. Bush was reading "The Pet Goat" when he was interrupted and informed of the attacks. is a 2006 documentary film that promotes conspiracy theories about the attacks. 9/11: Press for Truth, a 2006 American independent film which investigates the events of 9/11. 9/11: The Twin Towers, a 2006 American made-for-television Discovery Channel documentary about the events of 9/11. , a 2016 film by Frank Panico , 2016 film by Mary Robertson Answering the Call: Ground Zero's Volunteers, a 2005 American documentary film. Beyond Belief, a 2007 American independent film about the post-9/11 experiences of two women who lost their husbands on 9/11 and who set up a humanitarian program for war widows in Afghanistan. Bowling for Columbine, a 2002 American documentary film by Michael Moore that refers to the events of 9/11 in its "Wonderful World" montage. The Cats of Mirikitani, a 2006 American documentary about the painter Jimmy Mirikitani who lived in New York at the time of 9/11. Children of 9/11: Our Story, a 2021 American documentary about the children born to fathers who died during the September 11 attacks. The Concert for New York City, documentary of the five-hour benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. United States of Banana, 2011 series of art films by photographer Michael Somoroff, based on the 9/11 novel United States of Banana by Hispanic-American author Giannina Braschi. Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, a 2006 American independent film about the backlash experienced by the country music band, Dixie Chicks during the Post-9/11 climate. Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11, a 2006 American documentary broadcast on the Sundance Channel. Fahrenheit 9/11, a 2004 American documentary film by Michael Moore. FahrenHYPE 9/11, reaction to the above film Firefighters: Heroes of Ground Zero, a 2002 American made-for-television WNET documentary film following firemen from two firehouses in the days and weeks following 9/11. Flight 175: As the World Watched, a 2006 American made-for-television The Learning Channel documentary about United Airlines Flight 175. The Flight That Fought Back, a 2005 American made-for-television Discovery Channel documentary about United Airlines Flight 93, one of four planes that was hijacked on 9/11. , a 2005 American made-for-television History Channel documentary. Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire a 2004 documentary The Heart of Steel, a 2006 American independent film about the post 9/11 experiences of a group of volunteers. Hotel Ground Zero, a 2009 American made-for-television History Channel documentary. I Missed Flight 93, a 2006 American made-for-television History Channel documentary about people who missed United Airlines Flight 93. Inside 9/11, a 2005 American made-for-television National Geographic Channel documentary about the events before, during, and after 9/11. IX XI, a 2026 American documentary film about the lives of 12 New Yorkers before and during 9/11. The Love We Make, a 2011 American documentary about Paul McCartney's experiences in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks, following him as he prepared The Concert for New York City October 2001 benefit event. Metal of Honor: The Ironworkers of 9/11, a 2006 American documentary. Native New Yorker, a 2005 American documentary. No Responders Left Behind, a 2021 American documentary. NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½, a 2021 4-part American documentary by Spike Lee. On Native Soil: the Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report, a 2005 American documentary. Rebirth, a 2011 American documentary about five individuals impacted by 9/11. The Outsider (2021), about the making of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City The Secret History of 9/11, a 2006 American documentary. , Mike Ruppert was among the first to be publicly critical of a number of transparent flaws in the official story presented by the US government. (2002) The Tillman Story, a 2010 American independent film about the death of football star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman during the Post-9/11 climate. Toxic Clouds of 9/11, a 2006 American documentary. Toxic Legacy, a 2006 Canadian documentary. Twin Towers, a 2003 American documentary. The Woman Who Wasn't There, a 2012 documentary about false survivor Alicia Esteve Head. Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, a 2008 American documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock Zero Hour: The Last Hour of Flight 11, a 2004 Canadian/British television documentary.

Video, television, and theatrical release: feature films Release Title Director Comments 2017 9/11 Martin Guigui based on the play Elevator by John Patrick Carson. 2006 The 9/11 Commission Report Leigh Scott based upon the 9/11 Commission Report. 2018 12 Strong Nicolai Fuglsig based on the first soldiers sent into Afghanistan after 9/11. 2002 25th Hour Spike Lee set in post-9/11 New York and puts Ground Zero in the background of a pivotal scene. 2007 A Broken Sole Antony Marsellis a trilogy of 2007 American short films that use 9/11 as a backdrop. 2012 Airborne Dominic Burns independent film about a hijacked airliner. The film introduces its story by pretending since 9/11 there would be a so-called "Firelight Protocol" which had been "designed to protect those on the ground". 2014 American Sniper Clint Eastwood 9/11 coverage is shown on TV. 2026 Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story Manu Boyer based on the rescue of Genelle Guzman. 2010 The Conspirator Robert Redford about the response to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Critics have cited it as an analogy to the post-9/11 atmosphere. 2011 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Stephen Daldry based on the book of the same name that depicts the September 11 attacks and a family's experience in the aftermath. 2006 A Few Days in September Santiago Amigorena about a CIA agent with advanced intelligence of the September 11 attacks. 2006 Flight 93 Peter Markle television film directed by that aired on A&E. 2004 The Hamburg Cell Antonia Bird a television film based on Ziad Jarrah, a non-religious and westernized Lebanese who falls into a group of radical Muslims in Hamburg, Germany, and eventually becomes United Airlines 93's hijacker pilot. 2018 The Looming Tower television miniseries for Hulu. 2007 Reign Over Me Mike Binder about a man dealing with the loss of his family on 9/11. 2010 Remember Me Allen Coulter The attack on the World Trade Center serves as the film's climax and twist ending; the film does not show the attacks, but rather relies on audiences realising what's about to happen. 2019 The Report Scott Z. Burns based on the investigation of the CIA's use of torture following 9/11.2004Tiger CruiseDuwayne DunhamA Disney Original Channel Movie that depicts a fictional account of the USS Constellation (CV-64) 2001 Tiger Cruise. Follows a young girl, her friends, and their military family members from September 9 to September 14. Helped explain 9/11 to children. 2006 United 93 Paul Greengrass based on the events of United Airlines Flight 93. 2008 W. Oliver Stone about George W. Bush. 2006 World Trade Center Oliver Stone based on the rescue of John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno. 2021 Worth Sara Colangelo about the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. 2012 Zero Dark Thirty Kathryn Bigelow the film opens with calls from people in the towers.

Middle East, South Asia, and diasporas

Video, television, and theatrical release: documentaries Arabs and Terrorism (2007), an American documentary in six languages, filmed in 11 countries, comprising 120 interviews with "experts/politicians and hundreds of street interviews in the United States, Europe, and the Arab world." Being Osama (2004), a Canadian documentary that explores the Post-9/11 lives of six Montreal Arab men, all with the first name Osama. Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath (2006), an American documentary made in response to the murder of a Sikh man as a result of the post-9/11 atmosphere.