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We watched this stunning presentation the night before the
second anniversary of the terrorist attack and - even taking
into consideration the extra emotional power of that time
- this is marvellous stuff.
The project's mastermind was Alain Brigand and apart from
the time stipulation each director was able to present their
own views freely.
There are some extraordinary political aspects that should
make Western nations - particularly America's leaders - sit
up and listen.
The striking thing about them is that they sympathise over
the horror of the shattering attack on fortress America and
the pain individuals suffered, but often hold up stories of
worse things happening in their lands. Events that have been
consigned to nothingness by the 9/11 media frenzy.
Ken Loach's effort focusses on another 9/11 tragedy - the
day General Pinochet launched a coup in Chile that ended up
costing more than 30,000 lives. How does 11/9/01 compare with
that? It doesn't.
And Danis Tanivic's piece looks at the horrors of the Serbian
atrocities against the town of Srzebrenica - again a 9/11
incident - but one that is now buried by the WTC media juggernaut.
The most gut-wrenching offering comes from Mexico's Alejandro
Inarritu. It is a strange use of blank screen and sound that
has you shuffling in your chair, but once you are forced to
listen by having nothing to see you are hit by the voices
and doomed tragedy of people stuck in the Trade Centre or
on a hijacked plane. Then images start to flash in of people
throwing themselves out of the buildings. I've nasty feeling
the thumps that grow in intensity are bodies hitting the ground.
There is a lighter look at the attacks from Burkina Faso,
where Idrissa Ouedrago has come up with a simple tale of a
groups of boys who spot Osama Bin Laden and set about trying
to kidnap him to pay for medical bills and education costs.
It's hard to pick the very best of these, but my two favourites
are Sean Penn's different angle on a lonely widower (Ernest
Borgnine) which shows that something evil can have benefits
for others and Claude Leloch's story of a deaf mute in New
York.
11'09"01 is extraordinary must-see material.
Directors: Ken Loach (UK), Sean Penn (US), Mira Nair (India),
Claude Lelouch (France), Danis Tanovic (Bosnia), Shohei Imamura
(Japan), Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran), Amos Gitai (Israel), Youssef
Chahine (Egypt), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico), Idrissa
Ouedrago (Burkina Faso).
Conclusion: Movie 90%
Continued:
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