9/11 Cinema Snubbed at Box Office and Academy Awards

2006 was, among many things, the year of cinematic tributes to the events of September 11, 2001. From Paul Greengrass' United 93 to Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, moviemakers around the world marked the fifth anniversary of the events of September 11th with a wide selection of features and documentaries commemorating the lives lost. While many of these films received critical acclaim, few of them have found box office success. What's more, few of the films tackling the events of 9/11 received any recognition from the major awards committees, most notably this weekend¹s Academy Awards, which outside of a nod to United 93 in the directing and editing categories, completely snubbed this group of films.

In the Winter 2007 edition of MovieMaker Magazine, David Geffner sat down with the minds behind some of these recent 9/11-focused films including Mike Binder (Reign Over Me) and Glen Holsten (The Saint of 9/11) to explore why the industry has skipped over this cinematic niche when deciding the honors for the year. With insight from directors, movie viewers and academics, MovieMaker asks the question, "Are we ready yet?" and provides some provocative theories as to why it may be too soon for 9/11-themed cinema.

For more on this topic, check out MM Editor Jennifer Wood's interview with United 93 editor Christopher Rouse by visiting
http://www.moviemaker.com/hop/editorial.php?id=458

MovieMaker Magazine is a bimonthly chronicle of the world of independent motion picture art and business and the personalities who inhabit it. It is commentary, how-to information, new product reviews, financing strategies, humor, criticism, photography, illustrations and candid interviews with above-the-line trendsetters as well as behind-the-scenes craftspeople. Featuring insight into the marquee names of today, the giants of yesterday and the trendsetters of tomorrow in a glossy full-color package, MovieMaker is designed to entertain as well as instruct, and is written for independent artists and all fans of quality motion pictures.

MovieMaker, "The Art and Business of Making Movies," is the most widely-read independent movie magazine in the world.

To request a full copy of the article via mail or PDF, contact Jennifer Straus at jens@moviemaker.com or 212/766-4100.