"September 5" unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, "September 5" provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time.
At the heart of the story is Geoff (John Magaro), a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). Together with German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages' lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass.
At the heart of the story is Geoff (John Magaro), a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). Together with German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages' lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00You don't want anybody to see their kid executed on a television show, so I don't know about the Israelis, but David Berger's folks are in Ohio, so I'm pretty sure they'll watch.
00:11Well, someone should tell them not to watch it. But we have a bigger responsibility here.
00:14What about the sponsors?
00:15The sponsors are not going to be concerned. All they care about...
00:18Guys, we have two minutes.
00:19No, viewers. Okay.
00:20So, is that what we're trying to achieve here, is ratings?
00:23No, we're just... we're following the story, wherever it takes us.
00:29All right, then let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. It's Black September. They know the whole world is watching, right? That's why they chose the Olympics.
00:36If, I'm saying if, they shoot someone on live television, right, whose story is that? Is it ours or is it theirs?