What happens when the first generation with no memory of 9/11 is asked to understand it?
What happens when the first generation with no memory of 9/11 is asked to understand it? Creating and Failing the 9/11 Generation follows historian Matthew Warshauer and his students over the course of a semester as they look beyond the attacks themselves and confront the larger history surrounding September 11. In the classroom, at Ground Zero and through encounters with the people and consequences of the post-9/11 world, they wrestle with difficult questions about American power, terrorism, war, patriotism and, ultimately, responsibility.
Blending intimate observational filmmaking with extraordinary archival footage and graphic-novel-style animation, Creating and Failing the 9/11 Generation brings history to life through the eyes of students discovering it for the first time — with a teacher determined to reveal that understanding the past is the first step toward shaping what comes next.
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Click Here To Host A Screening“Those born so long after 9/11 have no memory of that day. Yet each year they stand in classrooms throughout the United States and are told to remember, to not forget. That’s impossible – all they can do is learn.”
“The only question that remains is what they should be taught? What are the integral lessons of 9/11?”
The 9/11 Generation, as citizens responsible for leading America into the future, must seek the truth, learn history, and become knowledgeable citizens.
The film will equip students to understand the causes, choices and consequences surrounding 9/11, while giving educators practical ways to teach this history through inquiry, evidence and discussion. Our impact campaign will extend the film beyond the screen through:
At universities and programs in history, political science, criminal justice, international relations, journalism, media literacy, peace and conflict studies, civic education and public history.
Providing educators with tools and guidance to engage students using the inquiry-driven approach modeled by Matt in the film.
Available through major online streaming platforms.
In communities across the country.
Reaching millions of U.S. viewers.
“September 11 is bigger than the emotional 102 minutes most Americans think of when considering 9/11.”
Director / Producer
Tim is a Dutch documentary filmmaker whose 2018 feature Monumental Crossroads, exploring Confederate monuments and Civil War memory, was adopted by hundreds of universities across the United States. Other works, such as The Toxic Reigns of Resentment and The Specter of Populism, continue his collaborations with academics to translate complex ideas into engaging documentary films.
Author / Historian
Matt is a CSU Distinguished Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University and the author of six books. For 40 years, his work has explored the American experiment in self-government, with expertise spanning political and constitutional history, civil liberties, patriotism, nationalism, 9/11 and the War on Terror.
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