During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, an American sports broadcasting team must adapt to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being held hostage by a terrorist group.During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, an American sports broadcasting team must adapt to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being held hostage by a terrorist group.During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, an American sports broadcasting team must adapt to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being held hostage by a terrorist group.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 14 wins & 29 nominations total
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The world watched in real-time as the crisis unfolded, and Black September achieved exactly what they wanted: maximum publicity. This was one of the first instances where a terrorist attack was staged with the global media in mind, creating a model that has since been replicated.
The media's role in amplifying terrorism is complex. On one hand, coverage is necessary to inform the public, expose security failures, and hold governments accountable. On the other, the relentless focus on the perpetrators can sometimes grant them the notoriety they seek. This has led to ongoing ethical debates about how journalists should report on terrorism without unintentionally promoting it.
By revisiting September 5, the film not only honors the victims but also forces viewers to confront the enduring complexities of terrorism, security failures, and international politics that remain relevant today.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAll of the live video footage of the siege and the studio presentation and interviews is the original footage as broadcast by ABC during the crisis, taken directly from their archive.
- GoofsThe crew are seen drinking from beer cans with retained ring pulls. This type of opening mechanism wasn't widely in use until the original patents expired in 1975, three years after the events depicted in the movie.
- Quotes
Marianne Gebhardt: [translating] He's saying that the Games are an opportunity to welcome the world to a new Germany, to move on from the past.
Marvin Bader: Yeah, sure.
Marianne Gebhardt: I mean, it's what we all hope for. What else can we do but move on, try to be better?
Marvin Bader: [stops the video] Are your parents still around?
Marianne Gebhardt: Yes.
Marvin Bader: Let me guess- they didn't know either, right?
Marianne Gebhardt: [pause] Well, I'm not them.
Marvin Bader: No. No, you're not. I'm sorry.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 82nd Golden Globe Awards (2025)
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Septiembre 5
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,508,723
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $80,802
- Dec 15, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $8,132,976
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1