The trailer for September 5 brings the ethical and moral dilemmas that journalists face to the forefront when an ABC Sports team on the ground in Munich for the 1972 Olympics pivot to covering the terrorist attacks that took place in the Olympic Village that year.
The most in-depth look at the film thus far begins on a regular Olympics morning as the sports newsroom begins covering the games on Sept. 5, 1972, but before they know it, they’re thrust into an entirely different story.
“There’s a hostage situation going on right now in the Olympic Village,” John Magaro’s Geoff says in the trailer, as ABC News insists on taking over the story since the sports team is in “way over your head.” But legendary TV executive Roone Arledge, portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard, shuts the news team down and states the sports team will handle it.
“What do I tell the cameras?” Magaro asks. “I mean, can we show someone being shot on live television?”
As nine Israeli athletes are taken hostage by members of Palestinian terror group Black September, the Summer Games, which were called the “Serene Olympics,” continue a few hundred yards away.
When the broadcast team discovers that the terrorists may have access to a television and can see what they’re reporting, Geoff and mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) question whether their coverage may make things worse.
“Are they seeing what we’re seeing? Are the terrorists seeing this?” Geoff questions. “It’s not OK if we made it worse,” while Chaplin’s Marvin echoes the sentiment. “They know the whole world is watching if they shoot someone on live television,” he says. “Whose story is that? Is it ours, or is it theirs?”
September 5 is a major Oscar contender that details the moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, according to its description.
“Through this lens, September 5 provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time,” the logline reads. “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.
Leonie Benesch, Zinedine Soualem, Georgina Rich, Corey Johnson, Marcus Rutherford, Daniel Adeosun, Benjamin Walker and Ferdinand Dörfler round out the cast of Tim Fehlbaum’s film about the major international crisis, which Paramount is distributing.
Fehlbaum co-wrote the script with Moritz Binder and Alex David. He also serves as a producer alongside Philipp Trauer, Thomas Wöbke, Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer and John Wildermuth. Martin Moszkowicz and Christoph Müller executive produce.