Spike Lee teams up with HBO for 9/11 20th anniversary documentary

Spike Lee is set to create a new documentary for HBO that marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City.

NYC Epicenters 9/11→ 2021½, currently in production, chronicles the way New York has survived the past two decade, from the terror attacks to the coronavirus. It will be released later this year on HBO and HBO Max.

A synopsis for the documentary calls the film an “unprecedented, sweeping portrait of New Yorkers as they rebuild and rebound, from a devastating terrorist attack through the ongoing global pandemic”.

In a statement, Lee said of the film: “As a New Yawker who bleeds orange and blue (the colours of New York City), I’m proud to have a ‘Spike Lee Joint’ about how our/my city dealt with being the epicenters of 9/11 and COVID-19. With over 200 interviews, we dig deep into what makes NYC the greatest city on this God’s earth and also the diverse citizens who make it so.

“Over centuries pundits and straight haters have proclaimed NYC was dead and stinkin’, only to be proved wrong. You will lose ya money betting against New York, New York. And dat’s da truth, Ruth. Be Safe. Peace And Love.”

READ MORE: SAG Awards: Chadwick Boseman and Spike Lee receive nominations in Oscar barometer race

“We’re thrilled to have another groundbreaking HBO documentary event from Spike Lee,” said Lisa Heller and Nancy Abraham, co-heads of HBO Documentary Films.

“From documenting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to the 9/11 attack on New York City and beyond, we treasure Spike's singular capacity to chronicle and pay tribute to the human toll of these historic events while bearing profound witness to the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.”