Destination America, Discovery mark 9/11 anniversary

August 30, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

U.S. net Destination America will dedicate its primetime to 9/11 programming on September 5 and 6, marking the 11th anniversary with specials on the survivors, the fallen, and the heroes; while sister net Discovery Channel will premiere <I>The 9/11 Surfer</I> (pictured).

Repeat programming will kick off proceedings on September 5 at 8 p.m. EST/PST with Falling Man, a documentary from Darlow Smithson Productions focusing on the photograph of a man who leapt from the burning World Trade Center towers. The photo ran in newspapers across the world but has since been banned, and the doc touches on the photographer who took the image, the public response, the editors who ran it and then banned it, and the journalist dedicated to uncovering the falling man’s identity.

Following Falling Man is The Woman Who Wasn’t There, airing from 9:30 to 11 p.m. EST/PST. The Meredith Vieira Productions and 4235 Productions special looks at a woman who fabricated a story about being a 9/11 survivor.

On September 6 at 8 p.m. EST/PST, Destination America will air Secrets of 9/11, which gives insight into the secret war waged against al-Qaeda by the White House, the CIA, and the FBI, and why key intelligence failed and enabled the 9/11 attacks to happen.

The specials wrap with 9/11: Surviving the Impact, which tells the story of a handful of South Tower employees who managed to escape the building before it collapsed.

Over at flagship channel Discovery, The 9/11 Surfer will premiere on September 11 at 10 p.m. EST/PST. The special documents the untold survival story of Pasquale Buzzelli, who rode a blizzard of falling debris from a 22nd floor stairwell to evacuate the tower.

Narrated by NBC’s Willie Geist, the special features interviews with Buzzelli, his wife, the firefighters who saved him, and forensic scientists and physicists who discuss the science and other elements that led to his survival.

The doc is produced by Testimony Films, with Steve Humphries serving as executive producer. For Discovery Channel, the executive producers are Robert Zakin, Meghan Keener and John Cavanagh.

Tags: 9/11 Surviving the Impact, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Falling Man, Pasquale Buzzelli, Secrets of 9/11, Testimony Films, The 9/11 Surfer, The Woman Who Wasn't There