Spike Lee has partnered with HBO Documentary Films to direct “NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021 ½,” a project that will focus on how the city has triumphed through tragedies like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee issued the following statement about the project: “As a New Yawker who bleeds orange and blue (the colors 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.”
HBO described “NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021 ½” as a multi-part documentary taking an “unprecedented, sweeping portrait of New Yorkers as they rebuild and rebound, from a devastating terrorist attack through the ongoing global pandemic.” The documentary will debut later this year on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“We’re thrilled to have another groundbreaking HBO documentary event from Spike Lee,” Lisa Heller and Nancy Abraham, co-heads of HBO Documentary Films, told Deadline. “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.”
Lee previously directed the docuseries “4 Little Girls” and “When the Levees Broke” for HBO.
