Huge congratulations: SEPTEMBER 5, written by Moritz Binder and director Tim Fehlbaum, has been nominated for an Oscar in today’s announcement. The thriller from Munich producers Philipp Trau and Thomas Wöbke in co-production with Constantin Film is in the running for the prestigious Academy Award in the “Best Screenplay” category.
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum: “It is an incredible honor for us to be nominated and we see it as an award for the entire team behind and in front of the camera. We are very happy!”
Oliver Berben, CEO of Constantin Film: “It’s crazy, the nominations for the Oscars are out. And we’re really happy with and for Tim Fehlbaum and Moritz Binder, who received a nomination for Best Screenplay. Congratulations!”
The thriller about the 1972 Olympic attack from the perspective of a group of US sports journalists has been in cinemas since January 9th, distributed by Constantin Film.
Short content: Munich, September 5, 1972, tenth day of competition at the Summer Olympics. Back in Germany for the first time since 1936, the games were supposed to be “cheerful games” and convey to the world the image of a new, liberal Germany. But at 4:40 a.m., the morning shift at the American broadcaster ABC heard shots from the nearby Olympic Village. A group of Palestinian terrorists has taken eleven members of the Israeli team hostage. Against the resistance of its own news department, the ABC Sports team reported live on the 21-hour hostage situation. The story is told by Geoff (John Magaro), a young, ambitious producer who wants to prove himself to his boss, the legendary Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). With the help of German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch), Geoff unexpectedly takes over the management of the live broadcast. As time runs out, conflicting rumors spread, and the lives of the hostages hang in the balance, Geoff must make difficult decisions and grapple with his own moral compass. How should one report on such a situation when the perpetrators use the media attention for their own purposes?
With SEPTEMBER 5, multi-award-winning director Tim Fehlbaum tells the story of the 1972 Olympic attack from an unusual perspective. Never before has this historical event, which also marks the zero hour of transnational terrorism, been filmed for the cinema from Germany. What started as a simple sports report turned into a live broadcast that would change the world forever. The television team is confronted with the journalistic dilemma of reporting on terrorism for the first time and has to ask themselves to what extent their work influences the events. A film about the responsibility of the media – not just in the seventies.
Starring: Peter Sarsgaard (MEMORY, “For Lack of Evidence”), John Magaro (THE BIG SHORT, PAST LIVES), Ben Chaplin (MURDER AFTER PLAN, “The Nevers”) and Leonie Benesch (THE TEACHER’S ROOM, “Babylon Berlin “). Part of the international ensemble in SEPTEMBER 5 includes the actors Zinedine Soualem, Georgina Rich, Corey Johnson, Marcus Rutherford, Daniel Adeosun and Benjamin Walker.
SEPTEMBER 5 is a production by BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion (Thomas Wöbke, Philipp grief) and Projected Picture Works (Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth) in co-production with Constantin Film (Constanze Guttmann, Rüdiger Böss) and ERF (Christian Reitz) . The thriller, based on a script by Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum, was largely shot at Bavaria Studios and on location in Munich. Julian Wagner is responsible for the production design, Markus Förderer was responsible for the image design and the film’s editor is Hansjörg Weißbrich.
SEPTEMBER 5 was supported by the FFF Bayern, HessenFilm, the FFA, the DFFF and the BKM.
Cinema release: January 9, 2025, distributed by Constantin Film
actors: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Zinedine Soualem, Georgina Rich, Corey Johnson, Marcus Rutherford, Daniel Adeosun, Benjamin Walker, Ferdinand Dörfler, Solomon Mousley, among others
script: Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Producers: Philipp Trau, Thomas Wöbke (BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion), Tim Fehlbaum and Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth (Projected Picture Works)
Co-producers: Constantin Film (Constanze Guttmann, Rüdiger Böss), Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion (Christian Reitz)