One Day in September

Crafted in a cinematic manner, this television documentary explores the Munich massacre of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were killed by palastinians terorists of Black September organization. Director Macdonald, a British filmmaker, uses a compilation of archival footage, music and interviews with many of the central characters – including Jamal al Gashey, the only surviving terrorist, who does not reveal his face to the cameras, Ankie Spitzer, widow of Andre Spitzer, the Israeli fencing coach who died at the hands of his captors, and Gad Zabari, an Israeli wrestler who managed to escape at the very beginning of the crisis. Also included are testimonies from the German side: Munich Mayor Walther Troger, Munich police chief Manfred Schreiber and Interior Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. Their plan, of course, was a total failure. Winner of the 2000 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.