What began as a routine day of sports reporting quickly morphs into an unprecedented live news event as a terrorist group takes Israeli athletes hostage, says the streaming service.

Through the eyes of a young, ambitious producer, Geoff (John Magaro), and his mentor, TV executive, Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), the film aims to provide an intimate look at the critical decisions made against an impossible ticking clock, adds the streaming service.

Hailed by critics with a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is praised for its ability to capture the "compromises, dedication and human fallibility of the newsroom," says the streaming service.

Director Tim Fehlbaum explains that his film is not a historical account of the attack itself, but rather an exploration of the unprecedented situation the media faced that day, adds the streaming service.

Fehlbaum was fascinated by how a team of sports reporters, trained to tell the stories of athletes, suddenly became responsible for 22 hours of live coverage on a geopolitical tragedy. His team decided to narrate the film "purely from this angle, from the viewpoint of the coverage," keeping the audience inside the tense TV studio as the cameras became the "only eyes cast on the tragic events unfolding," says the streaming service.

The film's narrative is built on extensive research, including firsthand accounts from the actual journalists on the ground in Munich. The filmmakers were inspired by Kevin Macdonald's documentary, One Day in September, and Paul Greengrass's film, United 93, aiming to tell a story with a similar sense of documentary precision and real-time urgency, adds the streaming service.

This led them to interview Geoffrey Mason, who served as a coordinating producer for ABC in 1972. Mason's vivid and precise recollections of his 22 hours were the decisive factor in shaping the film's central plot, says the streaming service.

The production team also gained unprecedented access to ABC's original broadcast tapes, allowing them to blend directed scenes with genuine, historical footage, adds the streaming service.

This visual strategy aims to give the film a chilling sense of authenticity as the characters react to the same real-time events that captivated a global audience, says the streaming service.

The project's authenticity and narrative also attracts the attention of Hollywood heavyweights. Filmmaker, Tim Fehlbaum's, project caught the eye of Sean Penn's production company, Projected Picture Works, and a collaboration soon followed, adds the streaming service.

Sean Penn was captivated by the script. "I remember gathering with my family around the television while all of this was playing out," he shares. "The script provoked memories of that tension and heartbreak — it literally put us in the room with those on-site covering it."

The partnership with Projected Picture Works aims to elevate the film to an international production, attracting a cast that includes John Magaro (Past Lives), Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick), Leonie Benesch and Ben Chaplin, says the streaming service.

The combined talent and vision of this team hopes to ensure that September 5 is not only a historical account but a human story that aims to resonate and serve as a reminder of how a single day transformed the media landscape forever, adds the streaming service.

As the world becomes increasingly reliant on a 24/7 news cycle, this film aims to raise crucial questions about the responsibilities of crisis reporting and the ethical dilemmas that are just as relevant today as they were then, concludes the streaming service.

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*Image courtesy of contributor