Jules and Gedeon Naudet

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Jules Clément Naudet (born Paris, France, April 26, 1973) and Thomas Gédéon Naudet (born Paris, France, March 27, 1970) are French-born American filmmakers. The brothers, residents of the United States since 1989, were in New York City at the time of the September 11 attacks to film a documentary on members of the Engine 7, Ladder 1 firehouse in Lower Manhattan. Jules captured the only clear footage of the first jet, American Airlines Flight 11, hitting the North tower of the World Trade Center. The footage shot in 2001 would become the 2002 documentary, 9/11.[1] The video camera that Jules was using that captured Flight 11 crashing into the World Trade Center is now on display in the American History Museum in Washington D.C..[2]



Jules and Gedeon Naudet moved to New York City with their parents when they were teenagers.[1] Both graduated from the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1995.[1] The Naudet brothers became American citizens in 1999.[1]




Main article: 9/11 (film)
The filmed impact of Flight 11 as it crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

The Naudet brothers were in the process of making a documentary on New York firefighters, following Antonio "Tony" Benetatos, a rookie firefighter or "probie", through his experiences in New York City Fire Department (FDNY) academy training and into a firehouse. Although they gained great insight into the day-to-day lives of the firefighters, there were no major fires to film (leading Jules to jokingly label their film as a "cooking show", due to filming the firefighters taking turns making dinner).

On the morning of September 11, Jules accompanied several firefighters as they headed out to investigate reports of a gas leak in Lower Manhattan, leaving Gédéon in the firehouse to continue filming with Benetatos. On the way to Lower Manhattan, American Airlines Flight 11 flew right over Jules, and he subsequently filmed its head-on collision with the North Tower. (Although the plane is not seen in the footage until the impact is about to happen, the distinct sound of the jet's engines and the firefighters' reactions can be heard clearly beforehand.)



When the North Tower collapsed, the Naudets fled with the rest of the people still in the area. Jules and Chief Pfiefer took shelter between two cars before returning to the WTC to assess the situation; less than a block away, Gédéon helped a FBI agent carry a civilian who had been overcome by the dust before making his way to a deli to recuperate. Worrying for Jules, he attempted to return to the WTC's ruins, but was turned away by police patrols. He then returned to the firehouse and filmed the returning firefighters' reactions to the attacks. Meanwhile, Jules returned with Chief Pfiefer's group and had an emotional reunion with his brother.


Post-9/11 projects[edit]






  2. ^ http://amhistory.si.edu/september11/collection/record.asp?ID=65

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