The Embassy Commemorates 9/11

September 1, 2001

Attack on the WTC, 9/11/2001

The U.S. Embassy in Prague will hold numerous cultural events, including lectures, exhibits, and film screenings at the American Center, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. In addition, U.S. Embassy staff will also serve the Czech community by volunteering its time and energy with the Czech NGO Hestia.

“I believe that we best honor the citizens of over 90 countries who perished on that fateful day, and those who have served valiantly over the past ten years to promote tolerance, peace and understanding, by sacrificing our time, in ways big and small, in villages, towns and communities that are new to us,” said Cultural Attaché David Gainer.

Ten years after the events of September 11, 2001, you can delve into the atmosphere of that time. From September 13 till September 16, 2001, more than 5,000 people made contributions to a book of condolences that was displayed at the U.S. Embassy in Prague and a digest is now available to the public.

Schedule of programs 

The Power of Enduring Easily| Lecture and Discussion
Thursday, September 1, 2011, 5:30 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

Jiří Boudník immigrated from former Czechoslovakia to the U.S. 24 years ago. He studied art and architecture at the renowned Cooper Union in New York. On September 11, 2001, he witnessed the unfolding inferno at the nearby WTC and was among the first rescuers on the site. In the aftermath he created several 3D models of Ground Zero which were used to aid the search for survivors and a careful removing of debris. Hired by the WTC owner Larry Silverstein as a member of the expert team, he studied structural causes of the Twin Towers’ collapse. Jiri Boudnik, will provide a first person account of what happened in the NYC on September 11, 2001, and present technical data of the World Trade Center construction and destruction and the response to the tragedy. As a part of the Lecture, he will exhibit pictures he took at Ground Zero as well as artifacts recovered there. In Czech.

9/11 | Friday Documentary
Friday, September 2, 2011, 3:00 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

„9/11“ is an extraordinary record of that fateful day in New York City. This one-of-a-kind documentary was originally conceived as a portrait of 21-year-old Tony Benetatos, a firefighter trainee at Manhattan's Duane Street firehouse, located seven blocks from the World Trade Center. By the time filming was finished, brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet had captured history in the making, including the only image of the first jetliner striking Tower 1, and the only footage from within the tower as it collapsed. This is not, however, a film about the murderous nightmare of terrorism. It's the ultimate rite-of-passage drama, more immediate and meaningful than any fiction could be, with Benetatos and his supportive colleagues emerging as heroes of the first order. Sensitively narrated by codirector and fellow firefighter James Hanlon, „9/11“ will endure forever as a tribute to those, living and dead, who witnessed hell on that sunny Tuesday morning. In English.

Partnering in Transportation Security Post 9/11 | Discussion
Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 6:00 pm
Faculty of Social Sciences, Smetanovo nábřeží 6, Prague 1, Room 215

How has air security changed after September 11, 2001? What new measures were adopted to make air travel safer? These questions will be answered in a panel discussion by representatives of the Transportation Security Administration and Prague Airport. The panelists will be: Stanislav Jonáš, manager for Security Strategy and Standards at Prague Airport, Kevin P. Cahill, TSA representative for Central and Eastern Europe, and Jess Presas, TSA representative for Germany, Scandinavia, Austria, and Hungary. In English.

102 Minutes That Changed America | Friday Documentary
Friday, September 9, 2011, 3:00 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

In 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers, New York Times writers Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn vividly recreate the 102-minute span between the moment Flight 11 hit the first Twin Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001, and the moment the second tower collapsed, all from the perspective of those inside the buildings--the 12,000 who escaped, and the 2,749 who did not. It's becoming easier, years later, to forget the profound, visceral responses the Trade Center attacks evoked in the days and weeks following September 11. Using hundreds of interviews, countless transcripts of radio and phone communications, and exhaustive research, Dwyer and Flynn bring that flood of responses back--from heartbreak to bewilderment to fury. In English.

The Plastic People of the Universe | Concert
Sunday, September 11, 2011, 6:00 pm
Garden of the Černín Palace, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Loretánské náměstí 5, Prague 1

Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the American Center, U.S. Embassy Prague, and Czech Centre Prague. Held under the auspices of Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, Minister of Defense Alexandr Vondra and the Ambassador of the United States, Norman Eisen, who will jointly open the event. Admission free.

United 93 | Film Screening
Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 6:00 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

Director Paul Greengrass marked in 2006 the five-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States with this speculative meditation on the events that took place onboard the fourth hijacked plane, and the actions of the passengers who gave their lives to ensure the safety of others. Told in real time and acted out by a cast of unknowns who were provided with detailed studies of their real-life counterparts, United 93 attempts to reconstruct the airborne tragedy from the view of the ground and flight controllers, the passengers, and their nervous families awaiting word on the fate of their loved ones.

The Towers – The Story of September 11 | Book Launch and Signing
Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 5:30 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

Jiří Boudník will launch his new book about his personal experience from New York on September 11. In Czech.

Islam in America | Friday Documentary
Friday, September 16, 2011, 3:00 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

Rageh Omaar journeys across the United States exploring the story of Islam in the country. He attempts to discover if - far from being fundamentally incompatible – Islamic America holds the seeds of a lasting solution to global discord between east and west. Rageh looks at why Islam has come to be described by some people as a "very American faith". He traces its history in the U.S. and talks to American Muslims about how their belief is compatible with the principles of American democracy. And he learns that growing interest in and study of this early history is fostering a re-emerging sense of tolerance and acceptance, which extends to the nation's most recent immigrants.

Amreeka | Film Screening
Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 6:00 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

Amreeka is a 2009 American/Canadian/Kuwaiti independent film written and directed by first-time director Cherien Dabis. Amreeka documents the lives of a Palestinian American family in both the West Bank and Post-9/11 suburban Chicago therefore during time and circumstances which complicated the prospects not only for recent Arab immigrants, but for those who had been stateside for years. The film suggests that life is hard for most people in the world, and would be regardless of where they lived. Even when theoretically improving their circumstances, they are often just exchanging a greater evil for a lesser one. Amreeka was favourably received by critics and at numerous at film festivals (e.g. it received the Firpesci prize at 2009 Cannes, won 2010 Heartland film festival etc.).

Beyond Belief | Friday Documentary
Friday, September 23, 2011, 3:00 pm
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana

On September 11, 2001 two Boston area housewives Susan Retik and Patti Quigley were both pregnant when their husbands died on hijacked flights that day. Months after the attacks, the two meet and decide to channel their anguish into raising funds for Afghanistan’s hundreds of thousands of pitifully poor widows. They believe that if they can help Afghan families raise their standard of living; this may lessen Taliban and Al Qaeda influence in Afghanistan, and curtail further violence. In English.