The film has already been shown on the US CBS network, drawing an average audience of nearly 39 million viewers - one third of all people watching TV at that time.

But there were strong protests from many of the victims' families, who complained that the footage brought back horrific memories.

But what did you think?

Did you see the film in the US? Is there ever a right time to screen something like this?

Actually, the film 9/11 was entirely filmed by Jules and Gideon Naudet who are brothers. It is a classic piece of outstanding film reporting filmed as it happened. It was clearly very heavily edited afterwards so there are no gory closeups at all - indeed I recall but one fleeting distant glimpse of a body landing outside the lobby of one of the Towers as the firefighters stood inside.

The Naudet brothers had been filming a particular group of firefighters daily for months for a documentary when the attack happened, and so it is the only account, seen as it happened, from the fightfighters's point of view.
Tony Wight, USA

It was very hard for me to watch it. However, I chose to watch it because I wanted to know more details of exactly what happened. I thought it was well done.
Larry Congrove, USA

It's not a display of public execution, it's a display of a very important part of history Chris, USA

As a senior citizen I base my opinion on a lifetime of observations that the media control the mind-set of the public a great deal. I was gratified to see the film, especially the segments filmed on location by the French photographers.

To me and many of my contemporaries it clearly showed the totally absurd decision of the chiefs in charge to send the firemen up the crowded stairs, preventing others from coming down quickly and ultimately resulting in the unnecessary deaths of the firemen. Instead of being labelled heroes they should be labelled martyrs to the short-sighted plans of the NYFD chiefs who seemed to completely overlook common sense in a blind obedience to "game plans".

Please do not show that horrible show. I could not believe CBS would be so insensitive, I rushed to change channels at the sound of the first person hitting the pavement. We are a grieving nation. Do not exploit our grief. Please.
Velista Jones, United States

Watching the entire film by the French photographers could lead to no other conclusion. Those who object to your film object to reality.
Frances Hefner, USA

I saw the show and saw nothing wrong with it. It's not a display of public execution, it's a display of a very important part of history. When the anniversary of the attacks comes around, its a time for remembering what happened, it should never be forgotten.
Chris, USA

I thought the documentary was tasteful and inspiring while it told a grim story. The film deserves all the awards it has received.
Bob A, USA

It was graphic, however it seemed quite well edited so it was not gratuitous Ken Johnson, USA

I really appreciated CBS taking the time to air this programme - I don't believe many stations were willing to air it. I hope that the documentary wins all the awards possible. There was nothing offensive about the programme. If people are offended by viewing real life situations, then they have the choice of either watching something else, or not watching TV at all.

Personally, I felt honored to watch the events unfold, because the WTC attacks are contemporary history. Few people had the privilege of being in New York on 9-11-2001 and actually capturing the drama of the attacks and the subsequent rescue efforts.
James Stevenson, USA

Well done. Again the BBC shows why its reportage of world issues is the best...keep up the good work.
Donald Koepfgen, USA

It was a very moving film. It was graphic, however it seemed quite well edited so it was not gratuitous. It was a painful film to watch and yet I felt it was important to see in order to remain clearly focused on the horrors that people experienced. When Eisenhower went to Germany near the end of World War II he deliberately went to every corner of one of the death camps so that he could bring his full experience of the camp with him to relate to others.

Somewhat the same point seems to work here in that it is easy to forget and push away the memories. Let us not forget the full horror of that day and the days that followed.
Ken Johnson, USA

Not being able to undo those terrible events, or ignore their occurance and the way the world has changed since, I feel that the best that I can do is to try and face them Joel, USA

You must watch it. It is horrific and heroic and will make you weep for the lives that were lost and the world as we knew it then and know it now.
Paula, USA, (New York)

I think the film portrayed the real feeling of the people in that area that day. It was a very good film to watch. It is not very often you get a documentary that has been edited with taste and respect for the people of New York.
Sheila Kotowski, USA

I saw this film once and I will never never forget what happened that tragic day. How can I get a copy of this documentary? Or when will you air it again?
Alicia Lee Doll, USA

Not being able to undo those terrible events, or ignore their occurance and the way the world has changed since, I feel that the best that I can do is to try and face them. To come to terms with them. This documentary helped me to do this. Thank you to Jules and Gideon Naudet, and to CBS.
Joel, USA

To suggest that the film from 9/11 should be supressed is ridiculous. By trying to shield people from what happened - the simple humanity that was exhibited in all forms on that tragic day - appreciation for life, fear, courage, compassion for fellow humans - you are denying an indelible mark that was made. History, by definition can not be changed, so how about, rather than wasting energy on deciding what people should be able to experience, you transform the energy towards helping those people who desperately need it?
Drew, USA

The two brothers embracing when they found each other at the end was also moving - it was a precious reminder of life's impermanence Mary Harper, USA

The CBS network made the right decision to show this film and the BBC likewise in making its decision. This film stood out from the rest of the 24/7 post-traumatic re-hashing that the US networks wallowed in after the attacks. I was amazed CBS left it as intact a piece of work as they did when they aired it. It was very out of character for what usually passes as serious news coverage on the US networks. No fancy graphics with orchestrated music. They just told the story. Do watch this film - you will learn more about what happened that day I can assure you.
David Parker, Seattle - US (ex-pat)

I saw the film and thought it was incredibly moving. The only graphic part was hearing bodies hit as they jumped from the World Trade Centre. People don't need their news whitewashed for them. The two brothers embracing when they found each other at the end was also moving - it was a precious reminder of life's impermanence.
Mary Harper, USA

I did see the film. It was gruelling to watch, but I did not find it offensive at all. Thank you.
Florence Halprin, Chicago, USA

I thought the film was true to the events of that day. I watched it when I was finished with my daily shift at an airport checkpoint. I am a National Guard soldier that volunteered for active duty after 9/11. The film brought back for me feelings of fear and anger. I chose to deal with them by working to make sure it never happens again.
Julie C, USA

For the people who were not in New York that day, I believe it left an image burned in our minds Charles Smith, USA

The documentary was tasteful in all ways. The film was careful to not show any truly graphic scenes. Although the sounds of people hitting the ground after jumping from the upper floors can be disturbing, it makes you think how bad could it have been up there, that jumping was your only choice. The "things will never be the same" theme gets a little old, but thats my only complaint.
Scott Sweeney, God Bless America

All the witnesses are part of history now. We must be allowed to know all that we can know about these events. If we can watch film from December 7th 1941 and from inside concentration camps we are strong enough to watch this. We must never forgive and we must never forget. The visual record of the bravery of those men and women who gave their lives or risked their lives in NYC that day is no less a sacred document of American history than the Gettysburg Address or the speeches of FDR during WWII. We must watch them to remember and never forget.
Deanna Long, United States of America

I think the programme was a good idea. For the people who were not in New York that day, I believe it left an image burned in our minds. All America felt the pain. Most tried to help in some way.We now realise we are vunerable. It also gave us all a sense of patiotism not felt,a t this level, in a long time.

More importantly, it made us realise who we are. Americans. And proud of it!!! We've done a good job so far, but because it's quieted down a little, we need to remember it's not over till it's over. NEVER forget 9/11 and the people whos lives will never be the same because of it.
Charles Smith, USA

I am an ex-pat Irishwoman living in NY and planned not to watch the film, thinking it would be somehow exploitative but I became riveted to it. It is a superbly honest and personal account by the two brothers, also non-Americans, and it brought back the initial shock of being here on that day. It is a piece of this history, perhaps the only one that you should watch.
Emma Prunty, USA

The film is an important landmark in history. We must be well informed and resolute in the age of terror Mitchell Gillen, England

This film puts the viewer right where I hope they didn't have to be on 9/11...in NYC, amidst the terror and destruction. But it also puts you in the company of some of the bravest, finest people you'll ever see, on the worst day in my country's history. Watch it...I know you can take it.
Diane M. Funk, USA

I saw the documentary a few months ago. It bought back strong memories, the most disturbing part was the sound of bodies hitting the concrete. It is important that exactly what happened is shown. In the US on 9/11 the reporting was similarly honest and devastating on all networks, then within days the propaganda machine kicked in.
Mary Duffy, NYC ,USA

Nothing but remembrance can take away the pain and suffering that the families and friends have suffered from this horrific act of barbarism. It is important to remember that this act of terror was carried out by vulnerable people who believed that they would go to meet Allah. The reality is that they were pawns for a terrorist network. The film is an important landmark in history. We must be well informed and resolute in the age of terror.
Mitchell Gillen, Australia

I watched the film when it was shown here in March. While parts of it are difficult to watch, it is profoundly moving and not in any way voyeuristic.
Richard, USA

I saw this documentary in the US and found it a graphic depiction of the fear and confusion people experienced. It may well be upsetting for relatives (who don't have to watch it) but it is important we do not forget atrocities like this, if only to help stop repeats.
Jonny, UK

Everyone should view this film John Smallshaw, USA

Yes, the film brings back horrific memories. But it does not centre upon those, nor is it exploitive in any manner.

Instead it focuses on the confusion and determination of fire fighters and everyday people to try and get through one of the most appalling events in the past 30 years. It is a dedication not to man's evil and baseness, but to heroism and nobility.
Tom, USA

After becoming desensitized following repeated showing of the disaster films, I was truly moved by the documentary, particularly the sounds of people hitting the lobby roof as they leapt from the building. The documentary puts a human face on the tragedy which may have become nothing more than movie special effects to some.
B Gross, United States

I have seen the film in question and found it very moving. One cannot help but be overwhelmed by the tremendous bravery of the New York Fire and Police Departments. Everyone should view this film.
John Smallshaw, USA

I thought the documentary about 9/11 was very well done. It's important that people see the destruction and loss of life that happened on that day. I'm a teacher in the South Bronx and out students could see the smoke and flames from one of the windows in the Annex. We lost a lot of parents and relatives that day and I think everyone needs to see what happened.
Nora Flaherty, NYC, USA

Those who object to this type of realism can always turn their TV off M Cisar, USA

The documentary was not harrowing for the sake of being harrowing, nor did it deliberately set out to be gruesome. It was gruesome and harrowing, yet only because it was a truthful account of harrowing and gruesome events. When we decide journalists should not tell the truth because it is unpleasant for us to hear we are in deep trouble. Should the video footage from the liberation of Belsen not have been shown because it would upset people?
Huw, USA

This programme was well done and gives a tremendous personal side to the horrific acts of 9/11. It celebrates the courage of those who gave their lives to save others and also grieves the tremendous loss in their sacrifice. Powerful, moving, truthful. It is easy to see how some may have been concerned with how the events of that awful day would be presented, but it was clearly done with all of the concern and care possible.
LaLa, Virginia, USA

Those who object to this type of realism can always turn their TV off. Other horrific events such as the Holocaust are still taught to ensure we learn from the mistakes of the past. Not only will this film by the two French brothers remind us of the cruelty of some people, but it will always amaze us with the bravery of the men and women who gave their lives to save others.
M Cisar, NYC, USA

I saw the documentary when it was aired over here. I was moved beyond belief and the shocking reality of what happened that day became even more apparent. The film does not in any way glorify the attacks, it gives further insight to the shock, fear and disbelief in the US and the world that day. I am extremely fortunate to have not known anybody who lost their life on 9/11 and cannot even begin to imagine how the documentary would affect me if I had, however I can say that the images shown will be with me forever. The world cannot afford to forget the events of that day and my thoughts will always be with the victims and their families.
Janet Almond, US

I have not seen the film and will not. I saw it the first time, and it's still too horribly real Jaci, USA

I saw this film when it aired in the US. It was excellent. I think everyone should see it. The heroism of the police and firefighters was incredible.
Debra Fazio, USA

I watched the film, it gives others the chance to see what really happened. I myself am a Firefighter and it was hard to watch but it needs to be shown.
Corey Nolan, USA

I considered this to be an excellent documentary on a very difficult subject. The viewer experienced the horror in the context of the regular life of a firehall through the reactions of the individuals involved. It should definitely be seen in UK. A classic.
Nigel, Canada

I have not seen the film and will not. I saw it the first time, and it's still too horribly real.
Jaci, USA

I believe that we needed to see this film. It is absurd to think that we can possibly imagine what it felt like to be at ground zero on September 11th, without actually being there, yet this film gives us the true feeling of that horrible day. Yes, we watched it on CNN....but we HEARD it on this film. It is the sounds that one will never forget.
Andrew, Canada

I thought the documentary was well done. It helped those of us who were not there to get a better understanding of what happened that day. It also reminded us of the bravery we are capable of when our fellow countrymen are in need. I thought it was both tasteful and needed.
J. Januszewski, United States of America

All in all, this film seemed pale and somewhat shallow especially when compared to HBO's incredible In Memoriam - New York City Jonny Hoopla, USA

I saw the film when it was screened here and, like many people, thought it was somewhat a fuss about nothing. It's simply not a very good film and because of this, it lacks emotional impact - despite the gravity of the subject matter. Much of the footage is spent focussing on confused firefighters and members of the public on the street.

Aside from that - and we've all seen a lot of that footage - there isn't really very much to create any emotional heart to the story. I understand that at one point the two brothers who shot the film were separated and unsure of each others' fate, but I found that element of what little story there is hard to follow.

Further, in among the carnage and tragedy of the day, I found the it hard to have sympathy for anyone who was simply a witness and I say that with the utmost respect for the toll being there and seeing it all must have taken.

It's just that the story of the two brothers, as human as it was, was dwarfed by the events around it. Yes, they got the crucial first plane shots and they show this repeatedly, but I couldn't help but think that there was little else beyond that and the gut-wrenching sounds of what we are told are bodies hitting the ground.

All in all, this film seemed pale and somewhat shallow especially when compared to HBO's incredible In Memoriam - New York City which presents both a factual and human side to the tragedy and includes the remarkable and moving testimony of one of the Mayor's aides whose husband was a firefighter that she knew would have been called to the towers. When she talks of "breathing in the dust" and imagining it to be her husband, it is some of the most honest and moving TV you will ever see.
Jonny Hoopla, USA

Actually, the only offensive thing about the original CBS airing here the inappropriate Nextel commercials cashing in on other peoples' suffering Chris, USA

I saw the film when it aired on March 11th. I had a lot of trepidation about watching the film. After watching it, I found those fears to be unfounded. The show was tastefully done and, althought intense at times, it did not offend me. I was expecting death right and left and that was not portrayed in the show; I knew the deaths were going on, but the show dealt with those that were alive and dealing with this disaster.
Tom Young, USA

While I applaud the merit of the film per se, I wish more time would be devoted to showing the western world what their leaders (US and UK) are doing in Iraq and how much responsibility is shared for many horrendous crimes that have occurred since and including the cold war. Until that happens any piece of reporting, however good, only shows one side of the question and is, therefore, biased.
Jack Won, USA

The documentary is a chilling, yet fascinating record of everything that happened that day. It is not a piece of tabloid journalism but rather a very true documentation of one of the worst terrorist attacks in history told from the point of view of the people it affected the most. Watch it.
Dickon, USA

Actually, the only offensive thing about the original CBS airing here the inappropriate Nextel commercials cashing in on other peoples' suffering. I thought the documentary was excellent.
Chris, Deltona, FL USA (UK ex-pat)

I live in New York and work downtown. When this programme was aired I just decided that it was too much for me and chose not to watch the programme. Everybody else has the same choice.
Susan Beck, USA

The documentary by Jules and Gideon Naudet is a fine film: respectful dignified and reserved. I, too, was afraid it would be gory or sensational. It is neither; however, I did find it difficult to watch.
Paul C., USA

It is a seminal moment in recent history and as such cannot be consigned to mere memory Tom Beck, UK

People should simply not watch it if it bothers them. To claim that it should not air is pure ignorance. The piece has obvious value as a rememberance, educational value and artistic value, as evidenced by the nomination for 6 Emmys.
Zay Hartigan, USA

I agree with Jonny Hoopla. The HBO In Memoriam - New York City presentation was fantastic. I have not seen this other film, but I am not so sure it will match the HBO film. I will watch it, however, if I am presented with the opportunity.
Catherine, Greece

Watch it, it is the closest you will get to how it felt to be there. It is painful and I reached for the tissues more than once, I cringed each time I heard the horrific sound of a body hitting the ground around the WTC, I wept seeing the firemen in the lobby knowing some were about to die. I wept again seeing survivors being reunited at the firehouse. Well done BBC, this should be seen.
Maggie, USA

The 9/11 documentary was a brilliant piece of filmmaking. Is it shocking? Yes. But so were the events of that horrible day. The film forces us to do what we must all do - remember, and do what is necessary to keep it from happening again.
Sean Blinn, USA

I thought the HBO film on 9/11 was better.
Rich, USA

Though it is an amazing piece of work, the soundtrack of bodies pounding to the concrete has traumatized my endless nights.
Robbie Hayes, California

I am looking forward to seeing the film. Why should it not be shown? Almost every month we are shown the even greater horrors of the Nazi Concentration Camps etc, so why should this be different? It is a seminal moment in recent history and as such cannot be consigned to mere memory.
Tom Beck, UK

I have seen this film a while ago. There was nothing graphic shown in it. It showed the events in the day of a fire fighting unit and what had happened to them. The pictures in the news we saw 9/11 and after were much more distrubing than this film. I feel it was tastefully done and had to be told.
B.J., United States

The film was about real people in a shocking tragic situation. It presents much milder than what those people, from around the world, went through then, and still. Free speech lives on in those who follow.
Shirley Reinecke, USA

I am not sure if this controversy of showing it or not is a PR ploy. But having seen it, I highly recommend seeing it. The hair on the back of your neck will stand on end and you will really feel what subjects go through - the horror.
Alex Barseghian, Canada

The film is really not about the events at the WTC that day. Rather, it is about the people involved with and affected by those events, in particular a group of firefighters. Having lost three friends who were on the first plane to hit the towers, it was difficult to watch this documentary. Watching it was actually helpful and I'm glad it was aired here in the US, as it should be in the UK, too.
Tony S., USA

When it aired here I refused to watch it. I still relive the horror every time I see a picture of the devastation. I cannot imagine how the poor families of the dead must feel. Shame on the media for showing it!
Juliet C. Hurst, Canada

We have an apartment in Battery Park that is very near the trade centre site. For me the airing of this documentary was a way of understanding what really happened on the 11th September. I can�t relate to what happen in this documentary to the reality on my doorstep.
Malcolm, Jersey, Channel Islands

A very realistic, albeit heartwrenching, look at the terrorist attacks and its aftermath. Extremely well done. This documentary is necessary for those to understand just how important it is to prevent a devastating tragedy like this from ever happening again.
Richard H., USA

This is an extremely moving and well done film. The filmmakers did an extraordinary job of conveying the horror of that day without going over the top.
Judith, USA

It was a great film, done with courage, talent, sensitivity and respect. A must see.
Michele, US

If people want to forget that Sept 11 ever happened then they need to pull themselves away from society and live as hermits. It's a piece of history that will be taught for years to come, if you don't like that then there is something seriously wrong with you.
Kenny, United States of America

I thought the 9/11 documentary was (and is) an important piece of history, and should be shown. It truly captures what the events of that morning were like for those who were there, and especially shows the human side of the tragedy.
Jonesey, United States

This is in response to Carie Lemack's statement in the New York Times and I quote, "We are a country in which we don't show public executions, and that's basically what this boils down to"; I watched the execution of Timothy McVeigh via satellite dish halfway across the world. Enough said.
Deborah, Malaysia

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