11th Hour
Drama Short
Maria José (Salma Hayek Pinault) and her Irish husband run a bar in uptown Manhattan. On the evening of 9/11 it is heaving with shell-shocked locals and battle weary troops from the NYPD, united in disbelief, grief and anger. On the TV screens, the sports channels have been replaced by news channels which swirl with images of the collapsing Twin Towers and the face of terror suspect Osama Bin Laden.
The atmosphere in the bar is very tense, with everyone looking for someone to blame for the horrific attack on the city. One angry member of the NYPD brandishes a loaded pistol: ‘Just in case.’ Others join him. An older cop tries to calm the perilous situation when a surprise visitor enters the bar. Maria José takes care of the young man who is clearly in shock and seizes the occasion to take back control of her bar in an unexpected and bold way, leaving everyone to reflect on how profoundly the entire landscape of America had been changed when the Towers fell.
Writer: Jim Sheridan & Oskar Slingerland (Based on a story by Lise Hand)
Director: Jim Sheridan
Stars: Salma Hayek Pinault, Darren Healy, Omar Sharif Jr.
DOP: Cathal Watters
Sound: Jake Whitelee
Editor: Rob Hegarty
Year: 2017