September 5

Munich, September 5, 1972, tenth day of competition at the Summer Olympics. Back in Germany for the first time since 1936, it was supposed to be the “cheerful Games” and present the world with the image of a new, liberal Germany. But at 4.40 a.m., the early shift of the American broadcaster ABC hears gunshots from the nearby Olympic Village. A group of Palestinian terrorists have taken eleven members of the Israeli team hostage. Against the resistance of its own news department, the ABC sports team reports live on the 21-hour hostage-taking. The story is told by Geoff (John Magaro), a young, ambitious producer who wants to prove himself to his boss, the legendary Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). With the help of German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch), Geoff unexpectedly takes over the management of the live broadcast. With time running out, conflicting rumors circulating and the lives of the hostages at stake, Geoff is forced to make difficult decisions and grapple with his own moral compass. How should one report on such a situation when the perpetrators are using the media attention for their own purposes?