The nightmare of the first few hours of the September 11 attacks has been captured in a movie called United 93 which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday in front of a audience of Hollywood stars, city officials and many of the victims’ relatives.

The producers feel that there is a need to remember and know what the families have gone through. The 90-minute movie takes place in real time and portrays the gripping story of the flight that left Newark, NJ, and crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers rallied against their hijackers and tried to recapture control of the jet.

At the premiere, the theatre was silent except for the sobs and wails from where the relatives were seated together. It was an experience where the movie goers shared their pain as they wept, gasped and even closed their eyes at some of the scenes.

Relatives of people who were on Flight 93 have collaborated with writer-director Paul Greengrass to lend authenticity to the characters and story of the movie, which is set to open nationwide this Friday.

For many seeing reminders of 9/11 on the big screen was too disturbing and a few theatres in the NY area had even pulled the film’s trailer after moviegoers complained about the upsetting and disturbing images. The producers of United 93 feel that though remembering is often painful and difficult, it is also inspiring and moving.