Jules and Gédéon Naudet — French-American documentary filmmakers

Background and education

The Naudet brothers grew up in France before moving to New York as teenagers. Both pursued formal training in film at Tisch School of the Arts, where they developed an observational, vérité approach to storytelling. Their formation combined European sensibilities with practical experience in U.S. documentary production. Biographical details and family information about Jules are often referenced in profiles; for example, Jules is married and has children.

Career and notable work

Early in their career the brothers produced short and feature-length documentaries that emphasized individuals working under pressure. Their first notable film, "Hope, Gloves and Redemption" (2000), followed amateur boxers in the Bronx and included footage from the New York Daily News Golden Gloves tournament. That project demonstrated their interest in personal narratives set against larger social backdrops.

On September 11, 2001, while filming a project about New York City firefighters, Jules Naudet famously captured footage of the first airplane striking the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The footage, later integrated into a feature-length documentary about the attacks, became a primary visual record used by broadcasters and investigators. The brothers’ film about the September 11 attacks, released the following year, received wide attention for its firsthand perspective and received major awards and critical recognition.

Style, reception and later work

The Naudets are known for immersive, on-the-ground documentary techniques that prioritize human testimony and real-time experience. Critics and audiences have noted the emotional directness of their films and their ability to combine individual stories with broader historical events. Their work has appeared in broadcast venues and festivals; it has also been used as part of journalistic and historical accounts of the events they filmed.

Selected facts and legacy

• Jules Naudet and Gédéon Naudet were born in Paris and moved to the United States in 1989.
• Both brothers graduated from Tisch in 1995 and began making documentary films soon after.
• Jules’s camera captured the airplane strike on the North Tower on September 11, 2001, footage that became central to their feature film about the attacks and subsequent broadcast coverage (airplane footage).
• Their filmmaking roles have included work as directors, screenwriters and producers, and they are often described as French filmmakers active in the U.S.
• They have been profiled in numerous outlets about their work in New York City and its institutions and their films have been distributed through major broadcast partners and festivals (Jules's birth year, Gédéon's birth year).

Because of the extraordinary circumstances under which some of their best-known footage was obtained, the Naudet brothers occupy a notable place in recent documentary history. Their career demonstrates how long-form documentary can both record and shape public understanding of major events while maintaining a focus on individual human experiences.