CNN Films and TIME Studios Release Trailer and Key Art for Documentary Short "Top of the World" from Julie Cohen & Betsy West

DENIS LEARY JOINS THE PROJECT TO VOICE LEGENDARY RESTAURATEUR JOE BAUM

LIMITED THEATRICAL ENGAGEMENT BEGINS AUGUST 28 AT DCTV FIREHOUSE CINEMA IN NEW YORK; TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT DCTVNY.ORG

CNN BROADCAST ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 AT 8PM ET/PT AND STREAMS NEXT DAY ON THE CNN APP

NEW YORK, NY - (August 11, 2026) - CNN Films and TIME Studios' Top of the World, from Academy Award(R)-nominated, Emmy(R) Award-winning filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen, arrives ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Windows on the World. Produced in association with Montalto Pictures, Tribeca Studios and Storyville Films, the film opens in New York for a limited theatrical engagement at DCTV Firehouse Cinema from August 28 through September 3, before premiering on CNN on Monday, September 7 at 8:00p ET/PT. Top of the World will stream at CNN.com/Watch and on the CNN app starting Tuesday, September 8.

Top of the World tells the story of Windows on the World, the legendary restaurant atop the World Trade Center that became both a symbol of New York City's resurgence in the 1970s and one of the most celebrated restaurants in America. Its story came to a devastating end on September 11, 2001, when the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of all 79 Windows employees working that morning, along with 91 guests.

Through intimate firsthand accounts from the former staff who made Windows on the World extraordinary, Top of the World recreates the magical world that existed 107 stories above Manhattan, where fine dining, hospitality and the American dream converged. Anchored by interviews with acclaimed chef Michael Lomonaco, longtime Cellar Master Kevin Zraly, hostess Nathalie Tolentino, and prep cook Sekou Siby, the film reveals how a restaurant became a gateway to opportunity for generations of immigrants and an enduring symbol of New York City itself. Food writer Ruth Reichl and former WNBC anchor Carol Jenkins bring perspective on Windows and on New York City during the restaurant's twenty-five-year history.

Denis Leary joins the project as the voice of legendary restaurateur Joe Baum, the visionary behind Windows on the World. Drawing from Baum's own words preserved in decades of archival recordings, Leary gives voice to the restaurateur whose ambition and imagination helped shape the restaurant into a defining New York institution.

Top of the World will open for a limited, Academy Award(R)-qualifying theatrical engagement at DCTV Firehouse Cinema in New York City beginning Friday, August 28 and continuing through Thursday, September 3. Select screenings throughout the week will be followed by special Q&A conversations with members of the filmmaking team. The engagement offers New York audiences the opportunity to experience the film on the big screen ahead of its September 7 CNN broadcast premiere. Tickets and screening information are available now at DCTVNY.org.

On Monday, September 7, Top of the World will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps. It will also be available on demand beginning Tuesday, September 8 to CNN's streaming subscribers via CNN.com and CNN connected TV and mobile apps.

Top of the World is directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. The documentary short is produced by Ryan Biegel, Vicky Liu, and Holly Siegel. Executive Producers are Amy Entelis and Roxanna Sherwood for CNN Films; Ben Bitonti and Loren Hammonds for TIME Studios; Katie Lee Biegel and Ryan Biegel for Montalto Pictures; Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh for Tribeca Studios; Kerianne Flynn for New Plot Films; Regina K Scully for Artemis Rising Foundation; and Oren Jacoby of Storyville Films. Top of the World is edited by Ilya Chaiken and director of photography is Claudia Raschke. The film is inspired by the book, The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World, by Tom Roston.

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About CNN Originals

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN FlashDocs, and CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 50 multi-part documentary series and 70 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 120 awards and 450 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award(R) for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy(R) Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy(R) nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; the Emmy(R) Award-nominated "Decades Series": The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not directed by Emmy(R) winner Marina Zenovich; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy(R) Award nominee Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; the Oscar(R), BAFTA, PGA, and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, Navalny directed by Daniel Roher; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy(R) and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; the "Searching For" franchise including Searching for France,  Searching for Spain and Emmy(R) nominated Searching for Mexico with Eva Longoria along with the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy(R) Award-winning Searching for Italy; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; and the five-time Emmy(R) Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; and the five-time Emmy(R) Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, to stream via a CNN All Access subscription, on the CNN Original Hub on HBO Max and discovery+, on the CNN Originals FAST channel, and with a pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.

About TIME Studios

From one of the most globally iconic brands, TIME Studios is an Emmy Award-winning television and film studio as well as an award-winning immersive and branded content studio, focused on the development, production, and distribution of premium unscripted and scripted storytelling that moves the world. With technical innovation and a brand-defining visual language that dates back 103 years, TIME Studios aims to impact communities and the world at large with ideas that forge true progress. Combining the industry's leading creators with TIME, one of the most trusted brands that reaches an audience of over 100 million people globally, TIME Studios is uniquely positioned to bring massive audiences to the world's most impactful stories.

ABOUT TRIBECA ENTERPRISES

Tribeca Enterprises is a multi-platform media and entertainment company that owns and operates the Tribeca Festival, Tribeca Studios, and production company m ss ng p eces. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Founded in 2003 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, Tribeca Enterprises brings artists and audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances. In 2019, James Murdoch's Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise. Tribeca Studios creates original entertainment and artist development programs that activate cultural conversations through storytelling. Recent productions include: Rudy Valdez's Emmy-winning short film Final Finishers for ESPN+; Dawn Porter's documentary Breaking Glass: The Pat Summitt Story for Hulu; and Michael Showalter's holiday comedy Oh. What. Fun. for Amazon MGM Studios. The Artist development programs, which produce original content from emerging creators, include: Untold Stories in partnership with AT&T; Through Her Lens in partnership with Chanel; Collectivo in partnership with the Miranda Family Foundation; and Vital Stories in partnership with Lilly.

About Montalto Pictures

Montalto Pictures was co-founded by Emmy-nominated producer and television personality Katie Lee Biegel and producer Ryan Biegel to spotlight emotionally resonant stories rooted in the worlds of food, travel, and hospitality. Driven by a passion for authentic human connection and cultural discovery, Montalto develops and produces original content that celebrates the people, places, and experiences shaping how audiences eat, explore, and gather. Productions from the Montalto partners include the digital series It's Not Complicated, Hallmark Channel's scripted feature films Catch of the Day and Groundswell, as well as Food Network's Beach Bites. Katie Lee Biegel also co-hosted Food Network's The Kitchen for forty seasons, while Ryan Biegel serves as a longtime producer on the acclaimed travel series Somebody Feed Phil.

About Storyville Films

Storyville Films was founded by Academy Award(R)-nominee Oren Jacoby to produce documentaries and series driven by strong personal narratives of conscience, courage and innovation. Jacoby and fellow Academy Award(R)-nominees Julie Cohen and Betsy West serve as Storyville's directors. Among our production and distribution partners are Amazon, CNN Films, HBO, Imagine Entertainment, Kino Lorber, Magnolia Pictures, Netflix, Participant Media, PBS, Sony Pictures Classics and Time Studios. Films by the Storyville partners include West and Cohen's Oscar(R) nominated RBG, Julia, and My Name is Pauli Murray; Jacoby's On Broadway, Shadowman, My Italian Secret, Constantine's Sword and Sister Rose's Passion, which was nominated for an Oscar(R) for Best Documentary (Short Subject); Cohen's Every Body, released theatrically by Focus Features; West's short-listed Once Upon a Time in Ukraine, and Jacoby and West's environmental feature documentary that premiered at Telluride last fall, This Is Not a Drill.