Al-Awadi film "Dreams Without Sleep" premiere in Washington, D.C.

Al-Awadi film "Dreams Without Sleep" premiere in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (KUNA) -- More than 500 ambassadors, congressmen and other Washington leaders came to the historic Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on Thursday night to attend the first Washington screening of Walid Al-Awadi's film about the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy entitled "Dreams without Sleep".
Al-Awadi's previous achievements include award-winning work about the Gulf War. The senior Bush administration official attending the premiere was the second in command at the Pentagon, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who stayed after the event to thank the film-maker and offer encouragement. Also attending was H.E. Marwan Muasher, Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The evening's master of ceremonies was well-known Washington journalist Barbara Harrison, who hosts the popular channel 4 program "NewsFour Today".
FOX News, the Washington Post, New York Times, Channel 7, the Washington Times, representatives from the Discovery Channel and Middle East Insight Magazine were among the media to attend.
The event was organized by Washington"s Kuwait Information Office and hosted by Kuwait's ambassador, Shaikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as his wife, Rima Al-Sabah, who worked to ensure the evening was a success.
The Kuwait Petroleum Corp. co-sponsored the reception. The museum's auditorium was filled to capacity. After the film, Al-Awadi received standing ovations that lasted almost five minutes.
Most of the Americans who saw the film stayed late to speak with Al-Awadi and tell them how moved they were by his work. They praised it as a unique effort that helped them understand Sept. 11, and many said they hoped the film would help improve relations between the United States and the Arab and Islamic world. In his introductory remarks, Kuwait's ambassador said, "The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the attempted hijacking over Pennsylvania, shocked America to its core. But it also stunned and horrified America's many friends around the world." "Many of us are still struggling with those awful events that are forever seared into our memory," the Ambassador said. "Some Americans, I fear, do not adequately understand this. I think one of the greatest contributions of Walid's film is to represent and give voice to countless ordinary Arabs and Muslims whose hearts remain heavy with sadness because of September 11.
Al-Awadi thanked Kuwait's Minister of Information, Shaikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, his staff at the Ministry of Information, and Kuwait TV for supporting his project.
"It would not have been possible without them," Al-Awadi said.
He thanked KPC for supporting his reception, and thanked Tareq Al-Mezrem, Acting Director of the Kuwait Information Office, "for the Kuwait Information Office's proven ability to get things done in Washington.
Al-Awadi also thanked his family for their support and all the others who made the evening a success. Al-Awadi also said, "One of the reasons this film has gotten so much attention is because I am a Kuwaiti, Arab and Muslim film-maker. In fact, I believe I am the only Arab and Muslim to have completed a work about 9-11. When the film is shown in the region, my hope is that this fact will help the Middle East understand September 11 in new ways".
"I consider New York City my second home, and when the World Trade Center collapsed, part of me died inside," Al-Awadi said. "I felt the same outrage and grief that Americans felt. I know there are many, many Arabs and Muslims who felt the same way, but did not have the tools and means that I had to make their presence felt. I hope the showing of "Dreams without Sleep" in Washington tonight help puts this fact in perspective.
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's acting director, Dr. Douglas Erwin, said he was pleased to host such an important event in his museum's historic surroundings. (end) rm.tg