An event titled “Turning Motion Picture into Emotion”, sponsored by GWU’s Institute for Middle Eastern Studies, saw award-winning Kuwaiti filmmaker, Walid Al-Awadi, discuss his documentaries on 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan Wednesday. Walid’s 1995 chronicle of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait earned him the "Best International Film" award at the Houston Film Festival and his latest film, "Tora Bora," recently premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Initially trained as engineer, one of the two jobs deemed acceptable by his parents, Walid found his true inspiration through filmmaking. Inspiration, he argued, is the most important thing in life and despite facing a “red” bank account on more than one occasion, he remained committed to the trade.
Walid spoke about his determination to cover the events of September 11th despite voiced concerns that, as a Kuwaiti national, such an undertaking would be too controversial. Despite the success of his initial project, PR reps told Walid to expect 100 people for his screening of ‘Dreams Without Sleep’ at the Lincoln Center in New York City. However, Walid played the film to a packed audience.
Well-received in the West, Walid nevertheless faced some criticism back in Kuwait for a perceived ‘pro-American’ approach.
For Walid filmmaking is about the characters. "Dreams Without Sleep" told the stories of five people’s different experiences during the events of 9/11. Walid’s recent film ‘Tora Bora’ followed the story of two parents searching for their son who fled to Afghanistan to join a terrorist network.
More information on Walid’s latest project, ‘Tora Bora, can be found here.
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