Film Festival and Daylong Summit at Newseum to be the Main Washington Event Commemorating 9/11 Tenth Anniversary

On September 8th, the Center for National Policy with Voices of September 11th and the Rockefeller Foundation, Will Premiere Documentaries Honoring Lives Lost, Advancing American Resilience

Participants Include Members of the 9/11 Commission, Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and Ambassadors from around the World

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for National Policy and the Voices of September 11th, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, will host the Washington event on September 8th to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Dignitaries, political leaders, members of the media, and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will be brought together at The 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance, Renewal, Resilience. The daylong summit at the Newseum in Washington will pay tribute to the people who lost their lives, honor the survivors and their families, and recognize the heroic work of those who responded and continue to carry on, demonstrating America's resilience.

The 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit will feature seven short-form documentary films by award winning directors with narrations by Tom Brokaw, Tom Hanks, Brian Williams, and others – highlighting untold stories of American resilience arising from the tragic events of 9/11 and other significant disasters. Each documentary will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. Panel members will include Governor Haley Barbour (R-MI) and U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Robert Papp among others.

After the documentary program, members of the 9/11 Commission—including former Governor Thomas Kean, former Congressman Lee Hamilton and Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins —will participate in a panel discussion on the origins, findings, and recommendations of the investigation into the events of September 11th.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, will provide opening remarks for the Summit. The event will culminate in an awards ceremony and dinner to honor the 9/11 Commission, the family survivors of the 9/11 tragedy, and the small Canadian community of Gander, Newfoundland that played a gallant and generous role on 9/11 in receiving over 6,000 passengers and crew from diverted transatlantic flights that were not allowed to enter U.S. airspace.

"As we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11th, we want to both reflect on and honor the loss of that tragic day and recognize the tremendous acts of resilience that prevented even further disaster on 9/11 and since," said Dr. Stephen Flynn, President of the Center for National Policy. "From the courage and ingenuity of everyday people in New York on 9/11, to the selfless service of our brave men and women in uniform, and in disasters along the Gulf Coast and most recently in Joplin, Missouri, time and again we've seen America meet head-on the gravest of challenges. We know we face a future laden with economic, natural and man-made risks, and our ability to bounce back better and stronger from adversity always comes down to the strength of our communities and civil society.

"For so many of us, the tragedy of 9/11 was incredibly personal," said Mary Fetchet, Founding Director of Voices of September 11th, an organization she co-founded in 2001 following the death of her 24 year old son Brad in the attacks on the World Trade Center. "But we cannot lose sight of how communities around the nation came together as one, demonstrating the strength of the human spirit after experiencing unimaginable loss.  It is this resiliency that we hope to honor and celebrate at the 10th anniversary." 

"Resilient communities create the foundation for a strong, vibrant, and healthy country," said Warren Edwards, Director of the Community and Regional Research Institute (CARRI). "For communities to quickly and fully recover from extreme events – ranging from storms to attacks – we must take the time before a crisis to better understand the risks we are likely to face, and prepare to better withstand, respond, and recover from them."

About the Documentaries

With narrations by Tom Brokaw, Tom Hanks, Brian Williams, and others, the following films will premiere at the summit in the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Theater: 

Civil Society's Response – Boatlift: this film tells the story of the armada civilian watercraft that came together with no prior planning to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from lower Manhattan on 9/11.  It was the largest sealift ever – even greater than at Dunkirk during World War II.

Wounded Warriors' Resilience: features the courageous recovery stories of service members who were wounded in combat after joining the armed forces to serve their country after the 9/11 attacks.

Gulf Coast Resilience: tells the tale of the Mississippi communities on the Gulf Coast that have survived and thrived despite several large-scale catastrophes in the recent past, including Hurricane Katrina, the economic recession, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

World Trade Center: Rebuild: this film explores the recovery and reconstruction by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey of the World Trade Center site, highlighting the cutting-edge technology, engineering, and design that have been used to "bake in" resilience.

About the Summit

**ALL MEDIA MUST BE REGISTERED AND CREDENTIALED**
To register, contact Jonathan Freedman at [email protected]/646-833-0204  

The 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance, Renewal, Resilience is being co-hosted by the Center for National Policy and Voices of September 11th, in cooperation with the Community and Regional Resilience Institute and with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. It will take place September 8, 2011 at the Newseum at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW in Washington, DC.  

The event is being developed in association with TakePart and in partnership with the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Newseum, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the Embassy of Canada.

The Advisory Council includes Governor Martin O'Malley, Governor Haley Barbour, Tom Ridge, Fran Townsend, Ed Messe, Jim Turner, Judith Rodin, Tom Kean, and Lee Hamilton

The bipartisan Honorary Congressional Committee includes 18 Senators and 38 members of Congress.

SOURCE The Center for National Policy