Film Premiere: Running Dry
Introduced by James Thebaut, Writer, Producer and Director, Running Dry; Jeremy Pelczer, President & CEO, American Water; Jane Seymour, Narrator of Running Dry; Patricia Simon, Widow of U.S. Senator Paul Simon

February 24 2005, 3:00 p,m. - 5:00 p.m.

Event Summary

6th Floor Auditorium
Woodrow Wilson Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004-3027

Running Dry issues an urgent call to save millions of people around the world imperiled by lack of access to clean water. The documentary dramatically illustrates these frightening facts:

9,500 children die every day from water-related diseases; and 400 million people live in regions with severe water shortages and pollution.

Veteran creative writer, Producer, Director Jim Thebaut wrote, produced and directed RUNNING DRY, a documentary feature. He had been developing the project in association with former United States Senator Paul Simon until Simon's recent and untimely death. The purpose of the documentary is a global call to action regarding the evolving world water humanitarian crisis. The project was inspired by former Senator Simon's powerful book, "Tapped Out". Thebaut was awarded a significant grant from American Water to support the project. In addition, early on in the evolution of Running Dry, the Carnegie Corporation of New York also provided a grant. It looks at both the human and environmental consequences of mismanagement of water resources. Running Dry concludes with a wide spectrum of solutions that policymakers and water managers could implement to keep the world from running dry.

Thebaut directed crews in China, Israel/Palestine and Jordan, South Africa, India, and the American Southwest in order to visualize the depth of the crisis. He also conducted on-camera interviews with Mikhail Gorbachev, Shimon Peres and many other prominent individuals world-wide. The documentary is narrated by Jane Seymour.

The looming world water crisis is huge but not insurmountable. A few simple changes can make a great deal of difference. The purpose of the “Running Dry” project is to build popular sentiment and create the political will to solve the water crisis through public policy.

Copyright 2005, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars