New York, August 3, 2006 – In the annals of glittery movie premieres, World Trade Center ranks among the most somber. While movie stars wearing designer clothing filled the red carpet at the Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan, so did actual 9/11 “first-responders”, including John McLoughlin and William Jimeno, the two men whose real stories are told in the film. The weather was not beautiful like it was on 9/11; an oven-like heatwave enveloped the city, adding to the discomfort of reawakening sad memories.

Opinions are divided about whether the timing of the movie is right, and how it will affect viewers. Former mayor Rudy Giuliani felt that seeing this film helped him to heal, but acknowledged that everyone reacts differently to grief. “I think it’s maybe too soon for some people, but not for others.”

Director Oliver Stone said the movie resonates with people of all political persuasions. “I think it’s a movie of the heart, beyond politics, and I think people who have a heart respond to the movie. Left, right, center, whatever.”

Maggie Gyllenhaal, who has made controversial statements about the terror attacks in the past, is now pregnant, but she held up well in the heat. Her fiancé Peter Sarsgaard was with Maggie’s mom, Naomi Foner, and actor Max Minghella. Sarsgaard told us that Maggie wept when she read the script, but he thinks it’s “fantastic” that she chose to do it. “I think anyone who’s an American would want to be in this movie.”

Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena, Jay Hernandez and Maria Bello star. Directors Spike Lee and Sofia Coppola, who is Nicolas Cage’s cousin, braved the heat for the premiere, as did Sting and Trudie Styler.