The Independent Filmmaker Project and The United Nations Partner for New 'Envision' Forum To Address Global Issues Through Documentary Filmmaking

The Independent Filmmaker Project and The United Nations Partner for New 'Envision' Forum To Address Global Issues Through Documentary Filmmaking

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Spokesperson, CARE Advocate for Maternal Health and Contributing Editor at Marie Claire Magazine Christy Turlington Burns; and Director Jonathan Demme Headline Program

NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI) jointly announced today the creation of a new annual forum, entitled "Envision," which will bring together dozens of leaders from the international filmmaking community with prominent representatives from the UN, as well as civil society organizations, entrepreneurs, activists, journalists, economists, public policy makers, and NGOs to address global issues through the international shared language of filmed documentaries.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will officially kick off the first annual "Envision: Addressing Global Issues Through Documentaries" event on May 14 -15, 2009 at the Directors Guild Theatre in New York City. He will be joined by Kiyo Akasaka, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. The Envision forum will also feature discussions led by Christy Turlington Burns and Academy \Award-winning director Jonathan Demme ("Rachel Getting Married," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia") acclaimed director Mira Nair ("The Namesake," "Monsoon Wedding") as well as a performance by UNICEF Spokesperson and Tony Award-winning playwright/performer Sarah Jones.

"For many years, IFP has been looking for a way to leverage documentaries to initiate a larger conversation about the diverse and important subject matters these films explore. We are pleased to have the UN as our partner in this exciting new forum and look forward to the important discussions that are sure to develop at the gathering in New York," said Michelle Byrd, IFP Executive Director.

"Envision provides an unparalleled opportunity for the international filmmaking and humanitarian communities to grapple with the issues of our time," said Eric Falt, Director of the Outreach Division, UN Department of Public Information. "Looking through the lens of these important documentaries, issues like violence against women, extreme poverty, and armed conflict will come into sharp, urgent focus."

This high-profile forum will feature a series of film screenings and accompanying discussions with prominent speakers and filmmakers, with the aim of igniting conversations about pressing global issues related to the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with a 2009 focus on women. Several documentaries will be screened at the Envision forum including "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," "Rough Aunties," and "The Glass House."

Major funding for the Envision forum is being provided by The Fledgling Fund. Additional support provided by: Chicken & Egg Pictures, Impact Partners, Gucci, New York State Council on the Arts, Two West, SMA Communications and Filmmaker Magazine.

For a complete schedule of the events taking place on May 14-15 at the Directors Guild Theatre in New York City visit www.envisionfilm.org.

ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER PROJECT (IFP)

After debuting with a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation's oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and the premier advocate for them. www.ifp.org

ABOUT UN DPI'S CREATIVE COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVE

As the public voice of the United Nations, the Department of Public Information (DPI) promotes awareness and greater understanding of the work of the United Nations, communicating the activities and concerns of the organization to achieve the greatest public impact. Launched in 2009, the UN Creative Community Outreach Initiative was designed to highlight critical global issues through collaborations with the film and television industries. www.un.org/en/creative

Source: Independent Filmmaker Project

CONTACT: Media, Sarah Levinson Rothman, +1-646-254-6030,
sarah.rothman@42west.net, or Kelly Mullens, +1-310-477-4442,
kkmullens@42west.net, both of 42West, for Independent Filmmaker Project

Web Site: http://www.ifp.org/

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