Note to Correspondents

UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION TELEVISION

 

PROGRAMMING AWARDS PRESENTED ON 2 FEBRUARY

 

Recipients Include First-Hand Television Documentary Accounts of Chernobyl

Disaster, Global Sex Trade, Individuals Suffering 40 Devastating New Diseases

Broadcasting companies from Germany, the United States and Canada were honoured for television documentaries on 2 February, when the UNDPI Awards were presented at the Television Programming and Promotion Awards Ceremony in New York City.  Elizabeth Baldwin-Penn, Chief of the Public Relations Section in the Department of Public Information presented the awards, which are jointly sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and the New York Festivals.

The UNDPI awards recognize excellence in television programming that best reflect the issues and ideals of the United Nations.

The winner of this year’s Gold UNDPI Award is WDR, Koeln (Germany), for Chernobyl: The Invisible Thief; a vivid film told from the personal perspective of the director, Christoph Boekel, who lost his wife to cancer as a result of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Russia on 26 April 1986.  The documentary is a requiem for the forgotten victims of the disaster and a warning against putting blind trust in technological advancement.

The Silver Award was presented to WGBH/NOVA Science Unit and Vulcan Productions, Inc, Seattle ( United States), for Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge.  Filmed in over 20 countries, the series, narrated by Brad Pitt, illustrates that saving lives is not only highly achievable, but a moral imperative, especially in a globalized world where germs can travel anywhere in a matter of hours and an epidemic is only a plane ride away.  At its core are real people in real situations -- those who bear the burden of disease and those who dare to save them.

The winner of the Bronze Award is Associated Producers Ltd, Toronto ( Canada) for Sex Slaves; an investigative news documentary affording a unique view into the shadowy, multi-billion dollar world of global sex trafficking.  Focused on women from the former Soviet bloc, hidden cameras follow one man’s exhaustive hunt for his abducted wife.  Part cinema verité, part investigation, Sex Slaves puts a human face on an inhuman issue.

The New York Festivals, founded in 1957, oversee eight international awards competitions in film and video; television programming and promotions; radio and television programming and promotions; television and radio advertising; design and print advertising; and interactive media.

For information, please contact Dawn Johnston-Britton, (212) 963-6984, johnston-britton@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record