UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATIONS TO OFFER ‘GREEN’ STORIES TO MAJOR

INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS IN CANNES, FRANCE, 16-20 APRIL

The United Nations audiovisual family will offer ‘green’ stories and projects to major international broadcasters as they join MIPTV (Marché international des programmes de television), the leading international television programming market, in Cannes, France, from 16 to 20 April.  The United Nations Department of Public Information and seven UN agencies -- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Bank and the Millennium Campaign -- will meet with broadcasters to offer productions from their audiovisual catalogue and invite them to co-produce programmes and develop new formats.

Through its award-winning series UN in Action, UN Television provides compelling short documentaries on environmental subjects, including stories on the future of the Aral Sea, the prevention of natural disasters in Kazakhstan and cleaning up radioactive waste in Serbia.  21st Century, the newly launched 26-minute monthly magazine, combines narrative storytelling and solid reporting from around the world, and is adaptable into any language.  The United Nations Department of Public Information also provides unique stories from field missions through its UNifeed satellite transmission distributed via APTN's Global Video Wire.

Among the United Nations system’s many new green projects to be featured is So You Think You Know About...Climate Change, a documentary series produced by UNEP and the award-winning United Kingdom-based back2back productions in association with BBC World.  Each of the six 30-minute instalments focuses on untold international stories and issues and combines dynamic and surprising film, animation and graphics in a fast-paced and urgent style.

Bling: A Planet Rock is a 90-minute documentary produced by VH1 Rock Docs, Article 19 Films and UNDP.  The film, featuring hip-hop artists from the United States and Sierra Leone, raises its voice on behalf of the millions of diamond diggers to help disadvantaged communities and promote conscious consumerism, encouraging the purchase of ‘clean’ diamonds through the power and influence of hip-hop music.

The UNESCO Audiovisual e-platform, boasting more than 500 outstanding productions from 85 countries, connects independent filmmakers and producers and broadcasters, festival organizers and other interested institutions.  UNESCO's latest production, Documenting Reality, focuses on how 'reality' is created by the camera and why and how certain 'truths' are legitimized.  UNESCO's series of podcasts, currently being produced in 10 different countries, focuses on human rights.

Other programmes from the United Nations team include UNDP's Beyond the Horizon, a documentary series on cultural differences set in the Sudan; UNFPA's Fight for Life documentary series about maternal health in six developing countries; the four-part Nurses on the Front Line documentary series about health workers in Bolivia, Mozambique, Zambia and Indonesia; Wake Up World, a documentary by Vanessa Redgrave and Carlo Nero that takes a very personal look at the history of UNICEF; and the World Bank's Buying Time for Peace documentary about ex-combatants, both adults and children, reclaiming their lives after conflict.

The United Nations audiovisual family at MIPTV also actively seeks co-production partners on various projects, including One World Manga, an animated series from the World Bank about the adventures of an orphan who learns about global issues, and The Mushroom Roundabout Gang (working title), a story of the struggles of a group of young people living in the streets of Mexico City.  The UN Millennium Campaign seeks media partners to develop programmes in conjunction with their hugely successful global Stand Up Against Poverty challenge; UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign seeks media partners to join the project which aims to plant a minimum of one billion trees around the world in 2007.

“We invite TV broadcasters to discover the wealth of material and media services which exists within the United Nations system that they can use to produce a variety of formats from the small screen to mobile devices,” said Caroline Petit, who will represent the United Nations Department of Public Information at MIPTV.

Broadcasters are invited to visit the United Nations booth at MIPTV (G3.39) and meet with the representatives of the United Nations audiovisual family.

For further information, please contact Caroline Petit, Promotion and Distribution Manager in New York, petitc@un.org, and visit the MIPTV 2007 page on the United Nations Audiovisual Family website at www.un.org/av/unfamily/miptv07.html.

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For information media • not an official record