United Nations and ‘One Day on Earth’ Prepare

 

to Launch First Truly Global Film Premiere

 

Venues to Be Secured in Every Country in World for Historic February Screening

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, 2 November — The United Nations, in collaboration with the “One Day on Earth” online community, is preparing for what will be the first ever global screening of a film that includes footage that was shot in every country on the planet on a single day.  The movie, which bears the same title as the organization, One Day on Earth, will be screened in every country of the world on the same day in late February 2012.

Working closely with the United Nations global network of country offices, the producers plan to screen the film in both theatres and venues of cultural and historic significance.

One Day on Earth produced the film in partnership with the United Nations, more than 60 non-profit organizations and a growing online community of over 19,000 filmmakers, both experienced and novice.  On 10 October 2010 (10/10/10), the One Day on Earth community, including over 95 United Nations country offices, filmed in every country of the world, capturing both the joys and the struggles of everyday life.  The film pulls from the resulting 3,000 hours of footage, which is now a shared-for-use archive for all those that participated.

“While the film identifies the common threads that connect us all, it also celebrates the diversity that is a part of our unique individual nature,” says Kyle Ruddick, Founder and Director of One Day on Earth.  “The film contains a message of hope, but also a strong call to action for positive change on issues that face both the global and local communities.”

In an effort to increase the inclusiveness of the project, hundreds of short films that will result from the second One Day on Earth global filming day, scheduled for 11 November (11/11/11), will also be displayed at the global screening and event.

“This is a new step for the United Nations in aligning both online and offline public information efforts in a truly global way,” said Kiyo Akasaka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.  “Our partnership with One Day on Earth has grown from an experimental film project to a collaborative communications movement.  This type of large scale event was a natural evolution for this partnership.”

The United Nations is planning to use its country offices around the world to secure screens and bring together local communities.  The long list of non-governmental organization supporters of the project will also provide assistance, such as the offering from Geneva-based Centre of European Nuclear Research to screen the film in its Globe of Science and Innovation.

“It is an honour to be the first film screened at this magnitude,” said Brandon Litman, Co-founder and Executive Producer of One Day on Earth.  “As a grassroots project pitched to the United Nations a year and a half ago, this truly shows how an idea can grow into a global experience.”

The producers of One Day on Earth are encouraging media creators worldwide to join the online community and take part in the 11/11/11 event as a way to continue the worldwide documentation of culture, events, and issues.  The United Nations, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recently pledged logistical support of One Day on Earth annual worldwide film collaborations until December 2015.

About One Day on Earth

One Day on Earth began in September 2008 as a new media project to create a unique video time capsule, global online community and feature-length film — all from participant footage captured during the 24-hour period of 10 October 2010 (10/10/10).  Founder/Director Kyle Ruddick and Co-founder/Executive Producer Brandon Litman established the project as a shared archive, allowing all participants to use and edit the footage to show their interpretation of the world.  One Day on Earth also works closely with dozens of non-profit and non-governmental organizations to document important social issues, holding annual global collaborations.  To learn more, please visit www.OneDayOnEarth.org.

Media contacts: United Nations/UNDP, Boaz Paldi, tel.: +1 212 906 6801, e‑mail: Boaz.Paldi@undp.org; One Day on Earth, Brandon Litman, tel.: +1 212 786 0100, e‑mail: press@onedayonearth.org.

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For information media • not an official record