"The Flying Chef" films an episode at UN Headquarters
Israeli broadcaster Keshet TV filmed an episode of the cooking show “The Flying Chef” at UN Headquarters on 27 October 2009. During the current season, the host of “The Flying Chef” - celebrity chef, food critic and author Gil Hovav - travels to seven countries whose cuisines are represented in Israel, learning about local foods and finding the best dishes. In the final episode, UN delegates and staff taste the various dishes and vote on the best one.
The episode will air on Keshet (Channel 10) in Israel in March 2010.
Premiere of "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure"
The world premiere of the Walt Disney animated film, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, was held at United Nations Headquarters on Sunday, 25 October 2009.
Prior to the screening, Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, designated Tinker Bell as “Honorary Ambassador of Green” to help promote environmental awareness among children. Among those attending the event were Tinker Bell Director Klay Hall, Producer Sean Lurie, and voice cast members Mae Whitman (Tinker Bell) and Raven Symoné (Iridessa).
This premiere event, hosted by DPI under the Creative Community Outreach Initiative aimed to promote environmental awareness in the lead-up to the Copenhagen conference on Climate Change in December. The United Nations is leading the Seal the Deal campaign to garner public support and encourage world leaders to sign an effective climate agreement when they meet in Copenhagen from 7 - 18 December 2009.
"Ugly Betty" films at UN Headquarters
The cast and crew of the ABC TV comedy series Ugly Betty filmed scenes at United Nations Headquarters for its season premiere episode.
Scenes were filmed on the nights of 19 and 20 August 2009, in and near the ECOSOC Chamber, for a storyline featuring the United Nations Foundation’s
Nothing But Nets campaign. The fight against malaria is a priority issue for the United Nations.
The show’s main character, Betty Suarez, played by actress America Ferrera, in an effort to bring more substance to MODE, the fictional fashion magazine where she works, creates a fashion spread to highlight the use of bed nets for preventing malaria. Staging a magazine shoot in ECOSOC, Betty showcases models wearing fashionable forms of mosquito netting as a way of drawing attention to
Nothing But Nets.
Envision 2009: Addressing Global Issues Through Documentaries
The non-profit Independent Filmmaker Project is collaborating with the United Nations Department of Public Information to create an annual destination in NYC that unites the international filmmaking community, civil society organizations, entrepreneurs, activists, journalists, economists, public policy makers, NGOs, and the general public with representatives from the UN in the shared goal of envisioning a better world for all.
Through this jointly produced forum, IFP and the UN seek to combine film presentations with substantive, live-audience (real and virtual) discussions on the pressing global issues with which they are concerned.
Spotlight Focus in 2009: the Millennium Development Goals and their impact on women.
Envision 2009 is scheduled for 14-15 May at the Director's Guild Theater in New York City.
Download Envision Flyer
USC Celebrity Diplomacy Workshop
At the 21 April roundtable at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication in Los Angeles, Eric Falt, Director, Outreach Division, Department of Public Information, United Nations, offered an insider’s perspective on the perks and pitfalls of celebrity diplomacy, from the point of view of the organization that pioneered the concept.
Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors programmes, which are a proven method of reaching untapped audiences, help to round out the United Nations’ portfolio of sophisticated public information projects. Yet to succeed in their goals of raising awareness and mobilizing support, these programmes require not only the utmost in care but also in critical assessment.
Download USC Celebrity Diplomacy Workshop speech.
Download Workshop Programme
CCOI and SciFi Network present "Battlestar Galactica: A Retrospective"
Sci Fi celebrated Battlestar Galactica’s show finale at the United Nations, through a series of screenings and panel discussions. Through this one-of-a-kind event, the show’s stars and writers joined UN officials to debate themes the show and the organization have in common. Among the themes of importance to both the UN and the critically acclaimed television show were human rights, terrorism, children and armed conflict, and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faiths.
The panel was moderated by Academy Award-winning actress and producer Whoopi Goldberg. Oscar-nominated actress Mary McDonnell, Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actor Edward James Olmos, BSG creator and executive producer Ronald D. Moore, and BSG creator David Eick also participated in the panel.
Episode of "Law & Order: SVU" filmed at United Nations Headquarters
Through its first official project, the Creative Community Outreach Initiative (CCOI) partnered with “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” to film an episode at United Nations Headquarters. In March of this year, 200 cast and crew from the show came to the UN to film the episode Hell, which portrays themes related to children and armed conflict, as well as refugees. This collaboration marks the first occasion a network television show has been granted access to film at the UN.
Emmy-nominated actor Christopher Meloni (Detective Elliot Stabler) and Stephanie March (Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot) among other “Law and Order: SVU” cast and crew, joined UN staff during the production. Three emblematic areas were portrayed in the episode, including the Secretariat building, which would normally not be open to the public. The CCOI provided the on-location technical assistance necessary to facilitate the production at the UN.
This episode of “Law and Order: SVU” was featured in major news outlets, such as CNN, NBC, Newsday and the Huffington Post. The UN was also prominently mentioned in the Today Show interview with Alexandra Cabot. The episode aired on Tuesday, 31 March on NBC.