Film Festival Brings UN Topics to the Forefront

How do young people live around the world and what challenges they face?

 

This has been the main theme of the Millenium International Documentary Film Festival, which finished its fourth run over the weekend. 

 

The festival is held in Brussels and is traditionally supported by the United Nations. 

 

It serves to promote the Millenium Development Goals that members of the United Nations adopted in 2005.

 

[Rebeca Grynspan, UN Under-Secretary General]:

“I really believe that an image is more powerful than one thousand words, and if we are able to really show the message of what the Millenium Development Goals are about that are about the life of real people, that can be lifted out of poverty, or a mother that can be saved, or children that can go to school. If we are able to get that message to a wider audience, I am sure, that we gather the support that is needed to continue with the MDGs and the targets until 2015.”

 

Every year the festival puts faces to many problems such as poverty, access to education and healthcare, war and child labor. 

 

Documentary films come from around the world and are independently produced. 

 

The organizers say this year the scale of the festival is bigger than ever.

 

[Zlatina Rousseva, Artistic Director, Millenium Film Festival]: 

“We are very happy with this year's festival, because it was much bigger than the other years, and not even longer, it was better in quality in all the programs that we had.”

 

The jury gave away 6 awards and audiences were able to screen all films, including the winning entries both in the cinema and online.

 

[Alla Talpa, Audience Member]: 

“Documentary films tell the truth. It is not politics or other things, it is real life, and that interests me a lot.”

 

[Virginia Villa, Audience Member]: 

“I like films, I like cinema, I think, like most people. To try to promote MDGs through cinema, I think, it is a good channel.”

 

The festival is planning to expand internationally next year, with screenings to be held in U.S. and Russia as well as more cities in Europe. 

 

[Zlatina Rousseva, Artistic Director, Millenium Film Festival]: 

So many countries and many festivals are now asking for our programing, because it is on a very important topic - about the future of (the) humanity.”

 

And while the festival grows in reach and profile, the message focus remains the same - what is the world like that we live in and how we can change it for the better.

 

NTD News, Brussels, Belgium