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Release Date: June 21, 2005
The Canadian Embassy, National Film Board of Canada, the United Nations Foundation, The Better World Campaign, and the Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping Host Washington, DC Screening of The Peacekeepers
June 21, 2005 – In the Congo’s Ituri region, children have more guns than books. Warlords threaten United Nations efforts, and 55 million Congolese lives hang in the balance. Focusing on events in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and with unprecedented access to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), The Peacekeepers provides an insider’s look at how political, military and financial decisions affect the future of one failed state. The documentary, written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Paul Cowan, was premiered in Washington, DC at the Canadian embassy.
The Peacekeepers pivots between New York and the DRC, showing the complexity of putting together a rescue mission in a dangerous, dysfunctional country that most nations want to avoid. Filmed in high definition, the documentary delves into events in the Congo from summer 2002 until spring 2004. It includes candid interviews with the head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guéhenno; Meg Carey from DPKO’s Africa Division in New York; and Jaque Grinberg, the Political Affairs Officer in the Congo. These key players provide a vivid counterpoint to the chaos of the cinéma vérité scenes of a country at war with itself.
Although The Peacekeepers focuses on the determined manoeuvres of DPKO staff to avert another Rwandan disaster, this time in the Congo, the documentary is indicative of the challenges faced in mounting UN peacekeeping missions throughout the world. Canada, a strong UN supporter, typically has more than 2,000 troops and police deployed on UN and UN-mandated missions.
The NFB is partnering with organizations, foundations and associations to take The Peacekeepers to cities in the United States for free public screenings. Each of these events will conclude with question-and-answer sessions, where Americans can talk about the issues raised in the film, and what they mean for the United States and the world. (Full details to be announced at a later date.)
Cowan, who was also the cinematographer, has directed more than 20 documentaries, including Westray, which won a Genie Award for Best Documentary in 2001; Give Me Your Soul, a revealing look at the porn industry; Double or Nothing: The Rise and Fall of Robert Campeau, starring award-winning Quebec actor Marcel Sabourin; Democracy on Trial: The Morgentaler Affair, which won the prestigious Futura Berlin Award; Justice Denied, The Kid Who Couldn’t Miss and the Academy AwardTM-nominated documentary Going the Distance.
The Peacekeepers, an 83-minute feature-length documentary, was produced by Adam Symansky with the participation of the Quebec Centre (Sally Bochner) and Studio A (Colette Loumède) of the NFB. Éric Michel is executive producer. The Peacekeepers is a National Film Board of Canada production in co-production with 13 Production and ARTE France.
In addition to its Canadian broadcast on CBC Newsworld, the film will be aired uncut on the BBC, on NHK in Japan and through the ARTE network in France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.
About the NFB
Now in its 65th year, the National Film Board of Canada has produced more than 10,000 films and other audiovisual works, and won more than 4,500 awards — including 11 Oscars®. As Canada's public film producer, the NFB produces and distributes distinctive, culturally diverse, challenging and relevant audiovisual works that provide Canada and the world with a unique Canadian perspective. To purchase NFB releases or for more information, visit <www.nfb.ca> or call 1-800-267-7710.
For more information on the film, click here.
High-resolution images of this film are downloadable, by clicking here.
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