A Future Within Reach wins award in New York

A short documentary film produced by TVE Asia Pacific has won an award at the Third Annual United Nations Documentary Film Festival.

A Future Within Reach (12 mins, 2005), offering a quick review of the Asia Pacific region’s pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was awarded the bronze prize in the category of short films commissioned by UN agencies.

The festival, called ‘Stories from the Field’ and held in New York, USA, on 20 – 21 April 2007, attracted a total of 209 film entries from all over the world.  Thirty one finalists were screened during the festival, which was attended by activists, film professionals, UN officials and the public.

Read the list of prize winners.

See the line-up of finalists.

A Future Within Reach was produced by TVE Asia Pacific – a regional leader in using television, video and new media to communicate development issues -- commissioned by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Mr Kim Hak-Su, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, said after the film festival awards were announced: "Asia-Pacific still faces many challenges in meeting the MDGs. The Award thus strengthens ESCAP's resolve to further support our governments in accelerating the region's pace in pursuing these development goals."

“This film was made on a tiny budget in a very short period. It is gratifying to have our efforts recognized by both the United Nations and film-making industry,” said Nalaka Gunawardene, Director and CEO of TVE Asia Pacific.

The film was launched in Manila, the Philippines, in early September 2005 at a major regional meeting to review Asia Pacific progress in MDGs. Later that month, it was screened by UNESCAP at the 2005 World Leader’s Summit in New York, which took stock of the pursuit of MDGs worldwide.

The film drew heavily from a regional report, titled A Future Within Reach: Reshaping institutions in a region of disparities to meet the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific, prepared by UNESCAP in mid 2005 with the UNDP and Asian Development Bank. The report used the latest data to track the movement of each country in the region for each MDG, and assessed whether the goals will be met by 2015.

The film’s thrust was similar: how a region of such diversity and disparity is engaged in creating better living conditions, livelihoods and choices for its people – more than 60 per cent of humanity.

A Future Within Reach was the only production from Asia to win an award in the UN Short Films category. The Gold Prize for a UN-commissioned short film was won by Human Development Report: Kibera, on the water and sanitation crisis in the Kibera slum of Kenya. The Silver Prize went to Kakenya: Against the Odds, a BBC World/Rockhopper production commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

To be considered for screening, a film had to reflect one or more of the MDGs. Films that qualified were judged by panels of film and media experts drawn from the Media Communications Association International, the United Nations, The New School for Social Research in New York, and other individuals deemed appropriate by the Festival organizers. 

The films were judged based on their message elements (48%), creative elements (32%), and production elements (20%). A film had to achieve a total of at least 80 points out of a possible 100 to be considered for screening. Final selections were made based on the amount of screening time available, topical and programming considerations, and score. 

Returning to the Festival’s Honorary Committee this year were the film-makers Sydney Pollack and Albert Maysles, the actors Benicio Del Toro and Susan Sarandon. Joining the committee for the first time was actor Danny Glover.

This year's corporate supporters included NYC TV, The Women's Media Center, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, and the UN Foundation Better World Campaign, among many others.

Stories from the Field film festival was first organised in 2004 as the United Nations entered its 60th year. Its mission is to screen films that reflect the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The films that are screened during the two-day event come from the United Nations' offices and agencies and from the general public. While many deal with disturbing issues, they also show how ordinary people are working to make the world a better place.

MDGs are time-bound, measurable goals  for socio-economic advancement that were adopted by heads of state meeting at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000. There are eight MDGs: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.