United Nations selects IMPASSE for film project
Short film IMPASSE by Bram Schouw was selected for STORIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS, a unique film project assigned by Art For The World and the Verenigde Naties. On 10 December 2008 was the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Internationally recognised filmmakers, artists andwriters, have joined forces to mark this event by contributing to a unique film project composed by 22 three minute short-movies inspired by the six themes of the Universal Declaration: culture, development, dignity and justice, environment, gender and participation.The premiere of the feature film at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris was attended by Bernard Kouchner, French Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Rama Yade, the French Secretary of State in charge for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights.
STORIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS participants have been selected for their strong artistic qualities and their deep interest towards the promotion of Human Rights : Marina Abramovic (Serbia/The Netherlands), Hany Abu-Assad (Palestine), Armagan Ballantyne (New Zeland), Sergei Bodrov (Russia), Charles De Meaux (France), Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster&Ange Leccia (France), Runa Islam (UK/Bangladesh), Francesco Jodice (Italy), Etgar Keret & Shira Geffen (Israel), Zhan Gke Jia (China), Murali Nair (India), Idrissa Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Pipilotti Rist (Switzerland), Walter Salles e Daniela Thomas (Brazil), Saman Salour (Iran), Sarkis (France), Teresa Serrano (Mexico), Abderrahmane Sissako (Mauritania), Pablo Trapero (Argentina), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand) and Jasmila Zbanic (Bosnia).
The movies have been shot in more than fifteen countries and languages. They will exist as single short movie and will also be presented all together in a feature film of eighty minutes, subtitled in the six official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). The film is accompanied by a book, published by Electa, that contains interviews with the film makers and the artists, still frames of the short movies and backstage pictures as well as contributions by twelve authors, including five Nobel prize winners, referring to the six themes of the Declaration: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Khaled Hosseini, Roberto Saviano, Naguib Mafuz, Elfriede Jelinek, Ruth Ozeki, José Saramago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Assia Djebar, Nuruddin Farah, Toni Morrison and Mo Yan.
From 2009, the short movies and the long feature will be screened around the world, especially in film festivals, cinemas, schools, museums and cultural institutions. They will also be broadcasted on the most important international TV channels.