Interns working at the UN Information Center (UNIC) in Rio de Janeiro were recently honoured for their entry in the "FYI/Film Your Issue" contest, a youth-directed programme to encourage young global citizens to participate in public dialogue. The UN's Department of Public Information is one of the initiative's partners. The entries were viewed by a jury that included the heads of several major television, internet, music and publishing outlets. Some of the celebrities involved were actors Ellen Burstyn, John Cusack and Mandy Moore and journalists Walter Cronkite and Wolf Blitzer.
"Looks Can Be Deceiving", the film produced by the UNIC interns, is a 67-second film which was created to raise awareness of violence experienced by civilians in the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. In creating the film, the students consulted a local non-governmental organizations (NGO), Rio de Paz, that promotes peace, and a Rio TV Station TV ROC. The film took top honours in two Film Your Issue categories: the FYI - Yahoo! Audience Award for International Film and the FYI - UN Department of Public Information award. The film is available for viewing online: http://www.filmyourissue.com/2007/winner_lookscan.shtml.
The contest organizers said, "The entries are heart-stirring for us for the passion, talent and range of issues, from racial profiling, holding onto ideals, sex trafficking and gas conservation to identity theft and violence in Rio de Janeiro. All these films are a window both into the hearts and minds of young people around the world and to the importance of communicating issues that affect all of us on the planet." Organizers see the competition "as a fun, dynamic and creative way to help impact the lives of young people and nurture future leaders, be it through film, journalism, politics or other forms of expression."
The interns were thrilled to be interviewed by major media outlets in Brazil. Although they were not able to attend the award ceremony held at UN Headquarters New York earlier this week, they were presented with certificates at a small ceremony at the UNIC office. The interns involved were Danilo Marcondes, Rachel Nascimento Lino, Eduarda Ferreira Franco de Castro Guedes, Thais Justen Nogueira, Ricardo Oliveira dos Santos, Camila Soares Lippi, Lucas Almeida Paes de Melo, Katja Augusto and Juliana Ono.