NEW YORK - September 15, 2008 - The Democracy Video Challenge, a global call to action celebrating democracy, launched today during International Democracy Day at the United Nations. The Challenge invites citizens from around the world to create short videos that complete the phrase: "Democracy is..." in an effort to enhance the global dialogue on democracy. The Democracy Video Challenge is a new effort supported by a unique partnership comprised of democracy and youth organizations, the film and entertainment industry, academia, and the U.S. government. Richard Engel, NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent, served as Master of Ceremonies for the contest's global launch.
"Film is a window into our common humanity - the challenges and joys that make up the universal human experience - no matter what language we speak or where we were born. The young filmmakers taking part in this challenge will harness the magic of this powerful art form to connect to people around the world in a global discussion on democracy," said Michael Apted, President of the Directors Guild of America, a partner in the Democracy Video Challenge.
*The Challenge will honor seven winning videos:* one each from Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, *Europe*, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, and one anonymous video. The winning videos will be selected by global online voting. The video platform is being provided by YouTube (www.youtube.com/democracychallenge).
"The Challenge breaks fresh ground for the use of new media in public diplomacy. We in the State Department and our partners are not trying to define democracy for young people around the world. Rather, the Challenge asks participants to share their visions of what democracy means. If the Challenge can generate thought and debate about democracy, on the medium of choice for young people, we'll have achieved success," Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James
K. Glassman said.
The winners will participate in screenings of their videos in Hollywood, New York, and Washington, D.C., hosted by the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association of America. In New York and Hollywood, the winners will spend time on TV/film sets, and will meet with directors, film technicians, professional talent agents, and new media experts. They will also receive tickets to the Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles. In Washington, D.C., the winners will meet with democracy advocates, the media, and U.S. government officials.
www.state.gov/documents/organization/111581.pdf
For more information about the Democracy Video Challenge, contact:
Laura Hesselton at 202-632-9933 or via email at hesseltonle@ state.gov
For additional details, visit www.youtube.com/democracychallenge.
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