...PRESS RELEASE... The 49th Monte-Carlo Television Festival Opens with Major Film on Peace in the Middle East. |
| MONTE CARLO, June 8, 2009 - What's past is prologue. Just three days after U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his historic Cairo speech directed towards the Muslim world, the 49th Monte-Carlo Television Festival opens with "Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace", a riveting documentary film starring many of the living architects of the original Camp David Accords. Featuring Former President Jimmy Carter, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Henry Kissinger, and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, among many others, "Back Door Channels" credits the 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt as the cornerstone of the region’s stability, but also points to the Treaty’s failings as the root of the current Palestinian conflict. "I think the basis for a comprehensive peace, thirty years later is there," remarks President Carter in the film’s concluding chapter. "If new President Obama undertakes this task, from the beginning of his Administration, and takes a balanced position, with Arabs on the on side, including the Palestinians, and the Israelis on the other side, and accepts the principles that we agreed to at Camp David, as a starting point, and the two state solution that’s evolved since then as a final goal, then we can have peace." "It is the first time we have opened the Festival with a documentary and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results,” said David Tomatis, C.E.O. of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. "The film is spectacular, and its timing vis-à-vis real world events couldn’t make it more relevant." Directed by ten-time New York Emmy Award winning director Harry Hunkele, and produced by New York-based Channel Productions, "Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace" reveals the web of secret meetings, covert channels of communication, and intricate web of relationships that ultimately enabled the original peace between avowed enemies Israel and Egypt to forge a lasting peace. "The over-arching theme of the film is that even though its thirty years later, Obama can still draw many important lessons from Carter's successes at Camp David," said Arick Wierson, one of the film’s executive producers. "Lesson number one is that the American president needs to develop parallel channels of dialogue, because official channels alone will never paint a compete picture. Lesson number two is relationships matter, and this is an area where President Obama’s charisma and charm will really play to his advantage." "Until this film, only true insiders knew the importance of the late King Hassan II of Morocco, Romanian dictator Nicolai Ceausescu, and U.S. Billionaire Leon Charney played in bring the peace between Israel and Egypt to fruition,” said Harry Hunkele, who directed the documentary and managed the film’s team of researchers. "The question today is – who will be Obama's 'back door channels'?" "Not only is 'Back Door Channels' an important and moving account of the original Middle East peace process, but it provides the ‘fly on the wall’ vantage point to how deals get done on the world stage," said Matthew Tollin, another of the film's executive producers. "Ultimately, its about relationships and the human element that drives world events." "Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace" opened to a maximum-capacity crowd of 1500 invitation-only guests, including H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, the honorary President of the Festival. The five-day Monte-Carlo Television Festival will continue through Thursday, June 11 at the Grimaldi Forum of Monaco and will be attended by talent and professionals from the creative areas of television throughout the world. Other highlights of the Festival include the international television program competition and Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony, premiere screenings, glamorous receptions and parties organized by some of the major European networks and studios which all contribute to the magical atmosphere of Monaco. As in past years, hundreds of journalists from around the world are present to cover this unique international television festival attended by the creative forces of the industry. About The Monte-Carlo Television Festival The Monte-Carlo Television Festival was created in 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Presided over by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Festival’s initial goal was to “encourage a new art form in the service of peace and understanding between men, bringing cultures together and enhancing their respective knowledge.” The festival generates worldwide interest and is now established as a unique festival showcasing the best of fiction programming and news documentaries. For more information on The Monte-Carlo Television Festival, please contact: Genevieve Revel g.revel@tvfestival.com Tel: +377 93 10 40 69 Fax: +377 93 50 70 14 www.tvfestival.com Debbie Lawrence The Lippin Company – London dlawrence@lippingroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 3008 5406 Fax: +44 (0) 20 3008 6011 For more information about ìBack Door Channels: The Price of Peaceî or Channel Production Films, please contact: Jenny Lee jlee@channelproductionfilms.com Tel: +1 917 744 4433 www.channelproductionfilms.com and www.backdoorchannels.com |
