The Peacekeepers

Using ethnic strife within the Democratic Republic of Congo as its representative case-study, this exquisitely shot film provides amazing backstage access to the United Nations, its professional operatives, and the many techniques they use to raise money and enthusiasm for peacekeeping missions throughout the world. Filmed in Washington DC, New York City and Central Africa from 2002 to 2004, The Peacekeepers allows viewers a window into the unwieldy juggling act that complicates every single UN-backed attempt to address regional massacres and accusations of genocide. This rigorous and thoughtful film gets behind the headlines of global politics, offering an analysis of how worldwide and local forces intersect–sometimes to confound and contradict one another, sometimes to thwart the cruel objectives of local warlords, and sometimes to serve as fodder for ongoing attempts to dismiss the UN as utterly obsolete.

Following the film there is a Question & Answer session with writer and director Paul Cowan.

The Peacekeepers is presented as part of the Impact Festival.