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UNITED NATIONS CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND Microfinance |
Issue 13 / June 2005 |
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Romance Meets the MDGs:
British and American Television Networks to Air Romantic Comedy By Lauren Kesner, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University 
This July leaders of the G8 will meet in Gleneagles, Scotland, to decide on aid policy, debt relief and trade agendas. While they discuss lofty goals of alleviating global poverty, viewers around the world may join the discussion as they turn on their televisions to find "The Girl in the Café." Rather than the expected documentary or public service announcement, "The Girl in the Café" is a new romantic comedy produced by HBO films, BBC ONE and Tightrope Pictures with award-winning screenwriter, Richard Curtis ("Love Actually," "Four Weddings and a Funeral") and director David Yates ("State of Play,"Sex Traffic," and the upcoming Harry Potter film). The film addresses the world's commitment to ending global poverty in a crafty, creative way weaving romance together with a strong humanitarian message. "The Girl in the Café" intertwines the love story of a shy civil servant, Lawrence (Bill Nighty) and a mysterious girl he meets in a café (Kelly Macdonald) with one of the most important questions of the decade: will this be the year that leaders in the developed world set out to conquer world poverty? When Lawrence, a member of the British delegation to the G8 Summit Meeting in Reykjavik, invites the young woman to accompany him to the Summit, a conflict between personal conviction and professional obligations ensues. The ups and downs of the romance are parralled by the Summit meetings where politics interferes with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - including halving extreme poverty by 2015 - and leaves the question of poverty alleviation in jeopardy. The film will be shown on HBO on June 25, and on BBC ONE in June as a part of the BBC's programmmes dedicated to Africa this summer. Colin Callender, president of HBO Films, remarked, "This is an important and provocative film that addresses one of the most urgent issues on the world stage. It is a call to arms that shamelessly sets out to entertain, inform and challenge audiences to act." "The Girl in the Cafe" will bring the G8 Summit Meeting and the challenges facing humanity today into the homes of thousands of viewers in a way that is unique and engaging. Richard Curtis, co-founder and vice-chairman of the U.K.'s Comic Relief, and a member of the Make Poverty History campaign explains, "When I start talking about the G8, people either doze off, or think I'm talking about a vegetable drink. I wanted to write a film that would give people a chance to understand what it is, and how this year the G8 could change the face of extreme poverty forever." Hopes are high that 2005 will be a big year in the fight against global poverty. In January, visionary reports were released, led by Jeffrey Sachs's Millennium Project report Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals. In September, the UN General Assembly will assess the progress made toward achieving the MDGs. International rock star and activist Bono joined forces with Sachs with a call to action: "We have the cash, we have the drugs, we have the science- but do we have the will? Do we have the will to make poverty history?" Bono's question takes center stage this summer on HBO, BBC ONE and at the G8 Summit. After a sneak preview screening in New York, Christina Barrineau, Chief Technical Advisor to the International Year of Microcredit 2005, said the film was "a fantastic example of how complex and important social issues can be made accessible to the general public." She added "more films should be made like 'The Girl in The Cafe'. |