28/02/2006

Boy soldiers, exploited children, "meninos de Rua" from San Paolo, war refugees, tiny orphans and rich Chinese girls who are just as lonely. These are the main characters of All the Invisible Children – a collective film made by eight directors and funded by UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), – which will be out in theatres on March 3 and is being presented tonight in Rome, in the presence of Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

The directors behind these stories of childhood betrayed are Spike Lee, John Woo, Emir Kusturica, brothers John and Ridley Scott, Brazilian documentary filmmaker Katia Lund, Algerian director Mahdi Charef and Italy’s Stefano Veneruso. The film came about in 2002 from an idea by Chiara Tilesi and Veneruso, who coordinated the project together with actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta.

All proceeds from the film, as well as all products associated with it, such as the song Teach Me Again (sung by Tina Turner and Elisa), will go towards a fund created by the UN’s WFP and UNICEF, in accordance with the Italian Development Cooperation, for a project for children and against malnutrition in Africa.

(Translated from Italian)