‘Ouverture Millenium Internatinal Documentary Film Festival’

18:00 OPENING DEBATE: The Difficult Job of Being a Global Citizen

With: - Stefano Manservisi (Director-General of Directorate-General "International Cooperation and Development" (DEVCO), Dr. Patrick I. Gomes (Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)), Marie Arena (Member of the European Parliament for the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), Ivan Krastev (Political scientist, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and board member of the International Crisis Group (ICG)), Paul Dujardin (Art historian, General Director and Artistic Director of the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (BOZAR) since 2002)

In a world of global connectivity, citizens are called to become global citizens. They are not helped by a world of disconnects. The agendas of governments, private sector and research communities are rarely coordinated. The United Nations and the European Union seem unable to and generate popular support and trust for their work. It is legitimate to ask whether their ambitious agenda and the international commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the envisaged actions on climate change are real and will be honoured. The relation between ordinary people and institutions are increasingly characterized by scepticism, cynicism, and mistrust.
What is needed to transform the relation between citizens and institutions?How to generate public support and pressure for sustainable development goals? What could be the role of arts to tackle some disconnects? 

20:00 Singing With Angry Bird

In Pune, India, a Korean opera singer nicknamed Angry Bird launched the Banana Children's Choir, a choir for children from shanty towns. Disappointed by the lack of support from their parents, Angry Bird decided to train the parents to sing for a concert in the company of their children. The result is a highly emotional experience, full of change and discoveries.