UN75/UNESCO ResiliArt Debate ‘Music and Film: Rebuilding Better Through Coronavirus and Beyond’ 21 July 2020

This special ResiliArt dialogue, organized by the UN Chamber Music Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council (UNCMS), in partnership with UN75 and UNESCO, will be moderated by Ernesto Ottone R, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture. The UN Secretary-General’s Advisor on UN75, Fabrizio Hochschild, and World Health Organization’s Art and Health Lead Christopher Bailey, will offer opening statements.

The panel will feature Sean Flahaven, Chief Theatricals Executive of Concord, the fifth largest music company in the world and a Tony and Grammy award-winning producer, including of the six-time Platinum hit musical HamiltonEmellie O’Brien, Founder & CEO of Earth Angel, a pioneering sustainability consultancy dedicated to greening film and television production; Joseph Bartning, Executive Director of the Salzburg Festival Society; and Rose H. Schwartz, partner at entertainment law firm Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo, P.C., representing U.S. and international film and television producers, authors, opera companies, record labels, and creative talent.

This UN75/UNESCO ResiliArt panel discussion will explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music and film industries, what can be done to protect creators and artists who are disproportionately affected by it, and how the music and film industries can be part of solutions to the global challenges facing our world.

#UN75 is the United Nations’ largest outreach initiative to engage the global public and civil society to address the most urgent challenges of our time. The views, concerns and ideas expressed in UN75 Moderated Dialogues will be presented to world leaders of all 193 UN Member States and UN leadership at the official commemoration of the UN’s 75th Anniversary in September 2020. After September 2020, groups around the world will discuss how best to take forward the priorities and proposals generated from these Dialogues. To learn more about UN75, visit https://www.un.org/en/un75

ResiliArt is a UNESCO movement to raise awareness about the far-reaching ramification of COVID-19 across the cultural sector; support artists during and following the crisis, including advocating for incorporating protecting the art and culture sectors and their workers COVID-19 relief plans and post-pandemic economic recovery plans; and thinking ahead to rebuild the creative sectors better post COVID-19, in alignment with UN priorities, including socio-economic and environmental sustainability. To learn more about ResiliArt, visit https://en.unesco.org/news/resiliart-artists-and-creativity-beyond-crisis

The #Culture2030Goal Coalition, composed of eight international cultural networks, recently released and signed a statement entitled ‘Ensuring culture fulfills its potential in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic’. This statement was recently endorsed by the President of the UN General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. To learn more about the Coalition, and to add your voice to this advocacy campaign by endorsing the statement, visit http://culture2030goal.net

Founded in 2016, the UN Chamber Music Society is dedicated to promoting the United Nations’ goals and values at large – through the universal language of music.

More details on the debate can be found here.

Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, previously served as Chile’s first Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage from 2015 to 2018. As Minister of Culture, he created a Department of First Peoples, a Migrants Unit and strengthened copyright laws and heritage protections. During this time, he also chaired the Regional Centre for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean (2016 – 2017).

Sean Patrick Flahaven, Chief Theatricals Executive of Concord, the fifth largest music company in the world;, producer on over 30 albums, 12 of which were nominated for Grammy Awards, including the Grammy-winning, 6x Platinum hit, Hamilton; Tony Award winner as a co-producer of the hit 2019 Best Musical, Hadestown

Emellie O’Brien, Founder & CEO of Earth Angel, a pioneering sustainability consultancy dedicated to greening film and television production. Emellie’s sustainability leadership on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 contributed to it being acclaimed as “the most eco-friendly blockbuster in Sony Pictures’ history.” Recent clients include the Emmy and Golden Globe winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Spielberg’s Oscar nominated film The Post.

Joseph Bartning, Executive Director of the Salzburg Festival Society. Established in 1920, the Festival was one of the first global artistic peace projects, uniting nations with their shared appreciation for artistic excellence. The Society aims to promote peace through strategic partnerships and works to create an inclusive community of enthusiasts.

Rose H. Schwartz, partner at entertainment law firm Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo, P.C., Her clients include U.S. and international film and television producers, authors, opera companies, record labels, and creative talent. Rose is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. Member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) East Coast; the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (New York Chapter); The Authors Guild (member-at-large); and New York Women in Film and Television.