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GENEVA -- How can film-makers, whether through cinema, television, or webcasts, alert the public to avert or at least reduce risk in times of disaster, particularly weather-related catastrophes and climate change? Up till now, much of the work by media and film-makers has focused on the impact of disaster rather than seek solutions or help people know what they can do to be better prepared. The Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction , which will be holding its second international conference next month in Geneva (16-18 June, 2009), will stage an evening film festival at the Geneva International Conference Center on 18 June with selected trailers (Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and Franny Armstrong’s The Age of Stupid ) plus three shorts to illustrate the key issues at hand. There will also be a panel discussion with film producers and disaster experts.

The panelists scheduled to take part in the discussion include Robert Lamb, former head of the BBC’s Earth Report and now manager of the Geneva-based DevTv ,  David Ohana of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Trygve Nordby from the International Fedration of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, plus several other broadcast network producers. Essential Edge editor, Edward Girardet, who is also programme director of the Media21 Global Journalist Network , will moderate the discussion.

All conference participants are invited, but a limited number of the 200 seats available are open to journalists and media students based in Geneva. However, in order to attend, you will need to register with the Global Platform conference online by May 15. Selected films are also available for download on this site. For more information, please check the  site or contact Sharon Rusu at email: •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it•

Important Info: The UNISDR will also launch its Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction launch in English and Arabic in Bahrain 17 May 2009.