Co-Produced by Ovation TV and Blue Planet Films, the Michael Sheen-Narrated Documentary Focuses on Inspiring Young Leaders Changing the World
Ovation TV, America’s only arts network, has set Thursday, November 11 as the world television premiere date for The Young Leaders – One Young World Stories. The documentary covers key global goals including gender equality, biodiversity, LGBT+ rights, and refugees, following the inspiring stories of six young leaders and One Young World, the organization that has given them the global platform to accelerate their social impact. The film is being coproduced by Ovation TV and Blue Planet Films and is directed by Bruce Robertson. The film will air on Ovation TV on Thursday, November 11 at 7pm ET and will also be available on the same day in the Ovation NOW app’s “Art House” and on Ovation’s JOURNY app.
Through the artistic medium of documentary filmmaking and storytelling, Ovation TV, a longtime supporter of arts advocacy and activism, presents the story of six young leaders from diverse backgrounds who are creating a better future through One Young World. The film is narrated by Michael Sheen, a multi-award-winning Welsh actor and RADA graduate known for his extensive work across film, TV, and stage, as well as his charity work. Supporting all kinds of artistic expression, Ovation is also pleased to share that composer Mic Burns (BBC’s Race Across the World) has created an original musical score to accompany the film.
“We are proud to co-produce this documentary about these One Young World Ambassadors with Blue Planet Films,” stated Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation TV. “The power of art allows us to capture the strength and resilience of these Ambassadors, and to demonstrate to the globe all of the great work being done by One Young World.”
“Making this film has been an amazing journey, and a privilege to be able to tell such incredible stories. These remarkable Young Leaders have achieved extraordinary things, triumphing over hardship and adversity – to make a difference in the World. Filming remotely in five countries has been challenging, but this really has been a Team effort,” added producer/director Bruce Robertson. “It has been a joy to collaborate with wonderful filmmakers from so many countries and great to work with Ovation TV, who had the insight to give these Young Leaders the opportunity to tell their stories and gave us artistic freedom to make the film. Over the months we have made some great working relationships and hope to continue to develop these. I would like to thank One Young World, whoare theinspiration for these Young Leaders who make the World a better place, and without them, this film could not have been made.”
David Jones, Co-Founder, One Young World said: “We’re incredibly proud to partner with Ovation TV to launch One Young World’s first documentary. The film is all about giving a platform to these six brilliant young leaders to tell their story, in their own words, of how they have overcome adversity to make a hugely positive impact on the world. Ovation and One Young World share the same mission and objective to scale their impact by telling these important stories to as wide a global audience as possible.”
One Young World is the global forum that identifies, promotes, and connects the world’s most impactful young leaders to create a better world with more responsible, more effective leadership. The annual One Young World Summit convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact. Delegates from 190+ countries are counseled by influential political, business, and humanitarian leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Paul Polman, and Meghan Markle. Delegates return to their communities and organizations with the means and motivation to make a difference, accessing the global network of 12,000+ young leaders.
The six One Young World ambassadors featured in The Young Leaders are Yeonmi Park, Hyppolite Ntigurirwa, Tabata Amaral, Amir Ashour, Lina Khalifeh, and Nicolle Fagan. Their incredible stories are featured below:
Yeonmi Park – Yeomni escaped the horrors of North Korea, only to be sold as a sex slave in China. She is now a leading human rights activist, with over 80 million hits on social media.
Hyppolite Ntigurirwa – Hyppolite survived the genocide in Rwanda, where over one million people were slaughtered. He is now leading the way for peace and reconciliation in his country. He is the founder of Be the Peace, an organization focusing on the use of art to halt the intergenerational transmission of hate and to promote the power of cross-generational healing.
Tabata Amaral – Tabata was brought up in poverty in the favelas of Sao Paulo, by her mother and her inspirational drug addict father. She went on to Harvard to study astrophysics and is now the youngest serving woman politician in the Brazilian Parliament.
Amir Ashour – Amir was a leading gay activist in Iraq. He had to flee for his life after the police came looking to shut him up for good. He is studying to become an international human rights lawyer at Harvard and is the founder of IraQueer, Iraq’s first and only LGBT+ organization.
Lina Khalifeh – Lina comes from Jordan and was appalled when one of her friends was beaten up for her wage packet by the male members of her family. She formed SheFighter, the first Self-Defense studio for women-only started in the Middle East. She has trained over 20,000 women self-defense in countries all around the Middle East.
Nicolle Fagan – Nicolle came up with a brilliant idea that helps save the Pacific Island paradise of Palau. She co-created Palau Pledge – a groundbreaking environmental initiative that requires visitors to sign a passport pledge to act in an ecologically responsible way on the island, for the sake of Palau’s children and future generations of Palauans.
Lina Khalifeh, founder of She Fighter, said, “When my friend was beaten by a member of her family, it made me think of all of the other vulnerable women across the world who should not be forced to live in fear. If being able to tell my story about setting up SheFighter reaches more women who are inspired to stand up and protect themselves, then this documentary will be an incredibly powerful thing.”
For more information, please visit http://www.OvationTV.com/The-Young-Leaders-One-Young-World-Stories/
About One Young World
One Young World is the global forum for young leaders. The annual One Young World Summit convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact. Delegates from 190+ countries are counselled by influential political, business, and humanitarian leaders such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Dame Jane Goodall, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the Duchess of Sussex, amongst many other global figures. One Young World’s mission is to create a better world, with more responsible and more effective leadership. Every year, One Young World achieves this by identifying, promoting, and connecting the world’s most impactful young leaders. One Young World offers an unrivalled platform to affect change at a global level, with over 12,000 Ambassadors in the network driving innovation worldwide, directly impacting more than 30.4 million people around the world. In 2020 for every $1 invested, One Young World Ambassadors deliver $16 of social value. Partners include AstraZeneca, Audi, BMW, Christian Dior, Credit Suisse, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, General Electric, IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, LafargeHolcim, L’Oréal, Novartis, RB, Siemens, Swarovski, Unilever & Verizon. To date, Summits have taken place in London (2010), Zurich (2011), Pittsburgh (2012), Johannesburg (2013), Dublin (2014), Bangkok (2015), Ottawa (2016), Bogotá (2017), The Hague (2018) and London (2019).
About OVATION TV America’s Only Arts Network
As an independent television, production, and digital media company, OVATION TV has an unparalleled commitment to the arts, culture, and captivating entertainment. Showcasing a lineup of critically-acclaimed premium dramas, specials, documentaries, and iconic films, OVATION TV salutes innovative storytelling with popular programming that includes Inside the Actors Studio, Murdoch Mysteries, Riviera, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Fall, Luther, Midsomer Murders, Landscape Artist of the Year, Grand Designs, Amazing Hotels, Chasing the Sun, and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Ovation also powers JOURNY, the dedicated streaming service where art, culture, and travel intersect. The company has provided more than $15M in contributions and in-kind support to arts institutions and arts education. Its signature advocacy platform, STAND FOR THE ARTS, includes a coalition of over 130 arts organizations, cultural institutions, and arts leaders throughout the country raising awareness about art’s positive impact, protecting access for everyone, and encouraging action on behalf of the arts. OVATION TV is available on major providers via cable, satellite, and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DIRECTV, AT&T TV, SPECTRUM, Verizon FiOS, as well as on demand. You can follow OVATION TV on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, OvationTV.com, and through our App, OVATION NOW.
