Bright Leaf Pictures & Cinema for Peace present
The Quiet Diplomat
A feature documentary about the
8th UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon
Directed by Charles Lyons
The Quiet Diplomat centers on former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The UN saved his life during the Korea War, inspiring him to become a man of peace.
During two terms (10 years) as the 8th Secretary General, Ban discovers the challenges of international diplomacy in an increasingly splintered world.
Why now? Globally, war and authoritarianism are on the rise.
In this film, we see how Ban’s ‘quiet diplomacy’ is a reassertion of the importance of multilateralism, represented by the UN, at a time when collaboration between countries is key for our survival as a species.
In honor of the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, join us for a special screening at the very site where it was signed.
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
June 24, 5-8pm
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director and producers of The Quiet Diplomat.
Presented as part of the Charter Day celebration and sponsored by UNA-San Francisco, UNA-Mid Peninsula, Bright Leaf Pictures, Veterans for Peace, and Urban Angels, this event honors the legacy of global diplomacy. Reserve your seat and be part of a memorable evening.
Our film benefits from hours of UN footage, much of it never publicly seen.
As well as footage shot by news organizations during a tumultuous decade while Ban led the UN.
Chief among our goals is to use this trove, and fresh interviews, to reveal a man many people don’t know at all, or think they know.
While our approach is not combative, we do not shy from controversy, asking tough questions about what the UN can and should do to handle increasingly difficult global crises, including new wars, while giving Ban the opportunity to assess his accomplishments and failures during his ten years at the UN.
Interviews Include
Ban Ki-Moon, 8th Secretary General of the UN Yoo Soon-Taek, his wife
Juan Manual Santos, former President of Colombia
Mark Malloch Brown, President, Open Society Foundations
Beatrice Lindstrom, Senior Clinical Instructor, Harvard Law School
Richard Haass, President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations
Rajon Menon, Spitzer Professor of International Relations, Emeritus, City College of New York
Jean Krasno, Lecturer, Dept. of Political Science, CCNY/ Columbia University
Lina Khatib, Director, SOAS Middle East Institute
Richard Gowan, UN Director, International Crisis Group
The Quiet Diplomat Trailer
Upcoming Screenings
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Seoul, Korea Premiere
June 19, 2025
at 10:30 am
The CGV Yongsan TheaterJoin us for this special viewing at the South Korean premiere of The Quiet Diplomat.
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San Francisco Premiere
June 24, 2025
from 5-8pm
Herbst TheatreCelebrate the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter at the place where it was signed!
-
The 34th Woods Hole Film Festival
July 26, 2025
at 8 pm
Woods Hole, MATake a look at all of the upcoming films and events on the Woods Hold Film Festival’s website.
This documentary is intimate, evocative, empathetic, and emotional–– about a man who not only achieved change in the world, but also followed his passions, charting a bold, original path in the face of criticism.
But we see this film as much broader than the transformational arc of a single man’s life: Ban was born one year earlier than the UN; his life is a time capsule of a period in history marked by a brutal clash between multinational and unilateralist approaches to governing. The film also probes the value of an institution that grew out of the ashes of World War II, when there was one world order, to what it is today, when that world order has changed.
Get notified of future screening events and future Bright Leaf Pictures projects.
Ban Ki-moon
“Not a single country or person, however powerful, resourceful one may be, one cannot do it alone. We must join all our hands on the deck together.
Otherwise, we will be neglecting our duty, living in this century, to make sure that our succeeding generations will be able to live in peace and harmony.”
