The Quiet Diplomat: Special Cinema Screening & Post Film Discussion
Tuesday, June 24th, 2025 | 5 - 8 PM
Herbst Theatre in San Francisco
$35 General Admission
In a tumultuous world where politics are getting louder and attention is equated to currency, we invite you to a special screening of the independent documentary “The Quiet Diplomat” about UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Along with his family, Secretary General Ban was displaced during the Korean War. The UN Command fought on the side of South Korea and forever changed Ban’s life, inspiring him to become a man who fought for peace throughout his career. Nearly fifty years later, Ban was selected as the 8th Secretary General of the UN.
During his two terms as the 8th Secretary General, Ban discovered the challenges of international diplomacy in an increasingly splintered world.
“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.”
— Ban Ki-moon
Image credit to the United Nations Climate Change. Link to original image.
Why now? Globally, war and authoritarianism are on the rise.
In this film, we see how Ban’s ‘quiet diplomacy’ was 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.
From the creators of The Quiet Diplomat:
“This documentary is intimate, evocative, empathetic, and emotional with hours of UN footage — much of which has never been publicly seen. 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.”
Film press links:
Watch the Trailer
2024 NYC Screening with Ban Ki-moon
Interview with the Director Charles Lyons
Ban Ki-moon UN profile
Features interviews with:
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
Join us at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco
The very location where the UN Charter was signed 80 years ago, almost to the day!
401 Van Ness Ave,
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tuesday, June 24th
5 - 8 pm
$35 General Admission
Need tickets for a group? Want to sponsor someone attending?
Contact development@una-sf.org