Sergio Viera de Mello: En Route to Baghdad

Simone Duarte's moving documentary honors one of the most dignified martyrs to the cause of world peace: Sergio Viera de Mello, who was appointed as the United Nations' special envoy to Iraq following the American-led invasion and occupation. On August 19, 2003, Viera de Mello was among 22 people killed by a bomb set off outside U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. This documentary traces Viera de Mello's career in diplomacy, with stops in such thorny outposts as Bangladesh, Lebanon, Cyprus, Mozambique, Cambodia, Yugoslavia, and East Timor. Viera de Mello's legacy as a compassionate, non-political, sincere diplomat is recalled here in a series of talking-head interviews featuring Cambodia's King Sihanouk, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke, and Nobel laureate and former East Timor Foreign Minister Joaquim Chissano, among others. The film never turns into a hagiography; rather, it calls attention to the issues of political refugees, economic development, civil rights, and the end of military actions, while also providing a detailed reminder of the importance of the U.N. humanitarian efforts in corners of the world where American attention is either fleeting or nonexistent. DVD extras include an extended interview with Annan. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)