Presjrress Releasiteiease United Nations Department of Public Information • News Coverage and Accreditation Service * New York

Note No. 5427 28 July 1997

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS

WORLD PREMIERE OF FIRST WINNIE THE POOH MOVIE IN 20 YEARS TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS. 31 JULY

"Pooh's Grand Adventure: "The Search for ", an animated children's film produced by Home Video, will have its world premiere at Headquarters on 31 July. The screening will take place at 7 p.m. in Conference Room 4, following a 6 p.m. premiere party for children at the Visitors' Plaza.

Pooh and other costumed characters from the film will be present at the premiere party. In honour of Friendship Day, 5 August, Mrs. Nane Annan, wife of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, will present Pooh with a plague symbolically naming him honorary Ambassador of Friendship to the World's Children.

Winnie the Pooh was created by British author A.A. Milne in 1924 and first brought to the screen by Walt Disney in 1956, with animation based on E.H. Shepard's original book illustrations. These classic children's stories relate the adventures of a young boy, Christopher Robin, and his assortment of animal friends who, with their different strengths and weaknesses, help each other out of all kinds of mishaps.

In "Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin", Christopher Robin does not know how to tell Pooh that he is about to leave for school. Rather than break the news in person, he leaves a note which Pooh, , , Owl and wildly misread -- leading them to set out on a perilous journey to rescue their friend from "Skull",

The event is being organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI), with the cooperation of the Office of Support Services. "We hope that holding the premiere at the United Nations will highlight the relevance of the United Nations to children, generate renewed interest in the Organization's work, and encourage young people the world over to learn what each of them can do in bonding ties of friendship and understanding among different cultures to bring about peace and harmony", said Samir Sanbar, Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information.

For further information, call 212-963-6923. For media accreditation: 212-963-6934. For United Nations television coverage: 212-963-7650.

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