presents

Innovation for All

United Nations

In partnership with the UN, HUMAN™ created Innovation For All to document and elevate a high-level convening on the future of technology, inclusion, and sustainable development. Through interviews with global leaders, tech pioneers, and frontline thinkers, the film calls for a bold new framework for innovation—one that is inclusive, ethical, and grounded in global equity.

Project Overview

Innovation for All

HUMAN worked directly with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, and the UN SDG Campaign to capture the SDG Innovation convening. A landmark gathering at United Nations Headquarters, the film poses a critical question for our time:and create the documentary Innovation For All. Directed by Jonathan Olinger, this film focuses on the future of humanity and the central question:

Can technology and innovation solve our most exigent crises, or will it drive further inequality?

This question is posed to the world’s leading thinkers and doers at the forefront of technology and innovation, alongside Permanent Representatives of Member States to the United Nations.

If we are to achieve the audacious goals of the SDGs, it is certain that we will need to create a framework for global and inclusive innovation that considers all people and all forms of life.

This gathering, held at the United Nations, brought together Heads of State and Governments, CEOs of major technology companies, and innovation and thought leaders to strengthen cooperation and solve major challenges for the people and the planet. Set against the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Innovation For All challenges viewers to imagine a world where digital advancement serves not just the few—but for all.

For more information, visit: http://innovation.sdgactioncampaign.org

2017

Case Study

United Nations

Innovation For All

A Case Study on HUMAN™’s Collaboration with the United Nations SDG Campaign

Overview

In an era defined by exponential technological advancement and existential planetary risk, the United Nations hosted an unprecedented global convening: a summit of innovators, technologists, and heads of state to reimagine the role of innovation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). HUMAN™ was invited to direct and produce a documentary that would do more than document the moment—it would provoke a question central to our collective future:

Can innovation be truly inclusive—or will it widen the gap between the few and the many?

Challenge

Innovation is often celebrated in isolation—as progress for its own sake. But at the UN level, the stakes are higher. Innovation must be interrogated: Who benefits? Who is left behind? The challenge for HUMAN™ was to craft a story that honored the potential of technological breakthroughs while critically examining their unintended consequences. The goal was not to promote innovation blindly—but to position it as a moral, political, and cultural reckoning.

Objectives

  • Frame Innovation as a Global Equity Issue: Shift the conversation from technological capability to ethical responsibility.
  • Amplify Diverse Voices: Feature not only CEOs and officials, but youth, Indigenous leaders, and activists from the Global South.
  • Build Urgency Around SDG Progress: Link the future of innovation to the survival of people and planet.
  • Inspire New Alliances: Use the film to catalyze partnerships between governments, tech companies, and civil society.

Creative Strategy

  • Inside the UN, Outside the Narrative Box: The film blends inside-access footage from the UN convening with wide-ranging interviews that challenge traditional development paradigms.
  • Visual Diplomacy: Crafted with cinematic gravitas and human warmth, the film moves from policy rooms to personal stories.
  • Thematic Anchoring: Each scene returns to the central tension: innovation as liberation—or domination.
  • Minimal Score, Maximum Message: A restrained sound design keeps attention on voices, pauses, and the power of the spoken word.

Campaign Elements

  1. Premier Film – Innovation For All
    Screened at the United Nations and distributed across digital UN channels and global innovation networks.
  2. Strategic Excerpts
    Modular scenes and thought-leader quotes provided for social media, briefing materials, and future convenings.
  3. Diplomatic Tool
    Used by UN member states and agencies to raise awareness and alignment around inclusive innovation policy.
  4. Global Website Hub
    Supported the film with additional resources, speaker bios, and action tools: innovation.sdgactioncampaign.org

Impact

Catalyst for Global Dialogue
Sparked conversation within and beyond the UN about ethical innovation, digital equity, and planetary stewardship.
Narrative Shift
Helped reposition innovation not as neutral or inevitable—but as a choice with moral consequences.
Cross-Sector Engagement
Brought together political leaders, civil society, and private-sector actors around a shared framework of inclusive technological progress.

Outcome

Innovation For All became a cinematic bridge between the future we can build and the values we must protect. By asking the hardest questions in the most influential halls of power, HUMAN™ helped craft a new kind of global diplomacy—one where ethics lead, inclusion guides, and innovation serves all.

Credits
Innovation for All

A HUMAN Film
HUMAN.us

Directed by
Jonathan Olinger

Executive Producers
Itai Madamombe
Mitchell Toomey
Gabrielle Lifton-Zoline

Produced by
Sarah Yourgrau

Cinematography by
Andrew Ellis

1st ACs
Maximillian Batchelder
Cory Maffucci

Gaffer
Zach Kuperstein

Key Grip
Garrett Doermann

Sound Recordist
Bryan Dembinski

DIT
Ryan Winsor

Additional Cinematography by
Ricky Norris
Jonathan Olinger

UN Cinematography by
John Montenero

Consulting Producer
Nadira Dossa

Hair and Makeup
Julie Pope

Artist / Stills Photographer
Malin Feahaiz

Production Assistants
Jacob From
Maria Piessis

Special Thanks to
Tencent

Tencent, one of the world’s largest technology companies, played a pivotal leadership role in this space by championing inclusive innovation at scale—leveraging its global reach and digital infrastructure to help shape a more equitable, connected future.

www.tencent.com

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