Cinema for Peace
Encyclopedia
The Cinema for Peace initiative aims to raise awareness for the social relevance of films and to make active use of the influence of movies and documentaries on the perception and resolution of global social, political and humanitarian challenges of our time. Since 2002, the Cinema for Peace initiative has been inviting members of the film community, humanitarian and human rights activists, as well as international public figures to its annual gala in Berlin
to honor a selection of cinematic works on important humanitarian and environmental issues. The awards include: The Most Valuable Movie of the Year, The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year, The International Green Film Award, The Award for Justice, the International Human Rights Award and further Honorary Awards. In addition to bestowing awards, Cinema for Peace is also raising funds for the Cinema for Peace Foundation
and other charities.
launched the Cinema for Peace initiative with the annual gala as a platform for communicating humanitarian, political and social issues through the medium of film. Bob Geldof
described the awards gala as "the Oscars with brains". Since 2008, various projects initiated by the worldwide Cinema for Peace initiative are carried out by the charitable Cinema for Peace Foundation
, based in Berlin, chaired unsalaried by Jaka Bizilj.
In 2003 Dustin Hoffman
emphasized everyone’s moral responsibility and questioned the sense of going to war in Iraq. George Clooney
honored the work of Cinema for Peace after receiving an award for the Most Valuable Movie of the Year for Good Night, and Good Luck in 2006: “I want to thank you for this award. It means a lot to me because last time I was there for Cinema for Peace a couple of years ago (just before the Iraq war), after walking in and coming home to the United States I was called a traitor to my own country (…) It made me a little angry and I wrote a film because of that – so you can honestly say that you were an active participant in us making this film.”
In his keynote speech in 2007, Richard Gere
used the platform to remind the world not to forget about Tibet
: “Any time China is dealt with, Tibet must be brought up… Every time you hear the word ´China´, think about Tibet. Think what you can do to help. It can be done.”
In his address in 2009, Mikhail Gorbachev
reminded the world not to forget about the walls which still prevent the world of the urgently needed international and intercultural exchange and cooperation: "The Berlin Wall
has gone into history. Sadly there are still many walls existing today: the wall of suspicion, of disbelief, the wall between the rich and the poor. People must be realistic and see these walls! If this faith, which made the Fall of the Wall possible, had not existed in 1989, the Wall would not have fallen (…) Therefore these walls must be shattered and especially the walls in the minds and hearts of people, which I consider most important."
At the Cinema for Peace Gala 2010, honorary chair Mikhail Gorbachev stated in announcing Crude
the winner of the 2010 International Green Film Award: "I believe that cinema alone is capable of presenting the world with all its beauty but also with all of its dangers." And Leonardo DiCaprio added, "I wanted to give these people, these experts, these heros of mine that devoted their lives to these (environmental) issues a forum in which to speak that was not reduced to a ten second sound bite in the media. Giving them an opportunity to express what they learned in their entire lifetimes. And that is the importance of this event here tonight. He also called in his appeal for more environmental dedication: “Solving the environmental
crisis is our turning point; it is our next Berlin wall.”
At the tenth Cinema for Peace Gala in February 2011 Sean Penn
received the Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for his work with the J/P Haitian Relief Organization
from German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
. In his acceptance speech, Penn reflected on the current situation in Haiti and articulated the need to take responsibility for our actions. "I think we are the first generation that is going to survive long enough to be accountable for its actions and its lack of actions. And what we are primarily accountable for is the fairness, the equality that disallows poverty on the planet." Kahlid Nabawy, who played in the Cinema for Peace Award nominated film, Fair Game
with Penn, received a standing ovation for his speech on the recent revolution in Egypt
, pointing out that though many were injured and even killed, the revolution was peaceful overall.
to honour the humanitarian work of Sean Penn in Haiti
. At this occasion, together with Robert De Niro
, Leonardo DiCaprio
, Uma Thurman
, Jane Fonda
and Faye Dunaway
about 700,000 U.S. dollars were raised for his / J / P Haitian relief organization. Overall, as by mid 2011 the Cinema for Peace platform was able to collect more than three million Euro for charitable purposes, as confirmed by external audit. All donation proceeds are published to ensure complete transparency. The costs of all events are funded by sponsors. Iniator Jaka Bizilj and his production company Star Entertainment have been acting as largest sponsor in the period from 2002 to 2011.
Cinema for Peace distributed the Bosnian Oscar winning war satire No Man's Land (2001 film)
by Danis Tanovic
.
, Antonio Banderas
, Deepak Chopra
, George Clooney
, Catherine Deneuve
, Leonardo DiCaprio
, Bob Geldof
, Richard Gere
, Dustin Hoffman
, Elton John
, Nicole Kidman
, Sir Christopher Lee
, Sean Penn
, Tim Robbins
, Susan Sarandon
, Hilary Swank
, Wim Wenders
, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Nobel Peace Award Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev
.
,and the Human Rights Film Network, as well as various Honorary Awards.
The Most Valuable Film of the Year and the Most Valuable Documentary of the Year are judged by a committee of more than 100 filmmakers and humanitarians each year. The Honorary Award is dedicated each year to a person for outstanding social and/or political or environmental achievements.
In 2007, Cinema for Peace launched together with Amnesty International
the “International Human Rights Film Award” and in 2009, together with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, in The Hague, the “Cinema for Peace Award for Justice”. Cinema for Peace has awarded the "International Green Film Award" beginning in 2009, to honor members of the film community for an environmental movie or for outstanding achievements in raising awareness for green issues. The first Green Film Award Winner presented by Mikhail Gorbachev
was Leonardo DiCaprio
for his film The 11th Hour (film)
. In 2010, the ‘International Green Film Award’ was presented by Mikhail Gorbachev and Leonardo DiCaprio to Crude (2009 film) and director Joe Berlinger
. The 2011 International Green Film Award was presented by Opel Project Earth to "Jane's Journey", directed by Lorenz Knauer for his film exhibiting Jane Goodall
's travels in her fight to preserve endangered species around the world.
Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for Mikhail Gorbachev
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
on November 9 2009, former President Mikhail Gorbachev
received the Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for his central role in ending the Cold War
and paving the way for a peaceful reunification process in Germany. At the Cinema for Peace Honorary Dinner at the China Club in Berlin, Bob Geldof
, Plácido Domingo
and Hans-Dietrich Genscher
, German Foreign Minister during the reunification era, were the laudation speakers. The dinner was chaired among others by arts patrons Dieter Rosenkranz and Alexander Lebedev. Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks International
Bill Roedy presented on this occasion the MTV Free Your Mind
Award to President Gorbachev.
Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for Sean Penn
Two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn was awarded the Cinema for Peace Honorary Award in 2011 for his humanitarian work in New Orleans and Haiti. In January 2010, he founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization
to aid victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to honor a selection of cinematic works on important humanitarian and environmental issues. The awards include: The Most Valuable Movie of the Year, The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year, The International Green Film Award, The Award for Justice, the International Human Rights Award and further Honorary Awards. In addition to bestowing awards, Cinema for Peace is also raising funds for the Cinema for Peace Foundation
Cinema for Peace Foundation
The Cinema for Peace Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. It supports film-based projects dealing with global humanitarian and environmental issues.-History:...
and other charities.
History as a forum for free speech
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Jaka BiziljJaka Bizilj
Jaka Bizilj , born December 8, 1971 in Ljubljana, grew up in Slovenia, Libya, Tanzania, Malaysia and Germany. During his school and studies in politics, literature and film at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, he devoted himself to journalism. Jaka Bizilj posted articles and reports for...
launched the Cinema for Peace initiative with the annual gala as a platform for communicating humanitarian, political and social issues through the medium of film. Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
described the awards gala as "the Oscars with brains". Since 2008, various projects initiated by the worldwide Cinema for Peace initiative are carried out by the charitable Cinema for Peace Foundation
Cinema for Peace Foundation
The Cinema for Peace Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. It supports film-based projects dealing with global humanitarian and environmental issues.-History:...
, based in Berlin, chaired unsalaried by Jaka Bizilj.
In 2003 Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
emphasized everyone’s moral responsibility and questioned the sense of going to war in Iraq. George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
honored the work of Cinema for Peace after receiving an award for the Most Valuable Movie of the Year for Good Night, and Good Luck in 2006: “I want to thank you for this award. It means a lot to me because last time I was there for Cinema for Peace a couple of years ago (just before the Iraq war), after walking in and coming home to the United States I was called a traitor to my own country (…) It made me a little angry and I wrote a film because of that – so you can honestly say that you were an active participant in us making this film.”
In his keynote speech in 2007, Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
used the platform to remind the world not to forget about Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
: “Any time China is dealt with, Tibet must be brought up… Every time you hear the word ´China´, think about Tibet. Think what you can do to help. It can be done.”
In his address in 2009, Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
reminded the world not to forget about the walls which still prevent the world of the urgently needed international and intercultural exchange and cooperation: "The Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
has gone into history. Sadly there are still many walls existing today: the wall of suspicion, of disbelief, the wall between the rich and the poor. People must be realistic and see these walls! If this faith, which made the Fall of the Wall possible, had not existed in 1989, the Wall would not have fallen (…) Therefore these walls must be shattered and especially the walls in the minds and hearts of people, which I consider most important."
At the Cinema for Peace Gala 2010, honorary chair Mikhail Gorbachev stated in announcing Crude
Crude
Crude can refer to:* Petroleum in its unprocessed form , including:** Brent crude oil** Heavy crude oil** Light crude oil** Sweet crude oil*** Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil, a type of sweet crude** Synthetic crude oil**Crude jokes...
the winner of the 2010 International Green Film Award: "I believe that cinema alone is capable of presenting the world with all its beauty but also with all of its dangers." And Leonardo DiCaprio added, "I wanted to give these people, these experts, these heros of mine that devoted their lives to these (environmental) issues a forum in which to speak that was not reduced to a ten second sound bite in the media. Giving them an opportunity to express what they learned in their entire lifetimes. And that is the importance of this event here tonight. He also called in his appeal for more environmental dedication: “Solving the environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
crisis is our turning point; it is our next Berlin wall.”
At the tenth Cinema for Peace Gala in February 2011 Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
received the Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for his work with the J/P Haitian Relief Organization
J/P Haitian Relief Organization
J/P Haitian Relief Organization is a non-profit organization founded by the American actor Sean Penn in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti...
from German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
. In his acceptance speech, Penn reflected on the current situation in Haiti and articulated the need to take responsibility for our actions. "I think we are the first generation that is going to survive long enough to be accountable for its actions and its lack of actions. And what we are primarily accountable for is the fairness, the equality that disallows poverty on the planet." Kahlid Nabawy, who played in the Cinema for Peace Award nominated film, Fair Game
Fair Game
Fair Game is a 1995 action film directed by Andrew Sipes. It stars Cindy Crawford as family law attorney Kate McQuean and William Baldwin as Max Kirkpatrick, a Florida police officer...
with Penn, received a standing ovation for his speech on the recent revolution in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, pointing out that though many were injured and even killed, the revolution was peaceful overall.
Activities
In addition to the annual Cinema for Peace Gala in Berlin the initiative also stages further special encounters in Europe, the USA and Africa, to draw media attention to current issues and major projects as well as to human rights defenders and further particularly dedicated personalities. Thus on 18 May 2011 Cinema for Peace held its first dinner at the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
to honour the humanitarian work of Sean Penn in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. At this occasion, together with Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
and Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
about 700,000 U.S. dollars were raised for his / J / P Haitian relief organization. Overall, as by mid 2011 the Cinema for Peace platform was able to collect more than three million Euro for charitable purposes, as confirmed by external audit. All donation proceeds are published to ensure complete transparency. The costs of all events are funded by sponsors. Iniator Jaka Bizilj and his production company Star Entertainment have been acting as largest sponsor in the period from 2002 to 2011.
Cinema for Peace distributed the Bosnian Oscar winning war satire No Man's Land (2001 film)
No Man's Land (2001 film)
No Man's Land is a 2001 tragic war drama that is set in the midst of the Bosnian war. The film is a parable and marked the debut of Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanović...
by Danis Tanovic
Danis Tanovic
Danis Tanović is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter.Tanović is best known for having directed and written the script for the 2001 Bosnian movie No Man's Land which won an Academy Award. He was a member of the jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.-Biography:Danis Tanović was born in the...
.
Committee and supporters
Among the Cinema for Peace chairs, speakers and committee members have been, among many others, Buzz AldrinBuzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
, Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
, Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra now runs his own medical center, with a focus on...
, George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
, Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
, Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
, Sir Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
, Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
, Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
, Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Nobel Peace Award Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
.
Beneficiaries
Among the many beneficiaries and partners of the Cinema for Peace activities are:- the Cinema for Peace FoundationCinema for Peace FoundationThe Cinema for Peace Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. It supports film-based projects dealing with global humanitarian and environmental issues.-History:...
, - the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
agencies UNICEF and UNIFEMUNIFEMThe United Nations Development Fund for Women, commonly known as UNIFEM was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women's Year. Its first director was Dr. Margaret Snyder, Ph.D...
, - Sean PennSean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
's J/P Haitian Relief Organization, - Richard GereRichard GereRichard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
's "Healing the Divide" and the International Campaign for TibetInternational Campaign for TibetThe International Campaign for Tibet is a private non-profit advocacy group working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans, ensure their human rights, and protect the Tibetan culture and environment. Founded in 1988, ICT is the world's largest Tibet-related NGO, with a total membership of...
, which was initiated in a meeting with the Dalai LamaDalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in 2004, - "Schools for Africa" by UNICEF and the Nelson MandelaNelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
Foundation, - the Leonardo DiCaprioLeonardo DiCaprioLeonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
Fund http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/, - the Elton John Aids FoundationElton John AIDS FoundationElton John AIDS Foundation is one of the world's leading nonprofit organizations that was established by Sir Elton John in 1992 in the US * and 1993 in the UK * supporting innovative HIV/AIDS prevention, education programs, direct care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS.EJAF has...
http://www.ejaf.org/, - amfARAmfARamfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy.-History:...
http://www.amfar.org/, - the Gorbachev FoundationGorbachev FoundationThe Gorbachev Foundation is a non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, founded by the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1991 and began its work since January 1992. The foundation is active in researching the Perestroika era, current issues of Russian...
, - Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
- and the Human Rights Film Network.
Award history
The annual Cinema for Peace Awards seek to promote valuable films and attract worldwide attention to important social issues covered in films. The Awards include: The Most Valuable Film of the Year, The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year, The International Green Film Award, The Award for Justice, the International Human Rights Film Award (in cooperation with Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
,and the Human Rights Film Network, as well as various Honorary Awards.
The Most Valuable Film of the Year and the Most Valuable Documentary of the Year are judged by a committee of more than 100 filmmakers and humanitarians each year. The Honorary Award is dedicated each year to a person for outstanding social and/or political or environmental achievements.
In 2007, Cinema for Peace launched together with Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
the “International Human Rights Film Award” and in 2009, together with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, in The Hague, the “Cinema for Peace Award for Justice”. Cinema for Peace has awarded the "International Green Film Award" beginning in 2009, to honor members of the film community for an environmental movie or for outstanding achievements in raising awareness for green issues. The first Green Film Award Winner presented by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
was Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
for his film The 11th Hour (film)
The 11th Hour (film)
The 11th Hour is a 2007 documentary film, created, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, on the state of the natural environment. It was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners and financed by Adam Lewis and Pierre André Senizergues, and distributed by Warner Independent...
. In 2010, the ‘International Green Film Award’ was presented by Mikhail Gorbachev and Leonardo DiCaprio to Crude (2009 film) and director Joe Berlinger
Joe Berlinger
Joseph "Joe" Berlinger is an American documentary film-maker who, in collaboration with Bruce Sinofsky, has created such films as Paradise Lost about the West Memphis 3, Brother's Keeper, Some Kind of Monster, and Crude....
. The 2011 International Green Film Award was presented by Opel Project Earth to "Jane's Journey", directed by Lorenz Knauer for his film exhibiting Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
's travels in her fight to preserve endangered species around the world.
Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for Mikhail Gorbachev
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
on November 9 2009, former President Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
received the Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for his central role in ending the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and paving the way for a peaceful reunification process in Germany. At the Cinema for Peace Honorary Dinner at the China Club in Berlin, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
and Hans-Dietrich Genscher
Hans-Dietrich Genscher
Hans-Dietrich Genscher is a German politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party . He served as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany from 1974 to 1982 and, after a two-week pause, from 1982 to 1992, making him Germany's longest serving Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor...
, German Foreign Minister during the reunification era, were the laudation speakers. The dinner was chaired among others by arts patrons Dieter Rosenkranz and Alexander Lebedev. Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks International
MTV Networks International
MTV Networks International is a division of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom. MTV Networks International includes the management and branding of 68 MTV channels around the world and other brands associated with MTV such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central VH1, TMF, VIVA and Game One...
Bill Roedy presented on this occasion the MTV Free Your Mind
Free Your Mind
"Free Your Mind" is the name of a Grammy Award-nominated hit single released by the American all-female R&B group En Vogue. Released on September 24, 1992 "Free Your Mind" is the third single released from En Vogue's critically acclaimed album Funky Divas...
Award to President Gorbachev.
Cinema for Peace Honorary Award for Sean Penn
Two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn was awarded the Cinema for Peace Honorary Award in 2011 for his humanitarian work in New Orleans and Haiti. In January 2010, he founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization
J/P Haitian Relief Organization
J/P Haitian Relief Organization is a non-profit organization founded by the American actor Sean Penn in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti...
to aid victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
2011
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to Of Gods and Men for showing the importance of community and morality
- Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Documentary of the Year to Skateistan – Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul for displaying the unifying power of sports in a war-torn country
- Cinema for Peace Award for Justice to Blood in the MobileBlood in the MobileBlood in the Mobile is a 2010 documentary film by Danish film director Frank Piasecki Poulsen. The film addresses the issue of conflict minerals by examining illegal cassiterite mining in the North-Kivu province in eastern DR Congo...
for uncovering the connection between the mobile phone industry and the civil war in the Congo - International Human Rights Film Award in cooperation with Amnesty International and the Human Rights Film Network to Father Marco Arana Zegarra in The Devil Operation for protecting his people against an aggressive Peruvian mining operation despite death threats
- Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award presented by Opel Project Earth, 1st Prize to Jane's Journey for exhibiting Jane Goodall’s fight to preserve the endangered species of our planet
- Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award presented by Opel Project Earth, 2nd Prize to A Message from Pandora for supporting indigenous people in their struggle to maintain their homeland and protect the environment
- Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award presented by Opel Project Earth, 3rd Prize to Harmony for showing examples of how to fight global warming and protect our eco-system
- Cinema for Peace Honorary Award to Sean Penn for his aid work with the J/P Haitian Relief Organization
- Cinema for Peace Award for Fighting AIDS to the CEO of MTV Bill Roedy for the “Staying Alive” campaign, the “Ignite” campaign and “Shuga”
2010
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to The White RibbonThe White RibbonThe White Ribbon is a 2009 Austrian-German film, released in black and white, written and directed by Michael Haneke. The drama darkly depicts society and family in a northern German village just before World War I...
and Michael HanekeMichael HanekeMichael Haneke is a German born Austrian filmmaker and writer best known for his bleak and disturbing style. His films often document problems and failures in modern society. Haneke has worked in television‚ theatre and cinema. He is also known for raising social issues in his work...
, Stefan ArndtStefan ArndtStefan Arndt is a German film producer and managing partner of X Filme Creative Pool, which he started with fellow friends Tom Tykwer, Wolfgang Becker and Dani Levy. X Filme is one of Germany's most prospourus and famous production companies...
, Klaus Chatten and Burghart KlaußnerBurghart KlaußnerBurghart Klaußner is a German film actor. He has appeared in 50 films since 1983.-Selected filmography:* The Riddle of the Sands * Just a Matter of Duty * Good Bye Lenin! * The Edukators...
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Documentary to 'The Picture of the Napalm Girl' by Marc Wiese, Nick Út and Kim Phúc
- Cinema for Peace Award for Justice presented by Luis Moreno-Ocampo to 'Children of War' and Bryan Single, to 'The Stoning of Soraya M.' by Cyrus Nowrasteh and to 'Women in Shroud' by Mohammad Reza Kazemi and Farid Haerinejad
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Work of a Director/Actor/Producer of the Year to 'Triage' and Danis Tanovic, Cedomir Kolar, Colin FarrellColin FarrellColin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
and Sir Christopher Lee
- International Human Rights Film Award in cooperation with Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and the Human Rights Film Network to 'Tibet in Song' and Ngawang Choephel
- Cinema for Peace Award for Reconciliation to 'Five Minutes of Heaven' and Oliver Hirschbiegel, Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt
- Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award presented by Mikhail GorbachevMikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and Leonardo DiCaprioLeonardo DiCaprioLeonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
to 'Crude' and Joe Berlinger
- Cinema for Peace Honorary Award to 'As We Forgive' and Laura Waters Hinson and President of Ruanda Paul Kagame
2009
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to 'Milk' and Gus Van Sant, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, Dustin Lance Black, Michael London and Sean Penn
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Documentary of the Year to 'The Heart of Jenin' and Ismael Khatib, Leon Geller, Marcus Vetter
- Cinema for Peace Award for Justice to 'Pray the Devil Back to Hell' and Gini Reticker, Abigail Disney, Vaiba Flomo
- International Human Rights Film Award in cooperation with Amnesty International and the Human Rights Film Network to 'Burma VJ – Reporting form a Closed Country' and Anders Østergaard, Lise Lense-Møller, Aung Htun and The Democratic Voice of Burma
- Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Inspirational Movie of the Yearto 'The Day After Peace' and Jeremy Gilley & Peace One Day, to 'Menachem and Fred' and Menachem Mayer, Fred Raymes, Jens Meurer, Ofra Tevet and Ronit Kertsner and to 'Valkyrie' and Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Christian Berkel, Matthias Schweighöfer, Bryan Singer and Philipp von Schulthess
- Cinema for Peace Award for Contribution to the UN Millennium Development Goals to '8' and Jane Campion, Gael Garcìa Bernal, Jan Kounen, Mira Nair, Gaspar Noé, Abderrahmane Sissako, Gus van Sant and Wim Wenders
- International Green Film Award to Leonardo DiCaprio
- Cinema for Peace Honorary Award to Roger Waters
2008
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to 'Persepolis' and Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Documentary of the Year to 'Trouble' and Ralf Schmerberg and Dropping Knowledge
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Work of Director, Producer or Screenwriter for 'Juno' and Jason Reitman, Diablo Cody, John Malkovich, Mason Novick, Russel Smith and Lianne Halfon
- Cinema for Peace Best Short Film Award to 'The Spirit' and Joseph Fiennes
- International Human Rights Film Award in cooperation with Amnesty International and the Human Rights Film Network to Malalai Joya and 'Enemies of Happiness'
- Clean Energy Award to 'Earth' and Alix Tidmarsh, Sophokles Tasioulis, Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, Nikolaus Weil and Stefan Beiten
- Cinema for Peace Honorary Award to Ben Kingsley for portraying Simon Wiesenthal, Itzhak Stern in 'Schindlers List' and Mahatma Gandhi
2007
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to Clint Eastwood for 'Flags of our Fathers' and 'Letters' from Iwo Jima
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Director of the Year to Bille August for 'Goodbye Bafana'
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Actor of the Year to Forest Whitaker in 'The Last King of Scotland'
- Pioneer Award to Bob Geldof
- International Human Rights Film Award in cooperation with Amnesty International and the Human Rights Film Network for 'Coca – The Dove from Chechnya' and Eric Bergkraut
- Cinema for Peace Brehm & V. Moers Talent Grant to 'I Don`t Feel Like Dancing'
2006
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to George Clooney and Grant Heslov for 'Good Night, and Good Luck'
- Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Work of a Director, Producer or Screenwriter to David Yates und Richard Curtis for 'The Girl in the Café'
- Cinema for Peace Honorary Award to Michael Winterbottom
2005
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to Terry George, Alex Kitman Ho, Sam Bhembe, Roberto Cicutto and Don Cheadle for 'Hotel Rwanda'
2004
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Yearto John Boorman und Robert Chartoff for 'Country of My Skull'
- Cinema for Peace Honorary Award to Lars von Trier
2003
- Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Movie of the Year to Danis Tanovic for 'No Man's Land'
2002
- 'Cinema for Peace Honorary Award' to Istvàn Szabo for portraying the Jewish struggle for survival after WWII