Dubai: in support of worldwide peace

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced that the documentary feature film, The Day After Peace, has been chosen as part of the Rhythm and Reels line up for 2008. This is in support of worldwide peace.

The film has a cultural bridge theme furthering the Festival’s mandate to create intercultural understanding through the language of Cinema. The screening at DIFF will be held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, Ruler of Dubai, who was recently named UN Messenger of Peace. The screening will be followed by performances from local and international artists, uniting around the most fundamental issue that humanity faces.

DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma stated,” In modern times like these, where practically anything is possible, it is our responsibility as human beings to strive for the greater good of human kind. We must do what we can for the wellbeing of people of all ages, genders and races. Adopting such initiatives and integrating them into the overall programme of DIFF is just a small step taken towards creating awareness and support for global causes”.

“The Day After Peace is a moving testament to the power of an individual and the perseverance of the human spirit. DIFF is an ardent supporter of films that address issues of conflict and promote global harmony. It is important to our mandate that we encourage screening and production of films that are meant for a wider audience raising general interest towards a cause of global concern,” commented Masoud Amralla al Ali, Artistic Director of DIFF.

The Day After Peace charts the remarkable 10-year journey of award winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish a globally recognized annual day of ceasefire and non-violence. A day that allows peace keepers and rescuers to go into war-torn areas and deliver much needed medical attention and survival amenities. The documentary features Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, the Dalai Lama, Annie Lennox and Kofi Annan, all of whom lent their support to his passionate efforts. The film’s breathtaking conclusion finds Gilley joined by Jude Law in Afghanistan, spearheading a massive vaccination against polio on Peace Day in 2007.

In 1981 and 2001 The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolutions establishing the 21st of September as International Day of Peace and urging “all nations and people” to commemorate the Day as an opportunity to promote peaceful resolutions of conflicts and to honour a cessation of hostilities during the day.The documentary will be showcased at the Royal Albert Hall in London onthis day. The screening will be followed by musical performances from Annie Lenox, Bryan Adams and John Legend, among other special guests.

Director and crusader for peace Jeremy Gilley, said, “It is amazing that DIFF is raising awareness for the 21st September, a day of cease fire, a day of non violence. I am really delighted that the film will be taking part in the Dubai International Film Festival. It is a great honor for us. I thank the organizers for doing that. I thank the people of Dubai who will be watching the film, spreading the word, because it is only by working together that we will create Peace One Day”

As part of the mandate of ‘Bridging Cultures, Meeting Minds,’ the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) screens a number of films in its various programming segments that advocate peace, inter-faith dialogue and tolerance through the medium of cinema. Some of the films screened in the past that have echoed similar themes include ‘The Peace Tree’ and ‘Two Women’ in 2007 and UNICEF’s ‘All the Invisible Children’ in 2006.

The dates of the landmark fifth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival are December 11-18, 2008.