On May 5th-7th, 2006, Global Peace Film will celebrate and showcase films furthering the goal of global peace with its first sister film festival event in Beppu City, Japan. The event marks the international expansion of The Global Peace Film Festival, which has been held annually in Orlando, Florida for three years, focusing on films utilizing the power, drama and creativity of the motion picture to communicate positive messages.
Held in honor of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations and the remembrance of the end of WWll, the event will feature groundbreaking films, speakers, symposiums, art exhibits and concerts as well as the first Global Peace Film Entertainment Industry Council meeting. Film industry members from around the world will nominate an attending notable individual to be honored for their creative work by the film industry, the host city and the festival. An awards ceremony will also honor films and Peace Ambassadors.
With an advisory board including Yoko Ono, Philippe Cousteau, Richard Gere, Philip Glass, Lee Grant, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen and members of the United Nations, such as Anwarul K. Chowdhury, UN Under Secretary, who will attend, among many other notables, Global Peace Film’s mission is not one of politics or activism, but one of education, understanding and tolerance. The focus for the Beppu City festival and Global Peace Film is showcasing films and stories from around the world where seemingly impossible conflict is resolved with peace and where individuals take responsibility to create peace in their lives, impacting their communities and the world.
Films to be screened in Beppu City include Mexico’s Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Language Film, Innocent Voices. The film is a child soldier’s tale based upon the true-life experiences of Oscar Torres, who was recruited at 12 to fight in El Salvador’s Civil War in the 1980’s. Torres, a co-screenwriter of the film, will be attending the event. The festival will also host the world premiere of In Between, a supernatural drama connecting people’s lives after the events of 9/11; Trudell, the life story of John Trudell, poet, prophet, and activist and his message of active, personal responsibility; What The Bleep Do We Know?, a cult favorite questioning reality and Favela Rising, a documentary about Brazil’s tough slum neighborhoods and the fight against violence through music and dance.
Coinciding with the United Nation’s International Day of Peace (www.internationaldayofpeace.org), The Global Peace Film Festival will be held in Orlando, Florida on September 14th-21, 2006.
