Look To The Stars News: Jeremy Gilley

Annie Lennox Hosts Amnesty Arts Fund Launch

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Singer Annie Lennox hosted the launch of the Amnesty Arts Fund at The Twentieth Century Theatre in London last night, September 25.

The Amnesty Arts Fund brings together people who believe passionately in freedom of expression and projects which have the potential to reach new audiences and inspire creative activism around the world. Amnesty International has a long and proud tradition of working with creative industries and individuals to raise awareness for human rights issues across the globe. This work has inspired change, action and momentum throughout the audiences which have been reached. The launch event celebrated past, current and future creative projects and creative activism.

“Arts and artists have the unique power to bring people together and inspire positive action,” said Lennox. “The Amnesty Arts Fund recognizes that power and uses it to call for change.”

The Amnesty Arts Fund will provide essential resources and funding to creative projects across the arts including film, photography, music, fashion, art, comedy, theatre and literature. It will also support creative projects and individuals to ensure that the human stories behind the statistics and reports of global human rights violations are understood and brought further into the public consciousness. Founding members include Elton John and Nicolas Cage.

Lennox’s attendance at the launch follows her appearance at the World Peace Day concert at the Royal Albert Hall on September 21. The concert – which also featured Bryan Adams, John Legend, and Peter Gabriel – was a resounding success, and raised awareness for the annual Peace One Day campaign founded by Jeremy Gilley.

To view a video of the Peace Day Concert, visit the iConcerts website, or to hear Annie Lennox talk about the Amnesty Arts Fund, click here.

Jude Law's Peace Tour

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Jude Law returned to Afghanistan earlier this week for a two-day mission in support of Peace One Day and UNICEF.

Film director and Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley was also on-hand, encouraging people to once again observe Peace Day on September 21st as part of Peace One Day’s global campaign for ceasefires and non-violence.

While in Kabul, the pair screened a new documentary, The Day After Peace, about how ordinary people in Afghanistan are working towards an end to the conflict.

The documentary shows the events that took place in Afghanistan in September of 2007, and highlights the support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization. The two groups have immunized 1.4 million children against polio, with last September seeing more than 10,000 vaccinators visiting insecure areas of the country as part of a ‘National Immunization Days’ polio immunization campaign.

“This is about saving lives despite anyone’s political beliefs. We hope to see the same commitments that we saw last year from all parties to the conflict. Our goal is to reach every child in Afghanistan,” said said UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Catherine Mbengue.

Peace One Day supporters will celebrate 21 September with a special concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London featuring Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams and John Legend. Law is also scheduled to attend as one of the special guests. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Peace One Day website.

Said Law: “The message is simple. What will you do to make peace on 21 September?”

New York City To Host Peace Day Concert

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

New York City has been named the latest venue of a Peace Day Concert, and will rock the Nokia Theatre 12 days before London’s extravaganza.

Grammy-award winning singers Annie Lennox and Bryan Adams will perform acoustic sets alongside international sensation Natasha Bedingfield during the September 9 concert. The evening will also feature video messages of peace from celebrities and artists including Jude Law and Lenny Kravitz, speeches from international luminaries, and clips from the acclaimed documentary, The Day After Peace, will add to a remarkable night of entertainment.

“What I love about Jeremy Gilley and the Peace One Day campaign, is that the whole thing was started by just one individual who is trying to make difference, despite the odds,” said Annie Lennox, who also took part in last year’s concert in London. “We all have so much potential, but we don’t tend to realize it, so we take it for granted. The work of Peace One Day encourages and inspires people to think about we can all do, both at individual and “collective” levels. There are better and alternative means to conflict resolution than “killing and maiming the enemy”. Political leaders and power brokers have too much invested in the industry of war, rather than implementing peaceful solutions. What is life without peace? Peace is for the highest good, and as a global community it is one of the things we need to value above everything.”

Proceeds from the concert, which will also be televised, will assist the organization’s ongoing mission to raise awareness of Peace Day. As a direct result of Peace One Day’s campaigning in 2007, 1.4 million Afghanistan children were vaccinated against polio, and 100 million people in 200 countries were engaged in Peace Day activities.

Tickets to both the NYC and London Peace Day Concerts are available through www.ticketmaster.com.

Peace Day Concert 2008 To Rock London

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

After last year’s sell out show, the annual Peace One Day concert is set to rock the Royal Albert Hall in London.

World Peace Day has been held on September 21 annually since 2001, when the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted September 21 as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. The initiative came from an idea by Jeremy Gilley, who founded his non-profit organization – Peace One Day – in 1999. Since then he has amassed an impressive list of supporters, including Chris Martin, Sir Richard Branson, Angelina Jolie, Alan Rickman, and Michael Douglas.

This year’s concert will see performances from Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams, and a guest appearance from Jude Law. There will also be a gala screening of The Day After Peace, the acclaimed new documentary film made by Jeremy Gilley. The film, which received a great reception at its premiere during the 61st Cannes Film Festival, features Kofi Annan, The Dalai Lama, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Annie Lennox and Jonny Lee Miller.

The 2007 concert featured acts such as Corinne Bailey Rae, Kate Nash, James Morrison, and Yusuf, with video segments from David Beckham and the Dalai Lama.

Tickets to the 2008 Peace Day Concert can be bought from Ticketmaster, and cost between £35 and £55.

Stars Hold Bed-In For Peace

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:36:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Thirty nine years ago, celebrities didn’t have to travel round the world to give peace a chance. They didn’t need to rush to the poorest places, be seen at the flashiest charity parties, donate their old clothes to online auctions (well, they didn’t have the internet, so that last one was definitely out of the question). All they needed to do was stay in bed. Just ask John Lennon and Yoko Ono. OK, so you can’t exactly ask John Lennon, but you get the idea. Because back in 1969, when that illustrious pair held their famous bed-ins for peace, the world was a much simpler place – people wore their hair long, their feet bare, and smiled more than today. And believe it or not, history repeated itself last week.

Award-winning actress and peace activist Maggie Gyllenhaal, founder of Peace One Day Jeremy Gilley, and Roy Kerwood, original photographer from Lennon’s 1969 Montreal Bed-in, spent the day in bed at the Ben & Jerry’s Times Square Scoop Shop in New York to launch a John Lennon tribute flavor, “Imagine Whirled Peace,” and announce a new social mission partnership between the ice cream makers and Peace One Day last week.

The bed-in followed a nation-wide competition held by Ben And Jerry’s Ice Creams to identify modern-day peace activists who embody the values set forth by Lennon through their work to create positive change in the world. The winners were presented with $10,000 each to donate to the peace charities of their choice.

“As a company that has supported peace initiatives throughout our thirty year history, Ben & Jerry’s is thrilled to continue its commitment through a joint effort with Peace One Day,” said Walt Freese, Chief Euphoria Officer of Ben & Jerry’s. “Founder Jeremy Gilley has worked tirelessly to help create a UN recognized annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence, now universally known as Peace Day. We applaud his efforts and are excited to join his mission to encourage people to recognize and celebrate Peace Day, and to support Peace One Day’s event on September 21st.”

The John Lennon tribute flavor, “Imagine Whirled Peace,” is described as a caramel and sweet cream based ice cream with toffee cookies and chocolate peace signs, and was developed to support Ben & Jerry’s social mission campaign.

“When Ben & Jerry’s decided to engage in a campaign about peace, we couldn’t think of a better person to exemplify the message than John Lennon,” said Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s. “Through his art and lyrics he imagined a world without war and asked us all to ‘Give Peace a Chance.’ We’re urging people to log on to www.PeaceOneDay.org and to make their own commitment to Peace Day.”

I just hope they didn’t drop any ice cream in the bed.

Jude Law Champions Annual Day Of Peace

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:58:54 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Jude Law has just presented the new film he is featured in along with David Beckham – The Day After Peace – at the Cannes film festival.

The brainchild of Jeremy Gilley – who believes that media has a responsibility in the messages and images it distributes to the world – The Day After Peace is a film documenting his past 10 years of campaigning the world over for support of an official annual day of peace – September 21.

One of Gilley’s successes, a UN resolution to support the day, came in 2001. However, on September 11, the scheduled day of the announcement, the 9/11 tragedy unfolded in New York postponing Gilley’s victory.

Another of his achievements was the halting of warring factions in Afghanistan during 2007’s Day of Peace so that over one million children could be vaccinated against polio.

His past decade of persuasion has not been limited to politicians and non-profits, though. He has also gone after big business for support of a day of non-violence, as well as to people on the ground.

Law joined Gilley on a trip to Afghanistan last year to find out what was really going on. “Feeling first-hand the presence of the frontline, being able to feel the hope of the people,” Law told the BBC. “There’s a very cynical, violent image of Afghanistan. My overall impression of this country is one of great hope.”

Peace Day seems to be catching on. Last year almost 30 million people participated in Peace events across the globe. Annie Lennox – who performed in the Peace One Day concert in London – said, “Something that’s of common interest to every man, woman and child on the planet must surely be the notion of peace.”

Both Gilley and Law couldn’t agree more. They want to get a simple message out there: that anyone can make a difference. Gilley says, “You can be an ordinary person with no qualifications and you can have an idea that could save people’s lives.”

Jude Law to Make Film in Afghanistan For World Peace Day

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:37:25 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British actor Jude Law is to film a new documentary for the BBC in Afghanistan, as part of the lead up to World Peace Day on September 21.

The 35 year old star of “Cold Mountain” and “The Road To Perdition” will join documentary maker and humanitarian Jeremy Gilley in a film about the effects of war on Afghan children, and the efforts of UNICEF to provide aid. The pair will also record the preparations made by UNICEF in the war-torn country to celebrate this year’s World Peace Day.

“This is a historic project, rooted in film,” said Law. “I’m immensely proud to be a part of it.”

World Peace Day has been held annually since 2001, when the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted September 21 as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. The initiative came from an idea by Jeremy Gilley, who founded his non-profit organization, Peace One Day, in 1999. Since then he has amassed an impressive list of supporters, including Chris Martin, Sir Richard Branson, Angelina Jolie, Alan Rickman, and Michael Douglas.

As well as the documentary, Gilley is also organizing a charity concert event at the Royal Albert Hall on World Peace Day 2007. Annie Lennox will join James Morrison, Beth Orton, and Corinne Bailey Rae for a night of music and performances benefiting Peace One Day. The show will also contain video messages from Jude Law and David Beckham.

“This process is about creating an annual moment of global unity,” said Law, regarding the work of Peace One Day and the upcoming concert. “It can only work if we all become involved, and it’s essential that we do”.

Concert tickets can be purchased online at www.peaceoneday.org.

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