"What is so powerful that it can make you overcome your greatest fear...turn your brother into an enemy...and leave wounds that scar long after the fighting is over? What is so potent, it passes effortlessly from mother to child...from generation to generation?"
The answer: "Hunger—so deadly it kills 25,000 people a day."
These questions are being asked by actors Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connelly, two stars of the newly released Warner Bros.'s film Blood Diamond, in a new public service announcement (PSA) for the World Food Programme (WFP). The PSA will start showing in all CineStar theatres in the UAE.
"It's great to be able to give something back to the community. Our philosophy at CineStar is that it is incumbent upon all of us who are in a position to help those in need to do so," said Natasha Sawhney, Marketing Manager, CineStar Cinemas. "WFP's efforts to combat hunger are admirable and we are proud to be associated with them" This partnership is a clear reflection of CineStar & Motivate Val Morgan's high regard for corporate social responsibility" added Sawhney.
WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency, hopes that the exposure generated by the Warner Bros. Pictures film will help raise much-needed awareness of hunger and poverty, which stalk more than 850 million people globally. The film includes scenes depicting realistic aid operations as undertaken by WFP in the '90s while feeding thousands of war victims who fled within Sierra Leone and to neighbouring countries. At the time, WFP aid workers witnessed acute humanitarian needs and untold levels of violence and cruelty, similar to those depicted in the movie.
"Hunger is often the root cause of desperate acts by desperate people," said Neil Gallagher, WFP's Director of Communications. "Cinema is a very powerful medium to help generate greater awareness and concern about hunger, an issue largely ignored and little understood in the western world, where most people are far more worried about their waistlines."
"Hunger is bad governance, hunger is need, hunger is poverty, hunger is any number of things," said Edward Zwick, the director of Blood Diamond. "It's the outgrowth of something that is systemic, and when you have in place some system that is not enriching the lives of people whose country is being exploited, that leads to hunger. I think that exists in many areas of Africa, and in other parts of the world."
Zwick continued, "As filmmakers, we want to be accurate and, in so many circumstances, the World Food Program has been at the center of refugee camps and present in countries in distress—in Sierra Leone and in other places. So if we, in the context of a movie, can put that image and the knowledge in front of a whole host of people who don't know about it, then we're doing well by them."
Some of the photographs used in the film trailer are part of a WFP/Benetton campaign launched in 2003, called "Hunger", which featured powerful, intimate photos of war victims, including ex-combatants and amputees.
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WFP teams up with Cine-Star & Motivate Val Morgan to launch new PSA from "Blood Diamond" movie in the UAE
- United Arab Emirates: Saturday, February 03 - 2007 at 13:36
- PRESS RELEASE
CineStar Cinemas & Motivate Val Morgan have put their generosity where their heart is by sponsoring public service announcements prior to the movie "Blood Diamond" to help raise awareness of the work done by WFP.
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Notes and media contacts
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.WFP Global School Feeding Campaign - For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy meal at school - a gift of hope for a brighter future.
WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest press releases, videos and photos as they are published on WFP.org.
WFP now has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way interviews with WFP officials.
About Cine-Star and Motivate Val Morgan:
Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising is a joint venture between Motivate Publishing and Val Morgan Cinema Advertising, formed to represent the screen advertising interests of leading cinemas in the Middle East.
The joint venture is a natural extension of the core business activities of both companies. Motivate Publishing's experience and profile at the top end of the advertising sales market is complemented by Val Morgan's experience and understanding of the cinema advertising market.
Motivate Val Morgan has exclusive contracts to represent the screen advertising interests of leading cinemas in the Middle East, including the prestigious multiplex cinemas operated by Cinestar Cinemas among other.
Motivate Val Morgan will continue to drive change and growth through the development of cinema advertising in the Middle East region.
About CineStar Cinemas:
Since its arrival in 1999, CineStar has changed the face of the cinema industry in the UAE. It is typical of CineStar's efforts to provide a world-class cinema experience to moviegoers who value both quality and luxury. Each of their forty auditoriums features the latest in sight and sound technology and the comfort of high-backed couple seats set in a stadium-style arrangement, allowing each viewer an unobstructed view of the wall-to-wall screen. VIP seating is also available at CineStar Deira City Centre and the Gold Class cinemas in Mall of the Emirates and Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi offer fully reclining armchairs in an intimate environment with a separate lounge area. Each CineStar also has a Candy Bar offering an extensive range of drinks and snacks and extended dining offerings are available at Oscar's Diner-Café-Gelaterie in CineStar Mall of the Emirates and The Star Lounge café in CineStar Deira City Centre, Ajman City Centre and Marina Mall.
www.cinestarcinemas.com
CineStar SMS 2992
• Deira City Centre, Dubai (11 Cinemas), Deira City Center: telephone 04 294 9000
• Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi (9 Cinemas): telephone 02 681 8484
• Ajman City Centre, Ajman (6 Cinemas): telephone 06 748 2555
• Mall of the Emirates, Dubai (14 cinemas), Dubai 04- 3414222
CineStar- that's what I want!
For more information please contact:
Zeina Habib, WFP/Dubai-Gulf,
Tel: +971 4 3681383,
Natasha Sawhney, CineStar Cinemas/ Dubai,
Tel: +9714- 2940222,
Fax: +9714 - 2940223
Marilyn Egdani-Gonzales, Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising FZ LLC/Dubai Media City, Tel:+971 4 3903553,
Fax: +971 4 3904845
Posted by Lara Lynn Golden, News EditorSaturday, February 03 - 2007 at 13:36 UAE local time (GMT+4)
Replication or redistribution in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AME Info FZ LLC / Emap Limited.
This article was updated on Sun Feb 04 2007.
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