Jaka Bizilj

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Jaka Bizilj
Born8 December 1971
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Alma materUniversity of Mainz
Occupation(s)German writer, promoter, film producer
Jaka Bizilj in 2009 Jaka Bizilj - Inauguration Sports for Peace (cropped).JPG
Jaka Bizilj in 2009

Jaka Bizilj is a German writer, promoter, and film producer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Cinema for Peace Foundation.

Contents

Bizilj was born on the 8th of December 1971 in Ljubljana, Slovenia and grew up in Slovenia, Libya, Tanzania, Malaysia and Germany. [1] He studied politics, literature and film at the German University of Mainz and went on to become a journalist and political activist.

Promoter and producer

Jaka Bizilj is a writer, promoter, and producer. He began organizing concerts in 1995 with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Bryan Adams, Montserrat Caballe and Liza Minnelli and toured with artists such as José Carreras. Since the end of the 1990s, he has been working internationally as a producer and was the largest presenter of open-air opera in Europe for many years. He has staged up to 700 concerts and live productions per year. Among his productions are concerts with the film music of movies like "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings", "The Hobbit", "Star Trek", the music of Hans Zimmer. Others include "Magic of the Dance", Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita", Elton John’s musical Aida and the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde. He has also launched several cultural festivals.

In 2002, he founded the Cinema for Peace initiative [2] and in 2008 the Cinema for Peace Foundation [3] to create awareness of the social relevance of films and the influence of movies on the perception and resolution of global social, political, and humanitarian challenges of our time.

Through Cinema for Peace, Bizilj has also been involved in the production of films, including the Richard Curtis remake “Suddenly Gina  [ de ]” and the documentary “Letter to Anna” about Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. [4] He was also involved in the realization of the documentary "This Prison Where I Live" about the detained Myanmar comedian "Zarganar" and the recent film productions "After the Silence" and raised funds for the development of the film "Song of Names" with Dustin Hoffman and Anthony Hopkins.

Charity

Bizilj distributed the Bosnian Oscar-winning war-satire "No Man's Land" by Danis Tanovic. Ahead of the G8 Summit in Germany, he produced at the initiative of Bob Geldof and Richard Curtis a remake of the Golden Globe-winning film "The Girl in the Café" with Iris Berben, Julia Jentsch, Jan Josef Liefers, and Catherine Deneuve in 2007.[ citation needed ]

Together with the Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court, he organized with the Cinema for Peace Foundation - "The Special Evening on Justice" on the eve of the International Criminal Court Review Conference of the Rome Statute in Kampala, Uganda.[ citation needed ] The Cinema for Peace Foundation presented on this occasion the first "Justitia Award" to honour the United Nations and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for establishing and supporting the International Criminal Court. The award was presented to Ban Ki-moon by the Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador Bianca Jagger. [5]

On 8 June 2010, Bizilj hosted the "Sports for Peace" gala[ citation needed ] on the occasion of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa - the world's biggest single sporting event and the first ever FIFA World Cup to take place in Africa - bringing together the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, South African President Jacob Zuma, Madama Graça Machel, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, 1Goal Ambassadors and many other dignitaries from across the globe to address this serious issue - the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG): "achieve universal primary education by 2015". [6]

In 2011, he organized for the first time a Cinema for Peace Dinner in Cannes [7] and accompanied the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to Wiesbaden with a film program and a charity dinner to support the culture of Tibet. [8]

Bizilj produced the Los Angeles premiere of Cinema for Peace in January 2012 by staging “Help Haiti Home” benefiting Sean Penn's J/P Haitian Relief Organization.; [9] [10] In June 2012 Bizilj welcomed 100 personalities from the world of arts, film, and society on the occasion of the Art Basel fair and “Art & Cinema for Peace” in honor of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. This occasion included the premiere of the documentary film “Ai Weiwei - Never Sorry” by Alison Klayman. Actress Susan Sarandon concluded the evening with a video statement expressing the worldwide support for Ai Weiwei. [11]

Through Cinema for Peace, Bizilj organized the airlift from Russia of Alexei Navalny in 2020 after Navalny's poisoning. [12] Bizilj initiated the prisoners' exchange of Kara-Murza, Evan Gershkovic, Paul Whelan and others which happened in August 2024 by sending former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder‘s confidant Detlef Prinz to the German chancellory, to Moscow, and to Istanbul in order to facilitate a deal, after all official negotiations had failed for more than a year. This mission involved several governments, heads of state like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with Minister of Justice Dr. Marco Buschmann. [13]

Productions

Entertainment / Shows

Advocacy Events

Film Productions

Awards

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Pope Francis receives 'Cinema for Peace' award for efforts to support Ukraine".
  2. ↑ Connolly, Kate (2020-08-21). "Cinema for Peace: the NGO trying to airlift Alexei Navalny to Germany". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  3. ↑ "Cinema for Peace: Jan Joseph Liefers berichtet von seinem Besuch in Syrien". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN   1865-2263 . Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  4. ↑ Elley, Derek (2008-03-06). "Letter to Anna: The Story of Journalist Politkovskaya's Death". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  5. ↑ Remarks by UN SG Ben Ki-moon upon accepting the first "Justitia Award" on behalf of the United Nations
  6. ↑ Announcement of "Sports for Peace" Johannesburg
  7. ↑ "Cinema for Peace sammelt in Cannes". www.morgenpost.de (in German). 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  8. ↑ "Wiesbadenaktuell: News detail view". www.wiesbadenaktuell.de. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  9. ↑ Heyman, Marshall (2012-01-18). "Hollywood Loosens Up to Help Out Haiti". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  10. ↑ Ryzik, Melena (2012-01-15). "Ambassador Sean Penn and the Arcade Fire at a Benefit for Haiti". The Carpetbagger. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  11. ↑ "News - Video statement Ai Weiwei at Art & Cinema for Peace - Movies that Matter Film Festival". www.moviesthatmatter.nl. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  12. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (2024-02-17). "Cinema For Peace Chief Responds To Alexei Navalny's Death; NGO Airlifted Activist From Russia in 2020: "I've Been Afraid For Months"". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  13. ↑ https://www.cinemaforpeace-foundation.org/
  14. ↑ Müller, Peter E.; Ewald, Johanna (2015-08-21). "Al Bano und Romina Power schmachten im Rampenlicht". www.morgenpost.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  15. ↑ "The Wall Museum East Side Gallery Opening In Berlin Stock-Fotos und Bilder - Getty Images". www.gettyimages.ch. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  16. ↑ "Live unterwegs: Ein Hobbit auf Deutschland-Tour". 30 November 2019.
  17. ↑ "Veranstaltung - Musical Dome, Köln". www.musicaldome.de. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  18. ↑ "The Music of Der König der Löwen". www.rs2.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  19. ↑ "The Magical Music of Harry Potter". www.eventim.de.[ dead link ]
  20. ↑ "Journal" (PDF). www.icc-cpi.int. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  21. ↑ "Jan Josef Liefers bei Bombenopfer Farrida (4) aus Aleppo: "Was müssen die Kinder eines Tages über uns denken?"". bild.de (in German). 11 June 2013. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  22. ↑ "Cinema for Peace ehrt Mikhail Gorbachev in Berlin". Le Matin (in German). 2014-11-08. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  23. ↑ "Cinema for Peace ehrt Mikhail Gorbachev in Berlin". Le Matin (in German). 2014-11-08. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  24. ↑ Carbonnel, Alissa de (2014-02-20). "Pussy Riot mocks Russia's Olympics in music video". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  25. ↑ "Cinema For Peace Awards Celebrate Real Heroes". www.goldenglobes.com. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  26. ↑ "Ai Weiwei Wraps the Columns of Berlin's Konzerthaus with 14,000 Salvaged Refugee Life Vests". Colossal. 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  27. ↑ https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/02/ai-weiwei-konzerthaus-refugee-life-vests/ https://germania.diplo.de/ru-de/themen/-/2264138
  28. ↑ "BABYLON in Berlin - Censored Ai Weiwei's Films. Pre-Berlin Premiere: THE REST [With Director appearance]". babylonberlin.eu. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  29. ↑ https://www.lematin.de/sport-for-peace-gala-zu-ehren-philipp-lahm-im-hotel-adlon/
  30. ↑ https://www.euronews.com/2024/08/04/paris-olympics-stars-out-in-force-at-sports-for-peace-gala
  31. ↑ Letter to Anna: The Story of Journalist Politkovskaya's Death
  32. ↑ "Global Green: Save the Date" (PDF). static1.squarespace.com.
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