Jaka Bizilj | |
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 Jaka Bizilj in 2009 | |
| Born | 8 December 1971 |
| Alma mater | University of Mainz |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
Jaka Bizilj (born 8 December 1971) is a German writer, promoter and film producer. He is the founder and chairman of the Cinema for Peace Foundation.
Bizilj was born in Ljubljana, then part of Slovenia, Yugoslavia. He grew up in Slovenia, Libya, Tanzania, Malaysia, and Germany. [1] He studied politics, literature, and film at the German University of Mainz. He then became a journalist and political activist.
Since 1995, Bizilj has organized concerts with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Bryan Adams, Montserrat Caballe, and Liza Minnelli, and toured with artists such as José Carreras. Since the late 1990s, he has worked internationally as a producer. His company has organized concerts and live productions, including those featuring film music from films such as "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings","The Hobbit", "Star Trek", and the music of Hans Zimmer. Other productions have included: "Magic of the Dance", Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita", Elton John's musical Aida and the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde.
In 2002, he founded the Cinema for Peace initiative, [2] and in 2008 the non-profit Cinema for Peace Foundation itself, [3] [4] with the stated aim of raising awareness of the social relevance of films and the influence of movies on the perception and resolution of global social, political, and humanitarian challenges.
Through Cinema for Peace, Bizilj has been involved in the production of films, including the Richard Curtis remake "Suddenly Gina" and the documentary "Letter to Anna" about Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. [5] He was also involved in the documentary "This Prison Where I Live" about the detained Myanmar comedian Zarganar and the film production "After the Silence". He also raised funds for the development of the film Song of Names with Dustin Hoffman and Anthony Hopkins.
Bizilj distributed the Bosnian Oscar-winning war-satire "No Man's Land" by Danis Tanovic.
In 2010, the Cinema for Peace Foundation presented the first Justitia Award to honor 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 Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador Bianca Jagger. [6]
On 8 June 2010, Bizilj hosted the "Sports for Peace" gala [7] during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the first FIFA World Cup to take place in Africa. The event brought together figures including Ban Ki-moon, South African President Jacob Zuma, Madama Graça Machel, representatives of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and 1Goal Ambassadors to address the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG): "achieve universal primary education by 2015". [8]
In 2011, he organized a Cinema for Peace Dinner in Cannes [9] for the first time. He also organized a film program and charity dinner to accompany the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to Wiesbaden, supporting Tibetan culture. [10]
In January 2012, Bizilj produced the Los Angeles Cinema for Peace premiere, staging "Help Haiti Home" in support of Sean Penn's J/P Haitian Relief Organization. [11] [12] In June 2012, an event hosted by Bizilj titled "Art & Cinema for Peace" on the occasion of the Art Basel fair gathered 100 personalities from the world of arts, film, and society in honor of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. This occasion included the premiere of the documentary film "Ai Weiwei - Never Sorry" by Alison Klayman. [13]
Through Cinema for Peace, Bizilj organized Alexei Navalny's airlift from Russia in 2020 after Navalny's poisoning. [14]
Entertainment / Shows
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