The Day After Peace

Wednesday 18 March 2009

An award making filmmaker will travel to the University of St Andrews this week to present a screening of his film “The Day After Peace”.  (Thursday 19th March 2009.)

Jeremy Gilley’s documentary follows his campaign to try to establish the first-ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence.

The Sustainable Development Programme and St Andrews Sustainable Institute will host the screening of Gilley’s “The Day After Peace”, which charts his remarkable 10-year journey.

In September 2001 the Member States of the United Nations unanimously adopted to establish an annual Peace Day on September 21st.

The film follows Gilley as he galvanises the countries of the world to recognise an official day of ceasefire, with actor Jude Law joining him in Afghanistan for the film’s breathtaking conclusion.

Professor Jan Bebbington, Director of SASI, said, “Conflicts create unsustainable lives for millions of people around the globe.  The search for peace is central to sustainable development and we are delighted that Jeremy is visiting us here at St Andrews to inspire and educate both staff and students.”

Jeremy Gilley is an actor turned filmmaker, who in the late 1990s became pre-occupied with questions about the nature of humanity and the issue of peace.

In 1999, Jeremy founded Peace One Day, a non-profit organisation, and in 2001 Peace One Day’s efforts were rewarded when the United Nations unanimously adopted the first-ever day of global ceasefire and non-violence on 21 September annually – Peace Day.

As a direct outcome of Peace One Day¿s campaigning in 2007, 1.4 million Afghanistan children were vaccinated against polio.

Over 100 million people in 192 countries were engaged in Peace Day activities and in 14 of those countries, efforts were targeted towards providing life-saving activities and medical services on the Day.

In May 2008, Gilley received the award Campaigner of the Year for his work towards Peace.

The event forms part of the University of St Andrews Green Week which runs from 14th-21st March 2009 and includes a range of events related to different aspects of sustainability.

The public screening of the documentary will take place from 12pm in School III of St Salvator’s Quadrangle on Thursday 19th March.

Peace One Day now works to create global awareness of the day and manifest life-saving activity and individual action throughout the world on September 21 each year.  For more information about Peace One Day visit:  http://www.peaceoneday.org/

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Organiser Emilia Ferraro is available for interview on Tel: 01334 463923 or Email: [email protected]

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews
Contact Fiona Armstrong, Press Officer on 01334 462530 / 467227, Mobile: 07730 415 015 or Email: [email protected]
Ref:  day after peace 190309
View the latest University press releases at www.st-andrews.ac.uk


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