PUMA.Creative and the BRITDOC Foundation announced the jurors for the PUMA.Creative Impact Award 2012
London, UK, April 23, 2012 –
Today PUMA.Creative and the BRITDOC Foundation announced the jurors for the PUMA.Creative Impact Award 2012. The jury consists of Hollywood actors and
activists,
Danny Glover and Djimon Hounsou; director, Mira Nair; writer and campaigner,
Jemima Khan
; and Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo . The second annual
PUMA.Creative Impact Award , which honours the documentary films creating the most significant impact in the world today, comes with a cash prize of
50,000 euros which acknowledges the film’s makers and also helps the continuation of the film’s campaigning work.
“This award is part of PUMA’s ongoing commitment at the intersection of film and activism, and is in
line with our mission to contribute to a better world,” said Mark Coetzee, Programme Director,
PUMAVision and Chief Curator, PUMA.Creative, “a world that is safer, more peaceful, and more
creative than the one we know today.
In 2011 the Award went to the team behind
The End of the Line , an environmental documentary on the overfishing of the world’s oceans. That year the jury also awarded a special Jury Commendation—
with a 25,000 euro prize—to the makers of
Burma VJ , about the 2009 Burmese uprising and the video journalists who risked their life to report on it.
"Thanks to PUMA.Creative for making this important initiative possible. Together we want to identify
and honour the filmmakers having the biggest effect with their work and to inspire others the world
over to use the power of storytelling to bring about lasting improvements to society and the planet,"
said Jess Search, Chief Executive, BRITDOC Foundation. "I can't wait to see who this year's
outstanding nominees are going to be."
The Call for Entries for the 2012 PUMA.Creative Impact Award is now open. Submissions
close on May 11, 2012.
Anyone can put a film forward from any country—filmmakers, distributors, film festivals, partner organisations including NGOs and Foundations, film critics and journalists. Films
can be put forward any time up to three years after release.
The 2012 PUMA.Creative Impact Award Jury represents the worlds of film, the arts, academia, social
change and journalism:
Danny Glover
, who has appeared in over 130 films including the Lethal Weapon series, The Color Purple
and Dreamgirls , has also gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and philanthropic work. Internationally, he has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations
Development Program and he currently serves as a UNICEF Ambassador.
Two-time Academy Award-nominated actor
Djimon Hounsou is known for films such as In America ,
Blood Diamond
, Amistad and Gladiator . As an Ambassador for Oxfam and SOS Children, he travels extensively to address issues of homelessness, poverty, and hunger. Hounsou has appeared before
both the UN and the United States Senate, and is a vocal supporter and ally for UNEP on issues of
climate change.
Indian filmmaker
Mira Nair began her career directing documentaries So Far From India and India Cabaret
before moving into feature films including Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay and BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated
Monsoon Wedding and, in 2009, Amelia , the biopic of American pilot Amelia Earhart.
British-Pakistani
Jemima Khan is the Associate Editor of the New Statesman , the European editor-atlarge for
Vanity Fair and is executive producer for the Intelligence² Versus debates in collaboration with Google+. Khan has been an Ambassador for UNICEF since 2001 and also runs her own charitable
foundation.
Kumi Naidoo
, who has been Executive Director of Greenpeace International since 2009, is a South African human rights activist who battled apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s through
the Helping Hands Youth Organisation before leading global campaigns to end poverty and protect
human rights.
"As an artist who has been involved in storytelling my entire adult life, I can think of few things more
important than the journey from apathy to empathy. Culture is a profound value to champion, and
nonfiction storytelling is a path to reinforcing freedom of expression and a more informed, aware and
vigorous citizenship,” said
Danny Glover . “As nonfiction filmmakers the world over become more and more sophisticated, we're seeing an unprecedented possibility of heart-mind engagement. Our
support for this work, at this particular time in history, when so many forces are conspiring to
marginalize or erase the perspectives of entire peoples on some of the most important challenges
humanity has ever faced, could not be more critical."
"I have always believed that truth is stranger and more powerful than fiction. Documentaries are a
potent reflection of life. If we don't tell our own stories, no one else will," said
Mira Nair
The BRITDOC Foundation will assess the applications and produce a shortlist for consideration by an
international Peer Review Committee including: Diana Barrett at Fledgling Fund; Heidi Gronauer at
EsoDoc; Yvette Alberdingk Thjim at Witness; Wendy Levy at Tomorrow Partners; Willie McKenzie at
Greenpeace International; Jamie Drummond at One.org; Pam Harris at Iris Films; and Sharon
LaCruise at the Ford Foundation. Five finalists will emerge from this consultation period, which will be
presented to the PUMA.Creative Impact Jury to assess the merits of the films, evaluate relative impact
and announce an overall winner.
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