Celebrity News September 13, 2016
Watch Hollywood Fight for Refugees in This Dramatic Film
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have joined Cate Blanchett in a dramatic film to raise awareness for UNHCR's #WithRefugees campaign and petition.
The film's stars, including Keira Knightley, Juliet Stevenson, Stanley Tucci, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kit Harington, Douglas Booth, and Jesse Eisenberg, perform a poem based on testimony from refugees who were forced to flee their homes. Watch!
The short film was inspired by Jenifer Toksvig's poem "What They Took with Them.” Cate said in a statement, "As soon as I read Jenifer Toksvig's poem, and even more so after I took part in an early performance of it, I was struck by its immense power. The rhythm and words of the poem echo the frenzy and chaos and terror of suddenly being forced to leave your home, grabbing what little you can carry with you, and fleeing for safety.”
UNHCR's #WithRefugees campaign is aiming to ask governments to ensure that all refugee children have access to school and a safe place to live and work in their local community.
The campaign's petition has already earned 800,000 signatures and will be delivered to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN General Assembly on Friday. Cate added, “Over 65 million people across the world have been forced to leave everything behind them — everything — and start their lives again from scratch. As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, I believe the very least each of us can do is work together to ensure refugees have the basics with which to build back their lives — an education, somewhere safe to live, the ability to work. I hope this film will urge people to go to withrefugees.org and sign the petition.”
