By Rama Gaind
One of the world’s most influential jewellery brands – Bulgari – has joined forces with the filmmakers of Asia-Pacific to promote education for children.
Bulgari will present the 2010 Best Children’s Feature Film at the 4th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) to be held on December 2 on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Bulgari’s association with the international film industry dates back to the 1950s when stars were frequently seen wearing Bulgari jewels both on and off the sets of Cinecittà . Elizabeth Taylor is known to have quipped that Bulgari was one of the great perks of filming Cleopatra in Rom.
However, it is not La Dolce Vita glamour which brings this iconic jeweller to present the Best Children’s Feature Film, but the plight of the world’s neediest children.
In support of a 2010-2011 pledged commitment of $8 million, Bulgari introduced a silver and ceramic ring to support key education programs for children through global humanitarian organisation Save the Children such as teacher training and the Healing and Education through Art (HEART) program.
Since its inception, the project has attracted many well-known supporters including photographer Fabrizio Ferri and actors Ben Stiller, Jessica Biel, Olivia Wilde, Jason Lewis, Valeria Golino, Isabella Rossellini, Julianne Moore, Toni Collette and Sam Worthington.
Francesco Trapani, Chief Executive Officer of the Bulgari Group, said: “It is with great pleasure that we present the award for Best Children’s Feature Film at the Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Children are our future and we feel that, not unlike the cinema, education has the power to transform lives. Yet access to a quality education is very limited for the 72 million children of primary school age who are not in school”.
“Supporting teacher training and a program like HEART shows our customers the long-lasting legacy their support creates. A single teacher can educate hundreds of children over many years. A child who grows up in areas of conflict or natural disaster will not be fully equipped to learn and develop until he can address his difficult experiences and can heal emotionally. Both teacher training and the HEART program are two examples of how we can transform the futures of so many children in need.”
Isabella Rossellini, the face of Bulgari’s Save the Children campaign, warmly welcomed the collaboration with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards: “I am a great admirer of Bulgari and have remained connected to the company through the years. I support the fundraising campaign that Bulgari created in support of Save the Children, lending my face, along with many other celebrities, to Fabrizio Ferri who shot us all wearing a silver ring created by the company to raise funds for Save the Children. Our mutual commitment towards the education of the children and our long relationship has brought us together to collaborate on this project, which has been a delightful experience. I am so pleased to see more people across the world join us in our pledge through this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards.”
APSA’s Best Children’s Feature Film category is open to films suitable for a young audience up to the age of 16 or films that reveal the world through the perspective of a child character.
APSA chairman Des Power said: “Each year, the films in this category open our eyes to the experiences of children across Asia-Pacific, many of whom are affected by conflict and natural disaster. We are deeply honoured to embark on this partnership with Bulgari to assist in creating awareness about educating children in need”.
“Creativity is a powerful force which often lies at the heart of instigating positive social outcomes for the future. The ideas at the foundation of the HEART program are ideas shared by APSA and our partners UNESCO and FIAPF. My hope is that through APSA and Bulgari, this year’s Nominees and Jury will take the Save the Children message back to their own countries and that together, we can affect some change for the future.”
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards are the highest accolade in film for the Asia-Pacific region.
Nominees from across Asia-Pacific representing the 31 nominated films will arrive on the Gold Coast ahead of the APSA ceremony on December 2.
Winners are determined by an international jury headed this year by Jury President, Lord David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire, The Mission).
Nominees and members of the jury will be encouraged to wear their Save The Children rings as a sign of support during the awards ceremony and three days of activities taking place in the lead-up to the event.
2010 nominees for Best Children’s Feature Film, presented by Bulgari, are:
Boy – New Zealand
Produced by Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis and Emanuel Micheal. Co-produced by Merata Mita.
Bran Nue Dae – Australia
Produced by Robyn Kershaw and Graeme Isaac.
Shui Yuet Sun Tau (Echoes of the Rainbow) – Hong Kong (People’s Republic of China)
Produced by Mabel Cheung. Co-produced by Candy Leung.
Digari (The Other) – Islamic Republic of Iran
Produced by Mohammad Ali Najafi.
Udaan – India
Produced by Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap and Ronnie Screwvala. Co-produced by Aarti Bajaj, Zarina Mehta, Deven Khote and Siddarth Roy Kapur.
