The Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA) will host a screening of films4peace, a unique annual short film commission by PUMA. This screening wil take place on Thursday 3 October 2013 at Hiddingh Hall.

Now in its third year of exploring the subject of peace via the medium of film, the films4peace project is curated by Mark Coetzee, ex-Director of the Rubell Family Collection, supported by PUMA and produced by Shooting People. It features some of today’s most innovative contemporary artists, all of whom are asked to visually interpret the subject of peace.

This year, six acclaimed artists have been commissioned to create short films around the subject of peace: South African artists Athi-Patra Ruga and Zanele Muholi, as well as Rob Carter (UK/USA), Wilmer Wilson (USA), Anthony Goicolea (USA), and Assume Vivid Astro Focus – an international group of artists known for creating multi-sensational mash-ups founded by Eli Sudbrack in 1994. The films include 35 mm live action, experimental animation and fine art approaches. The artists are selected for the quality and scope of their work and their sensitivity in interpreting the theme.

films4peace celebrates World Peace Day – an international United Nations day of ceasefire, and a day for individuals, organisations and countries to demonstrate acts of peace.  These short films are released annually, on World Peace Day, at cultural and educational venues globally – from Human Rights Festivals to major museums, public spaces, youth leadership conferences and new media centres; from Dakar, Senegal to Miami, USA to Kashmir, India. In 2012, screenings spanned across 23 countries.

In keeping with the spirit of the commission, the films are gifted to the world, within public domain and free from screening fees, as tools for peace.  By releasing these short films as broadly as possible, on multiple live and virtual platforms, the aim is to effect positive social change and broaden the discussions around peace globally.

This films4peace screening will take place at 18:30 on Thursday 3 October 2013 at Hiddingh Hall, University of Cape Town (UCT) Hiddingh Campus, Orange Street; and is free. It will directly follow a Great Texts public lecture by Professor Michael Godby, which starts at 17:30. No booking is necessary. For more information on this event, contact the GIPCA office on 021 650 7156 or ica@uct.ac.za.