Cinema for Peace
A Berlin-based foundation and international initiative that uses film, awards, screenings, and advocacy to draw attention to humanitarian, political, environmental, and human-rights issues.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cinema for Peace is a Berlin-based foundation and international public-engagement initiative centered on the social and political significance of cinema. Its best-known activity is the annual Cinema for Peace Awards, a Berlin ceremony that recognizes films and filmmakers addressing war, justice, democracy, human rights, environmental protection, public health, and related humanitarian concerns. The awards have been held annually since 2002 and are scheduled around the same period as the Berlin International Film Festival, although they are a separate event rather than an official part of the festival. The initiative was launched by Jaka Bizilj after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Its founding premise was that films could communicate difficult humanitarian and political questions to a broad public and could connect artists with activists, policymakers, journalists, and civil-society organizations. Rather than functioning solely as a conventional film prize, Cinema for Peace presents itself as a platform combining cultural recognition with advocacy and awareness-building. The gala has attracted international film personalities, humanitarian figures, human-rights advocates, public officials, and campaigners. Bob Geldof characterized the event as an Oscars with a stronger intellectual and social focus. Cinema for Peace's awards program has expanded beyond a single general prize. Recurring or periodically used categories have included the Most Valuable Film of the Year, Most Valuable Documentary of the Year, Political Film of the Year, Justice, Women’s Empowerment, Global Health, and the International Green Film Award. The selected works have covered subjects including the Bosnian war, the Holocaust and historical memory, political repression, migration, gender equality, whistleblowing, environmental destruction, wildlife protection, public health, and armed conflict. Recent award selections have included films about Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, Palestine, Sudan, Indigenous rights, and the climate and biodiversity crises. The foundation's activities also include public screenings, advocacy events, special galas, and film-related campaigns. Events have taken place in connection with film and awards-industry gatherings in Cannes, Los Angeles, and Berlin, as well as in Uganda in connection with an International Criminal Court conference. Cinema for Peace has organized recurring screenings through partner cinemas, including activity associated with the Schikaneder cinema in Vienna. It has also supported distribution of films, including Danis Tanovic's Bosnian war satire No Man's Land, which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The initiative has periodically used its public platform for direct human-rights advocacy. In 2014, Bizilj invited members of Pussy Riot to the Sochi Olympic Games and subsequently helped bring them to Hollywood and Washington. The stated purpose was to promote international responsibility for human rights and support the idea of a global sanctions list for human-rights offenders. This illustrates the foundation's broader approach: cinema is treated not only as an object of recognition but also as a vehicle for mobilizing attention around urgent political and humanitarian concerns. Cinema for Peace's present identity therefore combines an awards brand, a foundation, a network of screenings and cultural events, and an advocacy platform. Its public profile is international, while its institutional base remains in Berlin. The organization is not a listed commercial company and no public financial or ownership information is established in the supplied sources.
History
Cinema for Peace emerged in Berlin after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Founder Jaka Bizilj developed the initiative around the idea that cinema could make humanitarian, political, and social issues more visible and could create a meeting point for filmmakers, activists, public figures, and policymakers. The first annual awards activity followed in 2002. The event became associated with Berlin's international film season and has generally taken place at the same time as the Berlin International Film Festival, while remaining organizationally separate from that festival. From its beginning, Cinema for Peace differed from a conventional industry award by emphasizing the social consequences and public value of films. Its awards have honored narrative films, documentaries, and issue-oriented productions dealing with war, political violence, justice, democracy, women's rights, health, and environmental protection. The organization has used the symbolic dove as the name of several prizes, including awards for the Most Valuable Film, the Most Valuable Documentary, Justice, and other thematic categories. The category structure has changed over time, allowing the program to respond to emerging issues such as digital surveillance, pandemics, climate change, wildlife trafficking, and political repression. The initiative developed a wider program alongside the annual gala. Cinema for Peace has organized screenings and advocacy events in several countries and in connection with major international film and entertainment gatherings. Examples cited in reference material include activity at the Cannes Film Festival, events in Los Angeles around the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, an event in Uganda connected with an International Criminal Court conference, and recurring Berlin programming. Monthly screenings have also been organized through partner cinemas, including the Schikaneder in Vienna. The foundation has additionally participated in film distribution, including the distribution of No Man's Land, a Bosnian war satire by Danis Tanovic that received an Academy Award. The foundation's network has included prominent entertainers, filmmakers, humanitarian figures, and international officials. Speakers associated with its events have included Buzz Aldrin, Antonio Banderas, Deepak Chopra, George Clooney, Catherine Deneuve, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bob Geldof, Richard Gere, Dustin Hoffman, Elton John, Nicole Kidman, Christopher Lee, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Hilary Swank, Wim Wenders, Ban Ki-moon, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Fatou Bensouda, and Mikhail Gorbachev. The supplied reference identifies these people as speakers or supporters, not necessarily as executives or formal officeholders. A notable advocacy episode occurred in 2014, when Bizilj invited Pussy Riot to the Sochi Olympic Games and helped arrange appearances in Hollywood and Washington. The initiative presented the activity as an effort to encourage global responsibility for human rights and to advocate a sanctions list for people accused of serious human-rights abuses. This episode demonstrated the organization's willingness to move beyond film recognition into direct public campaigning. The awards program continued through at least 2025. Its selections have tracked major contemporary concerns: the Syrian and Ukrainian wars, authoritarianism, corruption, migration, sexual violence, women's political and social equality, Indigenous land rights, environmental degradation, public health, and the effects of digital technology. The 2025 program included a special dove for portraying the plight of Palestinian civilians. Cinema for Peace remains best understood as a Berlin-rooted foundation and international cultural-advocacy brand rather than a commercial film studio or conventional entertainment company.
- 2025
Expanded thematic awards program
[1]The 2025 program included awards for film, documentary, politics, justice, women's empowerment, environmental issues, global health, technology, and the portrayal of Palestinian civilians.
- 2014
Pussy Riot human-rights advocacy initiative
[1]The founder invited Pussy Riot to Sochi and supported appearances in Hollywood and Washington connected with a human-rights responsibility campaign.
- 2002
First annual Cinema for Peace awards activity
[1]Cinema for Peace began inviting filmmakers, activists, and public figures to an annual Berlin ceremony honoring films concerned with humanitarian and environmental issues.
- 2001
Initiative conceived after the September 11 attacks
[1]Jaka Bizilj developed Cinema for Peace as a platform for communicating humanitarian, political, and social issues through film.
Products and positioning
An international film-and-advocacy foundation positioned at the intersection of cinema, human rights, humanitarian action, environmental awareness, and political engagement.
Film awards · 2002
Cinema for Peace Awards
The organization's principal annual awards program, held in Berlin during the city's international film season. It recognizes films and documentaries that engage with humanitarian, political, environmental, health, and human-rights subjects. Categories have included the Most Valuable Film, Most Valuable Documentary, Political Film, Justice, Women's Empowerment, Global Health, and environmental awards.
Award · 2002
Cinema for Peace Dove
A named Cinema for Peace award presented in several thematic forms. Dove awards have recognized valuable films and documentaries as well as achievements connected with justice, politics, women's empowerment, global health, and other public-interest subjects.
Environmental film award · 2011
International Green Film Award
An award category focused on films that draw attention to environmental protection, climate change, biodiversity, wildlife, ecological damage, and sustainable living. Recognized works have included documentaries and feature projects addressing conservation and the global food system.
Cultural programming
Cinema for Peace screenings
Public screenings organized through Cinema for Peace and partner cinemas. The program has included recurring monthly screenings, with the Schikaneder in Vienna cited as one partner venue, and has presented films selected for their humanitarian, political, or environmental relevance.
Film distribution
Film distribution
Cinema for Peace has also supported the circulation of socially relevant films. One cited example is the distribution of No Man's Land, Danis Tanovic's Bosnian war satire, which later won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Pussy Riot international human-rights advocacy
Russia · United States · International
Cinema for Peace founder Jaka Bizilj invited Pussy Riot to the Sochi Olympic Games and helped bring the group to Hollywood and Washington. The initiative promoted international responsibility for human rights and advocated a global sanctions list for human-rights offenders.
Outcome. The reference confirms the international appearances and advocacy objectives but does not provide a documented final policy outcome.
- International film screenings and advocacy events
Germany · Austria · France · United States · Uganda · International
Cinema for Peace has conducted screenings, campaigns, advocacy events, and galas in connection with film and public-policy gatherings, including Cannes, Los Angeles awards-season events, Uganda's International Criminal Court conference, and Berlin programming.
Brand decisions
2014
Use the platform for direct human-rights advocacyStrategyBackground
Cinema for Peace sought to connect cultural visibility with international responsibility for human-rights abuses.
Action taken
The founder invited Pussy Riot to Sochi and facilitated appearances in Hollywood and Washington while advocating a global sanctions list.
Aftermath
The activity broadened the initiative's public role beyond awards and screenings, although the supplied material does not document a specific legislative result.
2002
Establish an annual film-and-humanitarian awards platformStrategyBackground
The initiative was created after the September 11 attacks to use cinema as a means of communicating humanitarian, political, and social issues.
Action taken
Cinema for Peace began an annual Berlin ceremony bringing together filmmakers, activists, humanitarian figures, and public personalities.
Aftermath
The ceremony became the foundation's principal public activity and expanded into thematic awards, screenings, and advocacy events.
Recent events
- 2025
Cinema for Peace announces 2025 awards and special recognition[1]
Product launch · Other
The 2025 program recognized I'm Still Here, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, The Click Trap, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, The Bibi Files, Black Box Diaries, Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, Black Snow, Eternal You, and I Shall Not Hate.
- 2024
Cinema for Peace announces 2024 award selections[1]
Product launch · Other
The 2024 awards recognized films including The Zone of Interest, One Life, Motherland, Bobi Wine: The People's President, Lakota Nation vs. United States, Four Daughters, We Are Guardians, Common Ground, and Pay or Die.
- 2023
Cinema for Peace recognizes films addressing the war in Ukraine and global justice[1]
Product launch · Other
The 2023 awards included recognition for All Quiet on the Western Front, 20 Days in Mariupol, The Corridors of Power, Argentina, 1985, She Said, In Her Hands, How to Survive a Pandemic, The Territory, and All That Breathes.
- 2014
Cinema for Peace invites Pussy Riot to Sochi and international advocacy events[1]
Campaign
Jaka Bizilj invited Pussy Riot to the Sochi Olympic Games and helped bring the performers to Hollywood and Washington to promote international human-rights responsibility and a proposed global sanctions list for human-rights offenders.
- 2002
Cinema for Peace launches annual awards initiative in Berlin[1]
Other
Following the September 11 attacks, Jaka Bizilj established Cinema for Peace as a platform for communicating humanitarian, political, and social issues through film.
Sources2 sources
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