Children of the Light Will Have Local Premiere at PeaceJam's Hero Awards

Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day -- but around the globe it's known as Remembrance Day, the holiday created to mark the end of World War I, which formally concluded at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1919. "World War I was supposed to...

By Westword Staff

November 6, 2014

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Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day -- but around the globe it's known as Remembrance Day, the holiday created to mark the end of World War I, which formally concluded at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1919. "World War I was supposed to be 'the war to end all wars,'" writes Archbishop Desmond Tutu. "Were we foolish to ever believe that this could be so? ... The reality is that peace cannot be attained merely through signing a treaty, or ending a world war."

Enter PeaceJam, the organization that got its start in Denver two decades ago and, after many years of struggle, is finally sitting pretty. So pretty, in fact, that founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff had to dress in formal attire for the premiere of their film about Tutu, Children of the Light, the second in their Nobel Legacy Film Series, at the gold-standard Monaco Television & Film Festival in June. The documentary will have its Colorado premiere on Wednesday, November 12, at PeaceJam's sixth annual Hero Awards celebration See also: PeaceJam Expands Its Global Outreach in a Big Way

This year's heroes? City auditor Dennis Gallagher and dancer/arts activist Cleo Parker Robinson, who'll be on hand at an event that just happens to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of Desmond Tutu winning the Nobel Peace Prize; the Archbishop will offer a special video message to the gathering.

The Legacy series, which will profile a new Nobel laureate every year, is just one of the programs that PeaceJam is focusing on. It launched its Billion Acts of Peace campaign this fall, and is expanding its peace programming for young people around the globe. And it all started here.

Join the celebration at 7 p.m. in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex; tickets are $15 (or $60 for VIP, which includes a reception at 6 p.m.). "We promise to wear the same outfits we wore when we looked so fabulous in Monte Carlo," says Engle. "If you want to see Ivan in a suit, you have to come on November 12. It's a rare occurrence."

For more information, go to peacejam.org.

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