A child rolls a tire through the countryside and then trips a landmine. A family is threatened by gun-wielding youngsters. People at an outdoor market in a village disperse when a grenade is thrown.
These three violent scenarios, though, are rendered harmless and yield positive results. The explosion from the landmine sprays colorful papers and picture for as far as the eye can see. The lead youngster’s gun jams when he pulls the trigger. What’s wrong with his weapon? Turns out that instead of bullets, the firearm is loaded with crayons. And the grenade releases bubbles and results in lots of smiles throughout the village.
A message appears on screen which reads, “Where childhood thrives, war does not.”
This approximately minute-long video introduces us to War Child which gives children in war-torn areas access to the education, support and resources they need to reclaim their childhood and break the cycle of poverty and violence.
“Our programs address a wide range of issues in a number of different countries,” explained War Child COO Lorna Read. “But everything we do stems from the belief that protecting childhood itself is the key to helping these communities move towards sustainable peace.”
Toronto agency john st. created the video, which was directed by Henry Lu via bicoastal Moxie Pictures and Toronto-based Soft Citizen.
FireAid Concert Features Major Music Stars, Shares Stories Of Loss To Raise Money For L.A. Wildfire Relief
Pop stars, first responders, rock stars and those who've lost everything in the devastating LA-area wildfires came together for FireAid, a massive benefit concert Thursday that combined spectacular performances with moving storytelling from survivors and reminders of the destruction.
In a night full of surprises, a reunion of Nirvana — fronted by St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett in the place of the late Kurt Cobain — tops the list. They launched into "Breed," "School" and "Territorial Pissings" respectively, inspired and unexpected choices.
Drummer Dave Grohl's daughter, Violet, then emerged on stage for "All Apologies."
Closer Lady Gaga, after powering through the Oscar-award winning "Shallow" and "Always Remember Us This Way" from "A Star Is Born," played a new song on the piano. "It's just for tonight, it's just for you," she said of the song she wrote with fiancé businessman Michael Polansky. "Time is a healer."
"All I need is time," she sang in the folk-y pop chorus. "To heal my broken wings and then I'll soar."
Green Day kicked off the massive show by launching into "Last Night on Earth" at the Kia Forum and were soon joined by Billie Eilish for the first surprise of the night. The lyrics are surprisingly astute: "If I lose everything in the fire / I'm sending all my love to you."
After their set, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong hugged actor Billy Crystal, who was there to welcome to the crowd at the Kia Forum.
"Our goal is simple tonight, to spend more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents," he joked. He told the audience U2 offered the first big donation of the night: $1 million dollars.
Crystal said he was wearing the clothes he had on when he evacuated. He lost his home in... Read More