Documentary

Where on Earth is the Peace Movement?

Documentary Film Project

By Sil Azevedo

Updated, Mar 2025

Story

Facing a world in constant war and violence, a filmmaker embarks on a search for wisdom, interviewing community leaders, artists, philosophers, historians, humanitarians and peace activists, asking the questions, “What does peace mean to you?”, “Is Peace on Earth possible?,” and “What can we do to make this a more peaceful world?”

Resonance

World Peace is an ideal that has eluded us throughout human history. While most people living on the planet today seem to have a desire for peace, somehow we always find ourselves involved in long, painful, costly and unnecessary wars. While history gives us little hope of ever achieving lasting universal peace, still the ideal remains. We must keep seeking ways to make our world a more peaceful place.

Point of View

As I write this proposal, the world is under great tension with the wars in Israel/Palestine and Russia/Ukraine, not to mention other conflicts that are often overlooked but not any less painful, such as the war in Sudan, Libya, Syria, among many others. According to the Geneva Academy, there are currently more than 110 ongoing armed conflicts in the world.

This film will focus on the positive efforts towards building a more peaceful world, such as intercultural programs, humanitarian organizations, and peace activism. Our approach will not be to curse the darkness, but to light a candle.

Audience

This is a film for everyone interested in a more peaceful world. Members and supporters of peace and social justice organizations around the world are a primary audience. Their sphere of influence is a second tier. The objective of this film is to encourage those who are in the trenches of the peace movement (for lack of a better term), to connect with like-minded individuals and organizations, and bring others from a passive pro-peace stance to a participatory role through local and international organizations.

Participants

As on-the-ground filming takes place, interviews are conducted and events are recorded, we expect that the main characters will emerge, especially those already working on peace initiatives, locally and worldwide. This emergence will be determined by worthiness of initiative, charisma, availability and openness to participation. We have already filmed and interviewed several people, including an artist born near Odessa (back then USSR, now Ukraine), raised near St. Petersburg, Russia, who immigrated to Israel and now lives in the U.S. All her countries are at war! We have also filmed a session with a Jungian Therapist, a theologian, and international exchange student program leaders. We have also been in contact with fascinating people, such as a Japanese-American student working with the Peace Cranes project, a Japanese peace philanthropist who survived the carpet bombing of his city in WWII, a Brazilian naturalist who works with an indigenous tribe seeking healing from violent attacks, a landmine disarmament specialist in Cambodia, among others who have agreed to participate in this project. I have accepted an invitation to attend and film the Japan Sister Cities Summit in September 2025 and am planning filming on location in Brazil, Cambodia, the U.S. and the Middle East.

Distribution

The film will be submitted to a variety of local and international film festivals, both theme specific (such as the Global Peace Film Fest), and in general (such as the Dallas International Film Festival). We will collaborate with local chapters of humanitarian and peace organizations to host local screenings across the U.S. and abroad, starting with the organizations featured in the film, and open to many other organizations working towards the common goal of world peace and social justice. After the film festival and screening tour (estimated to last 18-24 months), we will submit the film to major streaming services to find an online outlet with worldwide reach. We will promote the film through social media, partner websites, and media outlets.

Activism

A designated film website and social media channels will provide information and links to all participating organizations with a call for each person to get involved and make their contribution to social justice and world peace.