Denise De La Rue will debut her film A Cry for Peace at today’s United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters. The three-minute film is set to an original score by Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla, and portrays a matador performing the Danse Macabre of bullfighting against the backdrop of Picasso’s iconic anti-war masterpiece Guernica.
Bullfighting rituals and practices have long had a close parallel to those of war. De La Rue’s film depicts it as an artistically reproduced battle with no opponent. Contrasting with the suffering and pain present in Guernica, the two representations of battle explore and meditate on the violence and suffering inflicted by war. Reflecting the UN charter which strives to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” this film hopes to combat indifference to human suffering and function as a protest for peace.
Denise De La Rue A Cry for Peace ©Succession Picasso, 2014. ©Denise De La Rue, 2014
by Louise Lui
A Cry for Peace will also be available for viewing here for a 24-hour period, starting September 26, 2014 at 12pm EST