Despite everyone asking for peace, in the past months, the nuclear menace has been steadily increasing, bringing the Doomsday Clock 90 seconds to midnight, which is the closest it’s ever been since WWII. Since its birth, EMERGENCY, the NGO that provides free medical assistance to victims of poverty and war, has always stood against war, and now more than ever wants everyone to reflect what kind of peace we might face if we don’t take action now? In fact, a peace following a nuclear conflict might actually not be the one we have in mind.
Ogilvy Italy and Emergency have released a film, A day of peace, on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is the story of a man who survived a nuclear conflict and roams the country looking for other humans. The camera follows him during a day like any other, from the moment he wakes up, heads towards a big city, storms shops to find food and malls, finding traces of a close past such as the last newspaper announcing the nuclear menace, and then finding shelter in an abandoned skyscraper.
What looks like peace is actually a representation of loneliness and despair, all that remains after such a big event, progressively increasing as the camera zooms out leads us to question whether he might be the last man on Earth. Emergency and Ogilvy want to remind us to avoid this kind of peace, the only way is to abolish war, once and for all.
The film was shot in a central region of Italy, close to the sea, called Marche, and specifically, around the town of Jesi. There’s no CGI work. The places are really as they are depicted. The music was written and composed by Enzo Casucci. He also wrote the lyrics with Lavinia Francia, executive creative director at Ogilvy Italy.
“Men must eliminate war from history, or war will eliminate men from history,” stated EMERGENCY founder, Gino Strada. “Emergency and Ogilvy want to remind us that to avoid this kind of peace, the only way is to abolish war, once and for all.”
“We believe in the power of creativity in making an impact on people’s lives,” stated Giuseppe Mastromatteo, president & chief creative officer of Ogilvy Italy, “and it is a great pleasure for us to help EMERGENCY pursue such a great ideal that unites us all. This collaboration has been giving birth to many projects that made us proud, allowed us to experiment with different languages and stories, and this time we’re happy to release this short film for a great cause.”
Background. This week will mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
- On Monday, President Biden made a brief, unannounced visit to Kyiv, aimed at expressing solidarity with Ukrainians as Russia’s invasion of their country heads into a second year.
- Tuesday Putin delivered his annual state of address
- Wednesday, the UN General Assembly held a special session on Ukraine. The Security Council discussed Nord Stream pipelines at Russia’s request. And Russia’s parliament held extraordinary meetings.
- Friday, the Security Council discussed Ukraine on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
- No end in sight, analysts estimate that about200,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the war so far. By comparison, Ukraine has seen some 100,000 killed or wounded in action, and 30,000 civilian deaths.
- One of the largest military conflicts since the end of World War II. For the civilians caught in the crossfire, that means the bloodshed and suffering brought on by the war has no discernible end. (Source: NPR’s Frank Langfitt in Brussels)
Credits:
Creative Agency: Ogilvy Italy
President & Chief Creative Officer: Giuseppe Mastromatteo
Executive Creative Directors: Lavinia Francia, Francesco Basile
Client Creative Directors: Alberto Crignola, Nicolò Mondonico
Head of Strategy: Luca Tapognani
Senior Strategist: Silvia Tasso
Account Supervisor: Consuelo Dionigi
Head of TV Production: Sanam Bartoletti
Senior Producer: Lorenzo Alaimo, Giulia Cattani
Head of Social: Carola Bracci
Senior Social Media Manager: Rodolfo Lombardi
Social Media Manager: Melanie Gemelli
Head of PR: Anna Esposito
PR Supervisor: Emanuele Palmieri
Production Company: The Family
Executive Producer: Lorenzo Ulivieri
Producer: Danielle Joujou
Director: Igor Borghi
DOP: Emanuele Zarlenga
Production Manager: Federico Luiselli
Editor: Lorenzo Colugnati
Colour: Giorgia Meacci
Post-Production: Band
Sound design & Mix: D2D
Music: Enzo Casucci
Location Manager: Alessandro Tesei
Set Designer: Mattia Federici
Stylist: Valentina Mezzani
Post Producer: Barbara Calicchio
Special thanks to lead actor: Angelo Spagnoletti
Campaign Photography: Ruggero Rosfer
Special Thanks to:
- Municipality of Jesi, Department of Tourism (facilitation and access to Stadium, Cemetery, Cascamificio Factory)
- Pergolesi Spontini Foundation (for tech and set design support)
- Mattia Federici (set designer of Pergolesi Spontini Foundation )
- Ascosi Lasciti (scouting location manager)
- Subwaylab (support and equipment for audio recording)
- Militaria (on set radio supply)
- Bellagamba Autodemolizioni (scrapyard)
- Dr. Busco (Mall’s owner)
- Indian Food Shop – Viale Don Minzoni in Jesi
- Laura Salvatorelli (make-up artist)
