Cate Blanchett, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, More Wear Blue Ribbons at 2023 BAFTAs in Solidarity with Refugees
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Cate Blanchett was among a group of stars and United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors making a statement at the 2023 BAFTA Awards.
On Saturday, the United Nations Refugee Agency announced that its Goodwill Ambassadors Blanchett, British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, former Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini and more would wear a blue ribbon to Sunday's awards ceremony "in solidarity with and support for refugees and displaced people around the world."
"Artists have been invited to wear the #WithRefugees ribbon as an emblem of compassion and solidarity for those who have been forced to flee their homes because of war, conflict and persecution," a statement from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reads, noting there are "now over 103 million forcibly displaced people around the world."
The organization's statement referenced the ongoing conflict in Syria and recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, after which 35,000 people have died, according to NBC News.
"This ribbon is a symbol of our solidarity to all those who have been forced to flee their homes whoever they are and wherever they have come from," Mbatha-Raw, 39, explained.
"It's really incredible to see so many artists wear a blue ribbon tonight in solidarity with refugees and displaced people around the world," Mardini, 24, who is Syrian, added. "My people — and so many others — are hurting. They need our support. We all need peace."
UNHCR/Andy Hall
The organization also referenced nominated films The Swimmers, Bad Axe and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On in its statement, noting that "the human themes of displacement, separation and loss are present in many of the films nominated this awards season."
Blanchett, 53, added her praise to these works, stating: "What I love about film is the way it draws us into compelling human themes to uncover the connective tissue that binds us all."
"Whenever I have met refugees — in places such as Lebanon, Jordan or Bangladesh, here in the U.K., or back home in Australia — what has struck me has not been their "otherness" but how many things we share in common," she added.
Blanchett is up for a best leading actress award for her performance in Tár at the upcoming ceremony in London. The UNHCR named the two-time Oscar winner a Goodwill Ambassador back in 2016.
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"I am deeply proud to take on this role," the actress said at the time, per a biography on the agency's website. There has never been a more crucial time to stand with refugees and show solidarity."
Other collaborations Blanchett has participated in with the agency include a film series that explored "themes of human resilience, hope and home" during the COVID pandemic in 2020, the U.N. Refugee Agency's website reads.
Beginning with the 2023 BAFTA Awards on Feb. 19, "the wearing of the blue #WithRefugees ribbon on the red carpet sends a powerful visual message that everyone has the right to seek safety, whoever, wherever, whenever," a statement from the UNCHR reads.
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The 2023 BAFTA Awards aired Sunday at 7 p.m. local time from London on BBC One.
