APJ Canada Returns With a Prestigious Celebrity Lineup for its Annual Fundraiser During Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, September 8

Celebrity Co-hosts to Include: Paul Haggis, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson, Adrien Brody, Moran Atias and George Stroumboulopoulos

TORONTO, July 17, 2013 /CNW/ - Paul Haggis' Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) returns to the Toronto International Film Festival with the annual Bovet 1822 and Artists for Peace and Justice Festival Lunch presented with Roots Canada (currently celebrating its 40^th anniversary) on Sunday, September 8 at 2 p.m. (tickets and details here). Privately hosted at The Budman House, this year's prestigious lineup includes co-hosts Paul Haggis, Diane Bald, Michael Budman, Pascal Raffy and George Stroumboulopoulos, with celebrity guests Mila Kunis, James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson, Adrien Brody and Moran Atias (subject to availability).

"This is an exciting time for APJ. The annual Bovet 1822 and APJ Festival Lunch gives us the ability to expand the Academy for Peace and Justice and Artists Institute in Haiti, so we're thrilled to bring it back for another year with such a prestigious lineup of special guests," says CEO David Belle. "I would like to personally thank Diane Bald and Michael Budman for their generosity as this year's co-hosts and to give an additional thank you to all past and present event organizing committee members, partners and volunteers who have helped to make APJ in Canada such an enormous success."

APJ Founder and Academy Award^®-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis adds, "As a Canadian, it means the world to have such an outpouring of support for APJ from our friends here in Toronto. With everyone's help, we can build more classrooms, hire more teachers, expand our programs and ultimately change one special life at a time in Haiti. I'm looking forward to another incredible event."

The Bovet 1822 and APJ Festival Lunch is a gathering of leading Canadian and international philanthropists, business people, artists and entertainers who come together to help raise vital funds for the programs that APJ Canada supports in Haiti. This year's event will feature celebrity guests, live musical performances, cocktail and food stations, live auction and the presentation of an APJ Canada short film. Proceeds from last year's event covered the majority of the operational costs at the Academy for Peace and Justice, which currently educates 1,400 underprivileged middle and secondary school students in Port-au-Prince and which will welcome a class of 400 additional students this fall.

Also, hot on the heels of this year's Bovet 1822 and APJ Festival Lunch announcement is the appointment of Sally Lee as the Director of Development for APJ Canada. Lee joins APJ Canada from Soulpepper Theatre Company, a leading artist-founded performing arts company specializing in classical repertory theatre in Toronto. Lee will oversee all charitable fundraising and strategic partnerships for APJ Canada starting with its upcoming fundraiser, which includes fielding all upcoming sponsorship inquiries and requests.

For more information or to donate now, visit www.apjnow.org or follow Artists for Peace and Justice on Twitter @artistsforpeace, and use the hashtag #APJFest13 to see who is confirmed to attend. Charitable Registration #82296 2205 RR0001.

About Artists for Peace and Justice:
Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) is a non-profit organization that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty around the world.  APJ's immediate goal is to serve the poorest communities in Haiti with programs in education, healthcare, and dignity.  The organization is committed to long-term, sustainable development in direct partnership with the Haitian people.  The model is simple: APJ believes in empowering local communities, fostering economic growth, and the power of education to change a nation.  APJ is based in New York; David Belle serves as its CEO.  APJ Canada is based in Toronto; Sally Lee serves as its Director of Development.

About Bovet 1822:
Founded in 1822 in Fleurier, the heart of the Swiss mountains, the House of BOVET is known by collectors from all over the world for taking the entire range of watchmaking arts to the pinnacle of excellence. The House owes its independence to Pascal Raffy, owner of BOVET 1822 & DIMIER 1738, who has succeeded in protecting and consolidating its unrivaled expertise. Today, Pascal Raffy and BOVET are particularly proud to be present in Toronto with a collection inspired by timepieces from the XIXth century, whose techniques of ancestral watchmaking art they perpetuate. The contemporary collection is characterized by its emblematic design, the hand-painted decorations of its dials, engravings executed by hand and the Amadeo® concept, which allows users to convert their timepiece into a wristwatch, a pocket watch, a table clock, and into a necklace for ladies.

BOVET 1822, the most beautiful and unique expression of time.

SOURCE: Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ)

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Natasha Koifman
President, NKPR
[email protected]
416-365-3630 ext. 223

Lisa Kwong
Account Executive, NKPR
[email protected]
416-365-3630 ext. 242

For sponsorship and other partnership opportunities with APJ Canada please contact:

Sally Lee
Director of Development, APJ Canada
[email protected]
416-894-9552