Celebrity Photo Shoot for Day for Darfur:

Embargoed until 29th April.

Thandie Newton and Matt Damon are among a group of artists who have posed for a series of pictures to draw attention to the crisis in Darfur.

The photographs were taken by celebrity photographer Jane Hodson at the Jasmine studios in London on the 26th April.

The photographs tie in with the fourth anniversary of the conflict on Sunday 29th April. They picture the actors smashing hourglasses filled with fake blood to demonstrate that time is running out for the people of Darfur.

Protests will take place on Sunday (29th April) in over 35 capitals around the world to as part of the Global Day for Darfur which marks the fourth anniversary of the deadly conflict in Darfur.

Around the world 10,000 hourglasses filled with fake blood will be turned by activists to mark the start of the conflict four years ago. Events will be staged from Mongolia to Iceland, the U.S. to the Ukraine.

“Four years after the start of the conflict the blood of more than two hundred thousand murdered Darfuri’s stains the deserts of Darfur. The lives of the local population lie in tatters, as does the reputation of the international community,” said Ismail Jarbo, a survivor from Darfur who will be taking part in the events.

The Globe for Darfur, a global network of dozens of different organisations is calling for the imposition of targeted sanctions to force all sides to respect the ceasefire, end attacks on civilians, allow the deployment of an effective international peacekeeping force, and stop attacks on the aid operation.

The Photos:

Please click on the photos to download the hi-res version.

Alex James: