Blanchett, other movie stars spotlight plight of refugees

GENEVA – Cate Blanchett and some other big-name movie stars are speaking out about the plight of refugees in a stark video that entreats viewers to imagine what they’d do if they had to flee war.

The Oscar-winning actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassador headlines the video released Monday with the refugee agency. Entitled “What They Took With Them,” it was inspired by real refugees’ accounts.

Over an opening image of a helicopter dropping bombs and an explosion, a text asks: “If you had to flee your home, what would you take?”

Blanchett and actors including Keira Knightley, Stanley Tucci, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jesse Eisenberg then rattle off items that fleeing refugees often take with them, such as phones, food, water, money, and identity papers.