carl sagan + more: my pangea day top five.

If you’ve been checking out my blog for a while, then you know that I’d been waiting for Pangea Day since I first posted about it back in January. As various promo campaigns rolled out for the worldwide live film event, I got even more excited.

Last Saturday the day finally came. I watched all four hours of Pangea Day on the edge of my chair – that feeling of connection in the moment was palpable for me. I sensed that I was part of something special and greater than myself. I knew that millions of people around my planet were watching the exact same thing as I, at the exact same moment as I. The power of it all was more subtle than I expected. Instead of a big emotional wave, it was like a light bulb flicking on. I felt not just like I’d become more aware, but a need within to not let that awareness fade, as it so often does. It’s easy to say you’ll do or think this and that in the middle of a big event, but it’s keeping it going during your every day life that’s the real goal.

I strongly urge everyone to go to Pangea Day and watch as much of the entire broadcast as you can. (It starts off with an intro from Bishop Desmond Tutu – this is big time shit.) But I also wanted to share my five favourite shorts from the day:

1. “Pale Blue Dot” words by Carl Sagan (Earth)

I feel a tad guilty putting this one as my #1 since it wasn’t an official submission, but the genius of Carl Sagan simply can’t be ignored. His words, famously recorded by Carl himself in 1990 after he NASA used the Voyager 1 spacecraft to take a picture of Earth from more than 4 billion miles away. Written for the public unveiling of the photograph, his words are succinct and endlessly powerful. The heart of a poet, the mind of a scientist…

2. “J’Attendrai Le Suivant (I’ll Wait For The Next One)” by Phillipe Orreindy (France)

My jaw literally dropped at the end of this one. I felt everything all at once. Seriously, every emotion ever. I don’t want to be any more specific because then I’ll give something away.

3. “¿Por Qué Le Hago? (Who I Do It)” by Pablo Olmos Arrayales (Spain)

This made me cry. You’ll see why…

4. “The Americana Project: Cuba” by Topaz Adizes (USA)

The explosive authenticity of this short was so real that I honestly can’t figure out if it’s scripted or reality, or maybe it’s a mixture of both. Pure, visceral emotion that could only be born out of generations of family and cultural struggle.

5. “More” by Mark Osbourne (USA)

Amazing animation and a beautiful story, this didn’t at all turn out the way I originally thought it was going to.

pangea day: “anthems”.

A couple days ago I posted “Japan Sings Turkey”, the first in Pangea Day’s new “Anthems” campaign. Each spot is an exploration of one culture’s national anthem interpreted into a short film by another country. My favourite, not so much for content but more just for the whole politically-polarized idea behind it, is “France sings USA”. I imagine the thought of a French choir singing the good ol’ “Stars and Stripes” would probably make a few Americans choke on their “freedom fries”, but the sincerity here is undeniable:

(Agency: Johannes Leonardo. Director: Laurent Briet)

Next up is “Kenya Sings India”:

(Director: Bob Nyanja)

Finally we’ve got “Australia Sings Lebanon”. This mostly makes me think Australians aren’t particularly good at humming:

(Director: Kris Moyes)

pangea day: “japan sings turkey”.

A little while ago I posted “Tank Driver”, a brilliant spot for the upcoming global film event Pangea Day. Their multicultural vibe is getting on a serious roll. For their new round of spots, agency Johannes Leonardo worked with filmmakers in certain countries to film their own citizen learning another country’s national anthem, but in their own cultural style.

In the first spot, “Japan Sings Turkey”, director Kosai Sekine brings the Turkish national anthem to life through the eyes and voice of traditional Japanese design. The the inspiration might be traditional, the distinctly modern video is simple and beautiful:

pangea day: “tank driver”.

A few months ago I posted about Pangea Day, the realization of a dream from visionary documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim and winner of a TED Idea Prize. The goal, simply but globally, is to unite people in the world through the power of the moving image.

As Pangea Day, May 10 2008, draws closer, they’ve embarked on a new campaign with the tag “See the World Through Someone Else’s Eyes”. The ultimate power of Pangea Day is precisely that. Despite langauge, race, and culture we have a medium in film where we can tell the story of any human being on earth, and any other human being on earth (if viewed with open mind and willing heart) can understand the other person’s life.

This latest promo film for Pangea Day, “Tank Driver”, is such a succinct and perfectly realized incarnation of this message that I’m going to shut up now and beg you to watch it:

(Agency: Johannes Leonardo, Director: The Glue Society, Production: @radical.media)

pangea day.

In 2007 Arab-American documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim was awarded a TED Idea Prize for her wish to “bring the world together for one day a year through the power of film.”

The realization of her dream will happen on May 10, 2008 as Pangea Day takes over the world. Professional and amateur filmmakers are needed to send in their own short films –  the only criteria being that they provoke thought, inspire others, and share pieces of their experiences with people who will never meet them. Official live viewings will be hosted in Brazil, Egypt, India, the UK, Israel, the Palestinian Territory, Rwanda and the US; a four-hour live video-conference will show a stretch of films, speakers and music to unify people through the power of common emotion. If you’re not in the host cities, then the program will also be broadcast live on TV, online, and on mobile devices or you can take part in hundreds of public viewings being organized in cities everywhere. Even better, you can get involved yourself and host a viewing of your own.

The hope is that millions of people around the world will gather outdoors, at theatres, and with their families to connect with the entire globe. The site explains it perfectly: “Movies alone can’t change the world. But the people who watch them can”. The February 15th deadline to submit your film is almost here. Get inspired by the trailer and take part: