Pangea Day
Encyclopedia
Pangea Day was an international multimedia event conducted on May 10, 2008. Cairo
, Kigali
, London
, Los Angeles
, Mumbai
and Rio de Janeiro
were linked to produce a 4-hour program of films, music and speakers. The program was broadcast live across the globe from 1800 to 2200 UTC
, culminating in a global drum circle, symbolizing the common heartbeat of the world. According to the festival organizers, "Pangea Day plans to use the power of film to bring the world a little closer together."
Pangea Day originated in 2006 when documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim
won the TED Prize
. Jehane wished to use film to bring the world together.
Pangea refers to the supercontinent from which all current continents eventually separated. It serves as a reminder of the "connectedness" or unitary nature of all people on Planet Earth
.
In the United States, Current TV
was the exclusive, English language broadcaster.
was Pangea Day's premier global partner. In addition to providing financial support, Nokia
sent video enabled devices to film schools and programs in disadvantaged areas and conflict zones, and to UNHCR refugee camps. Some of the films made in these locations were included in the Pangea Day broadcast.
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
were linked to produce a 4-hour program of films, music and speakers. The program was broadcast live across the globe from 1800 to 2200 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
, culminating in a global drum circle, symbolizing the common heartbeat of the world. According to the festival organizers, "Pangea Day plans to use the power of film to bring the world a little closer together."
Pangea Day originated in 2006 when documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim
Jehane Noujaim
Jehane Noujaim is an Egyptian American documentary film director best known for her films Control Room, Startup.com and Pangea Day.- Career :Jehane Noujaim is a filmmaker, born in Washington DC and raised in Kuwait and Cairo....
won the TED Prize
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
. Jehane wished to use film to bring the world together.
Pangea refers to the supercontinent from which all current continents eventually separated. It serves as a reminder of the "connectedness" or unitary nature of all people on Planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Goals
- Bring together millions of people from all over the world in a unique shared experience.
- Use the power of film to create a better understanding of one another.
- Form a global community striving for a better future.
Live broadcast locations
Pangea Day was broadcast live from seven cities:- Cairo - The PyramidsThe PyramidsThe Pyramids may refer to*Egyptian Pyramids*The Pyramids , a surf rock group from Long Beach, California*The Pyramids , buildings in Indianapolis*The Pyramids, a rock formation at Victory Beach, New Zealand...
- Kigali - Jali Gardens
- London - Somerset HouseSomerset HouseSomerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
- Los Angeles - Sony Pictures StudiosSony Pictures StudiosThe Sony Pictures Studios are a television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard , Washington Boulevard , Overland Avenue and Madison Avenue...
- Mumbai - National Centre for the Performing ArtsNational Centre for the Performing Arts (India)The National Centre for the Performing Arts , in Mumbai, India was established with a grant of Rs 4 million from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. This was later supplemented by donations from the corporate sector...
- Rio de Janeiro - Morro da UrcaUrcaUrca is a traditional and wealthy residential neighborhood with nearly 7,000 inhabitants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although most of the neighborhood dates from the 1920s, parts of it are much older...
- Buenos Aires - [KONEX Theater]
In the United States, Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
was the exclusive, English language broadcaster.
Featured Films
- A Thousand Words directed by Ted Chung
- More directed by Mark Osborne
- L'Homme Sans Tete directed by Juan Diego Solanas
Global partner
NokiaNokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
was Pangea Day's premier global partner. In addition to providing financial support, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
sent video enabled devices to film schools and programs in disadvantaged areas and conflict zones, and to UNHCR refugee camps. Some of the films made in these locations were included in the Pangea Day broadcast.
Advisory board
- J. J. AbramsJ. J. AbramsJeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
- Lawrence BenderLawrence BenderLawrence Bender is an American film producer. He rose to fame by producing Reservoir Dogs in 1992 and has since produced all of Quentin Tarantino's films with the exception of Death Proof....
- Nancy Buirski
- Alan CummingAlan CummingAlan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
- Richard CurtisRichard CurtisRichard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually and The Girl in the Café, as well as the hit...
- Ami Dar
- Cameron DiazCameron DiazCameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
- Matthew FreudMatthew FreudMatthew Freud is head of Freud Communications, an international public relations firm in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
- Bob GeldofBob GeldofRobert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
- Goldie HawnGoldie HawnGoldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
- Jim Hornthal
- Judy McGrathJudy McGrathJudith Ann McGrath, is an American television executive.Named Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks on 20 July 2004, McGrath oversees the networks' channels, including MTV, MTV2, VH-1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, and Logo...
- Pat MitchellPat MitchellPat Mitchell is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of The Paley Center for Media in New York City and the former President and CEO of Public Broadcasting Service ....
- Vik MunizVik MunizVicente José de Oliveira Muniz, known as Vik Muniz , is a visual artist living in New York City.-Early career:Muniz began his career as a sculptor in the late 1980s after relocating from Brazil to Chicago and later to New York. His early work grew out of a post-Fluxus aesthetic and often involved...
- Clare Munn
- Mira NairMira NairMira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...
- Dr. Tero Ojanperä
- Eboo PatelEboo PatelEboo Patel is a member of President Barack Obama's inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships. He is an American Muslim of Gujarati Indian heritage and founder and president of the ,...
- Alexander PayneAlexander PayneAlexander Payne, born Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.- Early life :...
- Richard RogersRichard RogersRichard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
- Meg RyanMeg RyanMargaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
- Deborah ScrantonDeborah ScrantonDeborah Scranton is the director of The War Tapes, a documentary detailing the personal stories of soldiers in the Iraq War. It was the first of its kind in that she sent the soldiers video cameras so they can shoot raw footage of their actual, on hand experiences in combat...
- Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
- Jeffrey SkollJeffrey SkollJeffrey Skoll is a Canadian-born engineer and internet entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles, California. With an estimated net worth of $US 3.2 billion , Skoll was ranked by Forbes as the 7th wealthiest Canadian and 347th in the world.He was the first employee and also first president of internet...
- Sir Martin SorrellMartin SorrellSir Martin Sorrell is an English businessman and the chief executive officer of WPP Group. He has served in that role since he started the company.-Biography:...
- Philippe StarckPhilippe StarckPhilippe Patrick Starck is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style...
- Dave StewartDavid A. StewartDavid Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
- Yossi VardiYossi VardiJoseph Vardi , is one of Israel's first high-tech entrepreneurs. For over 40 years he has founded and helped to build over 60 high-tech companies in a variety of fields, among them software, energy, Internet, mobile, electro-optics and water technology.-Biography:Joseph Vardi was born in Tel...
- Kevin WallKevin WallKevin Wall, born March 15, 1952 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a producer, digital entrepreneur and environmentalist who creates and produces global events often viewed by a billion or more people...
- Forest WhitakerForest WhitakerForest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
- Will.i.amWill.i.amWilliam James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
- Paul Zilk
Speakers
- Christiane AmanpourChristiane AmanpourChristiane Amanpour, CBE is anchor of ABC News's This Week and formerly chief international correspondent at CNN, where she worked for 27 years. She is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Early years:...
- Bassam Aramin
- Karen ArmstrongKaren ArmstrongKaren Armstrong FRSL , is a British author and commentator who is the author of twelve books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic nun, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and mystical faith...
- June ArungaJune ArungaJune Akinyi Arunga is the founder and CEO of Open Quest Media LLC. In 2010, she was named in the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. She is a founding partner, and for a period was Director of Corporate Affairs, of Black Star Line SA: a technology solution provider in the fields...
- Ali Abu Awwad
- Ishmael BeahIshmael BeahIshmael Beah is a former Sierra Leonean child soldier and the author of the published memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.-Early years:...
- Donald BrownDonald BrownDonald E. Brown is an American professor of anthropology . He worked at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is best known for his theoretical work regarding the existence, characteristics and relevance of universals of human nature...
- Assaad ChaftariAssaad ChaftariAssaad Chaftari served as a senior intelligence official of the Christian militia, the Lebanese Forces.Chaftari was a close associate of Elie Hobeika...
- Muhieddine Chehab
- Robi Damelin
- Jonathan HarrisJonathan Harris (artist)Jonathan Harris is an internet artist and designer living in Brooklyn, New York. He has won three Webby Awards and was honoured as "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum. His work has received coverage by CNN and BBC and has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the...
- Robert KurzbanRobert KurzbanRobert Kurzban is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in evolutionary psychology. He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York on September 29, 1969. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Cornell University in 1991. A lifelong love of...
- Lisa LingLisa LingLisa J. Ling is a Chinese American journalist, best known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View , host of National Geographic Explorer, reporter on Channel One News, and special correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN. She is the older sister of journalist Laura Ling.-Early...
- Max LugavereMax LugavereMax Lugavere is American television personality, filmmaker, gonzo journalist, musician, and founding producer/host for Current TV, the Emmy winning youth-oriented lifestyle cable network started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, now the fastest growing network in TV history...
- Khaled Aboul Naga
- Queen Noor of Jordan
- Eboo PatelEboo PatelEboo Patel is a member of President Barack Obama's inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships. He is an American Muslim of Gujarati Indian heritage and founder and president of the ,...
- Carolyn PorcoCarolyn PorcoCarolyn C. Porco is an American planetary scientist known for her work in the exploration of the outer solar system, beginning with her imaging work on the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the 1980s. She leads the imaging science team on the Cassini mission currently in...
- Jean-Paul SamputuJean-Paul SamputuJean-Paul Samputu is a singer, songwriter, and musician from Rwanda.Jean Paul Samputu has established himself as one of the most prominent African artists on the world stage...
- Yonathan Shapira
- Jason SilvaJason SilvaJason Silva is a Venezuelan-American television personality, filmmaker, gonzo journalist and founding producer/host for Current TV, the Emmy winning youth-oriented lifestyle cable network started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, now the fastest growing network in TV history...
Musicians
- Dave StewartDavid A. StewartDavid Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
- Gilberto GilGilberto GilGilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
- HypernovaHypernova (band)Hypernova is a New York based Iranian rock band from Tehran. The band is made up of Raam, Kami, Kodi & Jam . Raam is the lead vocalist, Kodi is the lead guitarist, Kami is the drummer , Jam plays bass...
- Rokia TraoréRokia TraoréRokia Traoré is a Victoires de la Musique award-winning Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Mali as a member of the Bambara ethnic group, her father was a diplomat and she travelled widely in her youth. She visited such countries as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium and was...