Schenectady, NY- Proctors will present Pangea Day on the mainstage on May 10, 2008 from 2pm – 6pm.
Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film. In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that, to help people see themselves in others, through the power of film.
On May 10, 2008, locations in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked for a live program of powerful films, live music, and visionary speakers. The entire program will be broadcast in seven languages to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones.
The 24 short films to be featured have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and
allow us see the world through another person's eyes. The films are a combination of fiction, non-fiction and animation. They will be stories that are universally relatable.
The program will also include a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among those taking part.
People inspired by Pangea Day will have the opportunity to participate in community-building activities around the world. Through the live program, the Pangea Day web site, and self-organized local events, everyday people will be connected with extraordinary activists and organizations.
Many of the films and performances seen on Pangea Day will be made available on the Web and via mobile phone, alongside open forums for discussion and ideas for how to take social action.
A Pangea Day documentary will be created to catalyze future activities, and dozens of talented filmmakers will make strides in their careers.
Pangea Day was created by award-winning documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim in collaboration with the TED Conference after she won the prestigious TED Prize, which granted her a wish to change the world. Together, Jehane, TED, and the Pangea Day team, led by Executive Director Delia Cohen, have created Pangea Day to harness the power of film to enhance empathy, compassion, and peace.
Jehane Noujaim is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose films include startup.com and Control Room. In 2006, Jehane was awarded the prestigious TED Prize. As a TED Prize winner, Jehane was asked to make a wish. Her wish was to bring the world together through the power of film. The seeds of Pangea Day were sown. When Jehane Noujaim was screening Control Room, people repeatedly asked her what they could do to help heal the world's conflicts. After seeing the amazing work being done by organizations in conflict regions, Noujaim realized that she should somehow harness the inspiration created by the film and connect these people directly to the people making these changes on the ground.
TED stands for "Technology, Entertainment, Design." It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those worlds. Since then, its scope has become even broader. This annual conference brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers and challenges them to give the talk of their lives. Talks from the conference are now made available online, for free, and have been watched more than 35 million times worldwide.
The TED Prize was created as a way of taking the inspiration, ideas, and resources that are generated at TED and using them to make a difference in the world. The prize was introduced in 2005 and recognizes three individuals annually with the potential to change the world. It's unlike any other award, and here's why: Although the winners receive $100,000, that's the least of what they get, the real prize is that they are granted a wish. A wish to change the world. The TED community then comes together to make that wish come true.
Pangea Day will be presented on the mainstage at Proctors on May 10, 2008 from 2pm – 6pm. Admission is free for this event. For more information visit proctors website at proctors.org, or call Proctors Box Office at 346-6204.