Borders, conflict, violence plaster the news. The information creates an us and them environment that divides rather than unites the globe. Pangea seeks to change that by bringing a variety of voices, experiences and ideas together through film.
The project features 24 short films from around the globe and will be aired live in seven languages from Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of other sites around the globe will also screen the films including Cine El Rey. People can also watch via the internet, television, and mobile phones.
The films were selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films to be aired were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person's eyes. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova will also speak during the event.
The idea for Pangea was hatched when filmmaker Jehane Noujaim won the TED Prize, an annual award granted at the TED Conference, in 2006. She was granted $100,000, and more important, a wish to change the world. Her wish was to create a day in which the world came together through film.
"I feel this gives an opportunity to see from different points of view people by who have created short film to express their world," said Lebby Salinas, marketing director at Cine el Rey. "We can gather here locally and be part of the event."
A taste of the films
Combatants for Peace: This short documentary introduces audiences to a former Israeli soldier and a former member of the resistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories who have renounced violence to try and find a peaceful solution to conflict through a group called Combatants for Peace. In a meeting of the organization, viewers see how former enemies who have lost loved ones are able to see past their tragic pasts by focusing on their common humanity.
'Dancing Queen': This film, shot on a Nokia mobile phone, shows the joy of dancing.
'The Americana Project: Cuba': A young man returns to his family in Cuba for the first time in 13 years - and realizes that not more than just distance separates them.
'Yellow Sticky Notes': After realizing that yellow sticky note 'to do' lists were consuming his life, filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns decided to visually self-reflect on his filmmaking journey by animating on the same sticky notes that caused him to ignore major world events for the last nine years.
'Operation Homecoming: Road Work': The documentary tells the firsthand accounts of American servicemen and women through their own words. The film is built upon a project created by the National Endowment for the Arts to gather the writing of servicemen and women and their families who have participated in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through interviews and dramatic readings, the film transforms selections from this collection of writing into a deep examination of the experiences of the men and women serving in America's armed forces.
What: Pangea Day Film Festival
When: Saturday, May 10, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., doors open at 12
Where: Cine El Rey
Cost: Free
More Info: www.pangeaday.org, www.cineelrey.com
Paige Lauren Deiner covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4425. You can reach her at (956) 683-4425.
