Pangea Day: See the World Through Another’s Eyes
4 hours. 24 films.
Date: Saturday May 10, 2008
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Bloor Cinema – 506 Bloor Street, Toronto
Pangea Day uses the power of film to help us see the world through one another’s eyes.
Starting at 2:00 Toronto time, a 4-hour program will be simultaneously broadcast to hundreds to locations worldwide via webcast, television and mobile phones, and aims to be the world’s first ‘global campfire.’
This program will be made up of inspirational and challenging films, talks from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Queen Noor of Jordan, and music from Bob Geldof and Dave Stewart.
The Pangea Day event is expected to reach a global audience of over 500 million, via traditional broadcasts, free-to-air feeds and both web-based and mobile phone platforms.
Pangea Day was created in 2006 when documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) won the TED prize, which aims to grant the winner a ‘wish to change the world,’ and Noujam chose to use film to bring the world together.
Following the Pangea Day screening, we would like to engage the audience with a moderated 1-hour discussion, featuring guest speakers and audience participation.
What story would we tell if we had the world’s attention?
We would tell the story of genuine acceptance across difference.
In today’s fragmented society, the Muslim and Jewish communities are often pitted against one another by various forces. As so the Noor Cultural Centre and the Toronto Jewish Film Festival are joining forces to embody the spirit of Pangea Day and look at the world through one another’s eyes. As host organizations, we will be reaching out to the broadest spectrum of organizations and individuals to join us on May 10th and glimpse one another’s realities, if only for a few minutes.
The Toronto Jewish Film Festival (www.tjff.com)
The 16th annual Toronto Jewish Film Festival runs May 3-11, 2008 and features documentaries, live and animated shorts, panel discussions and guest film makers to offer new insights into Jewish life around the world, for Jews and non-Jews alike.
Highlights include:
To See If I Am Smiling
Screening: Wednesday May 7, 8:30 PM
Four female Israeli soldiers serving in the West Bank tell stories of the psychological stress they endure and the after-effects that continue to haunt them. Some of the things they witness and do, change their lives forever. The stories are both brutal and heart-wrenching.
Arab Labour
Screening: Wednesday May 7, 7:30 PM
This breakthrough TV sitcom, conceived by producer Danny Paran and written by Arab-Israeli Sayed Kashua, is a phenomenal hit in Israel. Amjad (much like Kashua) is a journalist who works for a Hebrew newspaper and desperately seeks to assimilate into the prevailing Jewish Israeli culture. Arab Labor mirrors the racism and ignorance on both sides. It’s also very, very funny and not-to-be-missed. (TJFF will screen three episodes)
Bad Faith (Mauvaise Foi)
Screening: Monday May 5, 8:30 PM
Can a Jewish woman and an Arab man fall in love and live happily ever after? This comedy tries to deal with these questions and also make us think.