Millions of people around the world will gather to participate in the first-ever Pangea Day international film festival broadcast, an event centered on bringing people of all cultures and civilizations into a spirit of peace and brotherhood. BYU-Hawaii will host Oahu’s only public viewing of the event on Saturday, May 10 in the McKay Auditorium at 7:30 a.m.
According to the event’s website, www.PangeaDay.org, the broadcast will include 24 short films — submitted by individuals from over 100 countries, and motivational speakers such as Queen Noor of Jordan, Christiane Amanpour of CNN and Bob Geldof, a musician and activist, as well as an Iranian rock band called Hypernova, among others.
Sarah Davis, a senior in International Cultural Studies-Communications from Connecticut and the coordinator of the event on campus, says she is excited and hopes the film festival will help students realize their individual potential to make a difference.
“The founder of Pangea Day believes that films may not change the world, but the people who watch them can, and hopefully these films will touch people, inviting a more peace-promoting environment. That is one of the missions of this campus, and I believe that Pangea Day can help us accomplish that goal,” Davis said. She added people from Honolulu and other parts of Oahu have already contacted her for tickets to the event.
The viewing is sponsored by the BYUH Student Association and Honors Program, and has been organized by Davis and a small committee of students who are concerned with fulfilling the mission of the school, “to promote world peace and international brotherhood.”
David Lucero, Director of Student Activities and Leadership, said he was in support of showing the film festival at BYUH because he believes communicating positively through film and seeing what others do to promote peace will further encourage BYUH students to get involved in the international peacemaking process.
Pangea Day was originally created by Jehane Noujaim, as a presentation to a think tank called Technology, Entertainment, Design. It is aimed at helping individuals break down stereotypical and dehumanizing images to promote world peace by bringing the world together.
According to PangeaDay.org, Noujaim is joined by an advisory board of individuals in media and communication, including J.J. Abrams and Cameron Diaz. The event will be broadcast live from Cairo, Egypt; Kigali, Rwanda; London, England; Los Angeles, California; Mumbai, India; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At BYUH, the broadcast will be shown via a satellite feed so students, staff, faculty and others can watch the free festival.
Callie White, a sophomore in International Cultural Studies from Connecticut, was excited to attend when she heard about Pangea Day. “I just got back from Spain, so I know what it feels like to feel divided by culture and race. I think it’s really important for people of all different cultures and races to be able to identify with each other, and from what I’ve heard, Pangea Day will help with that.”