Control Room Filmmaker, TED Curator Launch Pangea Day

CANNES, October 9: Jehane Noujaim, the award-winning filmmaker behind Control
Room, is working with Chris Anderson, the curator of TED (Technology,
Entertainment and Design), for Pangea Day, a global event slated for May 10,
2008 that will showcase short films from around the world.

The project came out of Noujaim winning the TED prize. At a press
conference in Cannes, she said that the idea came from her belief that film can
be used “to create a ripple effect of dialogue,” as she experienced with Control
Room. Named after the “supercontinent” that existed more than 250 million
years ago, the one-day event aims to use film to help people overcome
differences based on geographic borders, race or religion. People from around
the world are being invited to submit their 3- to 5-minute films. Noujaim says
that filmmakers are being asked: “If you had world’s attention for five
minutes, what story would you tell?”

Anderson noted: “This is a bet on the power of film…on the impact on
millions of minds moved by the experience.”

On May 10, 2008, venues in Cairo, Dharamsala, Jerusalem, Kigali, London,
New York City, Ramallah and Rio de Janeiro will be linked in a four-hour global
broadcast featuring films, speakers and music. The event will be streamed
online, on TV, in digital cinemas and on mobile phones. Thus far, 150 people
have signed up to host screenings in 45 different countries, and the trailer
for the event has been viewed nearly 450,000 times on YouTube.

TED Curator Chris Anderson has pledged $1 million to the event, which
has also enlisted the support of MTV Networks. Meanwhile, the advisory board
includes, among others, J.J. Abrams, Cameron Diaz, Goldie Hawn and Meg Ryan.

Anderson is at MIPCOM this week looking to shore up broadcast partners,
who will be offered the opportunity to air the entire four-hour event or just
the final hour.