Rogers Media’s Citytv is carrying the Canadian rights for Pangea Day, a global initiative and four-hour live broadcast event that will celebrate short films and speakers from around the world. The broadcast is expected to reach an international audience of millions through television, web and mobile phones – good news for Nokia, the presenting sponsor.
Approximately 24 short films have been selected in a competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over 100 countries, based on their ability to inspire and allow viewers to see the world through another person’s eyes. Inspired by documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, Pangea Day aims to be the world’s first ‘global campfire,’ bringing people together to promote empathy, compassion and understanding.
In addition to a webcast of its coverage, Citytv will air the event on Saturday, May 10 in all of its markets (Citytv Toronto at 2 pm ET, Citytv Winnipeg at 1 pm CT, Citytv Calgary at 12 pm MT, Citytv Edmonton at 12 pm MT, and Citytv Vancouver at 11 am PT).
As part of its mission to foster a new generation of storytellers, Pangea Day organizers worked with Nokia to give each student at BC’s largest Aboriginal College, the Native Education Centre, free video-enabled mobile phones so they could tell their stories.
‘Participating in the live broadcast of Pangea Day seemed like a natural fit for Citytv,’ says Citytv GM and EVP television operations Jamie Haggarty. ‘Citytv provides the perfect platform for this grassroots initiative which promotes the type of diversity that we value and reflect in our programming.’
The event’s advisors include Goldie Hawn, JJ Abrams, Dave Stewart, Bob Geldof, Paul Simon, Meg Ryan, Forest Whitaker, Mira Nair and Cameron Diaz. Canadian director Zacharias Kunuk (The Fast Runner) serves as a member of the jury.
The event also features talks from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Queen Noor of Jordan and musical performances by Bob Geldof, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Iranian rock band Hypernova. Live audience broadcasts are planned for Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro, as well as grassroots ‘Friends of Pangea Day’ events in over 100 different countries, including some Citytv markets.
