There are some things in this world that universally speaks to the human heart. Music and film have a way of touching the mind, heart and emotions, regardless of what ethnicity or cultural background a person is from.
I was able to witness this when I went on a mission trip to Africa during my college years. I remember we went into a rural village in Kenya and showed the Jesus Film. I was left amazed, not only because the Gospel message spoke to the heart of the people, but because people were being moved by watching the movie.
People understand the power of film. This is why I have been encouraging people to engage the sphere of the arts and media through the Transformasphere Movement.
It was interesting when I came across Pangea Day. On May 10th, in various locations around the world, there will be 24 films shown in 4 hours in various languages to connect millions of people together. It is quite a vision that filmmaker Jehane Noujaim had after winning a grant from the TED Conference. She wanted to see a day, in which the world could come together through film and the vision for Pangea Day developed.
The 24 short films were selected from an international competition. It was estimated that there were more than 2,500 entries from over 100 countries. What would it be like if Christians stepped up and used their creativity to produce a film that could make a global difference?
Here is the mission and purpose statement of Pangea Day:
“Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film. Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it’s easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.”
Check out their promo video: