08 March 2009

4 great talks for International Women's Day

To celebrate March 8, International Women's Day, we suggest these four TEDTalks gems from some amazing speakers -- artists, scientists and economists who think deeply about the role of women.

Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, feminism -- and the power of passionate thinkers and doers:

The former Finance Minister of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, talks about one key opportunity to grow African economies -- by investing in women and the businesses they start:

(For more, watch Jacqueline Novogratz >>)

Scientist Nalini Nadkarni explores the world of the forest canopy -- and shares her findings with the world below, through dance, art and bold partnerships. She's working to inspire the next generation of women scientists:

The wonderful Nellie McKay sings "Mother of Pearl" (with the immortal first line "Feminists don't have a sense of humor") and "If I Had You" from her sparkling set at TED2008:

Find these four and many more astonishing women (including the legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, oceanographers Sylvia Earle and Tierney Thys, games theorist Brenda Laurel, Zipcar inventor Robin Chase ... ) on TED.com >>

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18 May 2008

How to get involved in TED Prize wishes

Since it began in 2005, the TED Prize has been making wishes that call on the power of the global TED community. Here's a roundup of current TED Prize wishes that you can get involved in -- in large or small ways, with money, ideas, time or skills:

+ In 2007, biologist E.O. Wilson wished that we would help him build a comprehensive catalog of life on Earth. The Encyclopedia of Life launched this spring and is growing -- with many ways for both scientists and non-scientists to contribute. Create an account on the site to hear about the latest updates and opportunities -- including the debut of a tool for uploading your own photos. Find out more about The Encyclopedia of Life and EOL.org>>

+ In 2005, photographer Edward Burtynsky wished for new ways to teach kids about environmental stewardship. Working with WGBH in Boston, his web cartoon show, The Greens, just celebrated its first anniversary and seventh episode. Watch shows online and download art and music, take a movie quiz and share the site with kids you know. Find out more about The Greens >>

+ At TED2008, physicist Neil Turok wished for the TED community's help in developing math and sciences talent all over Africa, though the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). Our next Einstein, he says, could be African. At NextEinstein.org, learn more about AIMS, watch video interviews with students, and find many ways to help in this drive to open 15 math and sciences academies in Africa and fund scholarships for the best and the brightest on the continent. Find out more about NextEinstein.org >>

+ in 2008, writer and activist Dave Eggers gave a hilarious TED Prize talk about his wish: that we will all become personally involved in our local schools, and tell a story about it. Whether you volunteer with a chapter of Dave's 826 National foundation, or on your own, sign in at OnceUponASchool.org and share your story. Find out more about OnceUponASchool.org >>

+ In 2006, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim made an audacious wish: to connect the world for one day through the power of film. Last weekend's Pangea Day was a moving 4-hour festival -- and you can replay the day on PangeaDay.org. Watch the films, speakers and music you missed, find ways to take action, and discuss each film on the site (click on "Comments" to expand the discussion). Find out more about PangeaDay.org >>

+ In 2006, Cameron Sinclair asked TED to help him build an open-source platform to help architects connect with communities in need of designs. The result was the Open Architecture Network -- a successful website that acts as both a clearinghouse for building plans and a vibrant social network, allows its users to sample, remix and customize design work for their needs. To help Sinclair's wish come true, join the community at the Open Architecture Network's website.

+ In 2006, Dr. Larry Brilliant wished to start a global early warning system to prevent the spread of infectious disease. The organization that grew out of this wish, Innovative Support To Emergencies Diseases and Disasters (InSTEDD) is a venue for humanitarian collaboration with a focus on those involved in disease tracking and disaster response. You can help Dr. Brilliant now by test-driving an alpha version of their crisis assistance directory.

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31 January 2008

Pangea Day: Hear Jehane Noujaim on NPR

Pangea Day -- the global film festival, happening May 10, 2008 -- comes from a wish made by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, who won the TED Prize in 2006. Listen to Jehane talk about her vision for the festival, which is taking busily taking shape now.

And it's not too late to submit your film for the February 15, 2008, deadline! Submit a film. Share a story. The world will be watching. Find out here how to submit your short film or video >>

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29 December 2007

Submit your film or video for Pangea Day

Hoping to submit your short film or video for Pangea Day? There's still a month and a half before the deadline -- plenty of time to get familiar with your new videocamera. From the Pangea Day site:

We're looking for films that will make us laugh, cry, and gasp. They can be fiction, nonfiction, real life, animation, or your own unique mixture. But they should hold our attention for every second. And above all, they should tell a story that someone else on the other side of the world will be able to relate to.

As you plan your film, try to imagine millions of people in different countries gathered around in the flickering light, waiting in hushed silence for your tale to start. What story will you tell? What images will you show them?

Submit a film. Share a story. The world will be watching. Deadline for submission is February 15, 2008. Find out here how to submit your short film or video >>

Then on May 10, 2008 -– Pangea Day -– join the worldwide film festival! Screens in Cairo, Dharamsala, Kigali, London, New York City, Ramallah, Rio de Janeiro and Tel Aviv will be videoconferenced live to produce a 4-hour program of powerful short film and video, visionary speakers and great music.

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21 December 2007

Pangea Day trailer: Now in 20 languages

On May 10, 2008 -– Pangea Day -– we're throwing a worldwide film festival. Screens in Cairo, Dharamsala, Kigali, London, New York City, Ramallah, Rio de Janeiro and Tel Aviv will be videoconferenced live to produce a 4-hour program of powerful short films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. Pangea Day grew out of the wish of 2006 TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim, who made her wish to "unite the world through the power of film."

Watch the trailer now -- with subtitles in 20 languages! Working with dotSUB, a web-based translation tool, you can choose subtitles in Arabic, French, Chinese, German, Hindi, Korean ... and register on dotSUB to translate it into even more languages.

Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion, while uniting millions of people to build a better future. There are many ways to get involved:

Submit your own short film
If you had the world's attention for just a few minutes, what story would you tell? On May 10, 2008, the opportunity is yours. Submit a film. Share a story. The world will be watching. Deadline for submission: Feb. 15, 2008. Find out how to submit your short film >>

Host a screening
People are signing up to host screenings all over the world -- in homes, parks, schools, and more. More than 200 screenings in 46 countries are listed on our Google Map, and we've just begun! Sign up to host a screening >>

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04 December 2007

Nokia and Pangea Day combine efforts, to connect people around the world through film

At Nokia World in Nokia today announced its global partnership with Pangea Day, a unique event that will bring together millions of people around the world through the power of film on May 10, 2008.

Pangea Day will be broadcast globally to millions on television, in digital theaters, online and via mobile devices. It will be a live 4-hour program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. The goal of Pangea Day is to create greater understanding among different people and cultures, and to form a global community focused on improving the future for all people.

"From the earliest days of movies, film has had the power to bring people together. But today, Internet technology is allowing film to bring together not only neighbors, but an entire global community," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia president and CEO (pictured at right). "Nokia is proud to work with Pangea Day as we embark on this important shared mission of connecting people across the globe."

For many people today, especially in developing markets, the mobile phone is providing their first Internet experience.

"Perhaps Nokia's greatest contribution to Pangea Day is the ability of our technology to give a voice to people who previously were unable to take part in the global community that is the Internet," Kallasvuo said. "By integrating the power of wireless technology into Pangea Day, we can help it meet its goal of bringing together people from around the world."

Nokia and Pangea Day will work with aspiring filmmakers in disadvantaged areas and conflict zones to make it possible for their stories to also be told. By distributing video-enabled mobile devices to these filmmakers, their works can be captured and shared globally, demonstrating how wireless technology can not only provide a platform for people of diverse backgrounds to express themselves, but also to bring them together.

"Pangea Day was created by TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim. One of the core goals of the TED Prize is to recognize a new generation of global citizens," says Chris Anderson, Curator of TED. "Jehane's work has shown how powerfully film can help us understand and connect with other people.

For more information on Pangea Day, visit www.pangeaday.org.

About Nokia

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions and services for communications networks.

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14 September 2007

10 May 2008: Pangea Day

When she was awarded the 2006 TED Prize, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim expressed a wish: a global acceptance of diversity, mediated through the power of film. (Watch her speech.)

The project is taking off, and its ambition level is spectacular. On May 10, 2008, Pangea Day, sites in New York City, Rio, London, Dharamsala, Cairo, Jerusalem, and Kigali will be video-conferenced live to produce a 4-hour program of powerful films, supplemented by visionary speakers, and global musicians.

The purpose: to use the power of film to promote better understanding of our common humanity. A global audience will watch through the Internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones. Yes, of course, movies alone can’t change the world. But the people who watch them can.

To start the process, a short Pangea Day trailer (2:30 min) has just been given front-page exposure on YouTube, inviting anyone to submit their films. Pangea is seeking films "that provoke, entertain and inspire". "Images are powerful to divide, but also to unite", says the trailer. Here it is:

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16 November 2006

Something Important to Encounter

Encounter Point, an incredible documentary that follows a former Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their lives and public standing to promote a nonviolent end to the conflict, is opening in select cities in the US and the Middle East tomorrow. The film is co-directed by Julia Bacha, who worked with TEDPrize Winner Jehane Noujaim on the Control Room. Jehane showed clips of the film during her TED Prize talk on film's power to change the world. Part of Jehane's wish is to build a larger audience around films that matter, so help it come true by going to see this film... screening information here.

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25 July 2006

TEDPrize winner Jehane Noujaim on TEDTalks

TEDPrize winner Jehane Noujaim is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, responsible for Startup.com and the gutsy, controversial documentary Control Room. Two weeks before the U.S. invasion in Iraq, Jehane went to Qatar, gained access to both Al Jazeera and the U.S. military's Central Command offices, and caught the onset and outbreak of the Iraqi war on film. The result, "Control Room," lays out the divergent ways the war was reported by the Arabs and the West.

In this talk, she unveils her TEDPrize wish: to bring the world together for one day a year through the power of film. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 26:22)

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18 April 2006

TEDPrize Winner Jehane Noujaim's Breakout Star

Josh Rushing, the American star of 2006 TEDPrize winner Jehane Noujaim's documentary Control Room has gone and done something very unexpected: he quit the U.S. Military after 14 years to join the English language Al-Jazeera International news station as on-air talent. As you may recall from the film, former marine Rushing, one of the U.S. media spokespersons for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, started off the film spouting the American party line, but grew over the course of the documentary into a much more complicated and sympathetic figure. Fast Company magazine describes in their cover story how many Americans view him as an idiot, or worse a traitor. Find out why Rushing hopes that Al Jazeera International could help repair America's image not only in the Arab world, but worldwide. In viewing the film, you can see how Rushing was quite affected by his relationship with Al Jazeera reporters; there's no question that appearing in Control Room literally changed his life.

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27 March 2006

Pangea Cinema: A wish in progress

When Jehane made her TED Prize wish to bring the world together for one day a year through the power of film, we decided the only way to do it was to really do it, in a big, noticeable way. We partnered with Steve Apkon of the Jacob Burns Film Center, America's most successful non-profit cultural arts center, who came up with a plan to pull this off, and concluded that it will cost US$10 million over 5 years. How to raise the money? Individuals can fund the roll-out of this wish in any country on the planet by becoming a Goodwill Ambassador to that country; the cost is proportionate to the population. Thanks to TEDster Richard Fox and his team at Pinstripe Media, we have a temporary Pangea Cinema site up, with details and costs of sponsoring each country. If you're interested in funding a piece of this wish, email amy(at)ted(dot)com.

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14 October 2005

TED Prize Winner: Jehane Noujaim

Jehane Noujaim is the gutsy filmmaker behind Control Room, the controversial documentary following events at Al Jazeera — the largest Arab news network — from the onset of the Iraq war. Jehane left for Qatar two weeks before the US invasion and gained access to both Al Jazeera and the US Military's Central Command. She also produced and directed the award-winning film, Startup.com. Jehane is on a mission to uncover cultural truths, and she's looking for ideas for her next documentary. We suspect the TED community will have some thoughts on this TED Prize wish ...

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