Pangea Day celebrates film

In case you missed the memo, the idea for Pangea Day -- a one-day global event celebrating film -- was born back in 2006 when filmmaker Jehane Noujaim won the TED Prize, an annual award granted at the TED Conference that includes a $100,000 cash prize along with the ability to make a wish that will change the world. The surrounding TED community -- made up of intellectuals who have attended the high-minded conference for the most part -- is charged with helping the wish come true.

So, for the past two years, Pangea Day was planned as a way to bring the global community together. Over 2,500 independent films were submitted and the organizers picked out 24 short pieces that will be aired. There will also be music and celebrity talks, given by the likes of Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova.

The name of the event is derived from the ancient supercontinent of Pangea, which paleontologists believed existed before tectonic plates moved the current continents apart. In that spirit, Pangea Day organizers believe, "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."

So, if you're into this kind of thing, you can check it all out online at www.pangeaday.org. The four-hour program starts at 11 PDT, with live feeds coming from events being held in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro.