With a "full house" of more than 100 people at the Viennese art house cinema Schikaneder, Ciné-ONU Vienna has scored another hit with the documentary film "One Day on Earth" on 4 September. The screening organized by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna in cooperation with the local cinemas Schikaneder / Topkino included a question and answer session afterwards with the film producers.
"One Day on Earth" is a film project created in collaboration with many UN partners and an online community of media creators who filmed in every country in the world on the same day - 10 th October 2010 (10/10/10). More than 60 non-profit organizations and participants in every country around the world produced 3,000 hours of footage and contributed to the 104 minute film showing the incredible diversity that defines our unique cultures and the common threads that connect us all.
After the film screening the producers Kyle Ruddick and Brandon Litman engaged with the audience in a lively Q&A session moderated by UNIS Director Janos Tisovszky. When asked about the idea for the film, Ruddick, the founder of "One Day on Earth", said that he wanted to "create a media event where thousands of participants would simultaneously film over a 24-hour period".
Ruddick said he was inspired by a surprise concert at a music festival in Los Angeles in 2008: "The musicians didn't speak a common language, and they didn't know they would play with each other. But after the almost embarrassing beginning they were able to make music together." He remembered it as an inspiring moment: "It was so incredible to see how quickly music can communicate across cultural and political boundaries, and I think cinema has the same ability too. It's a reflection of reality and almost as universal a language as music has. It's a media experiment to help reach people around the world."
In 2011 another global filming exercise took place on 11 November 2011. This time, 17,000 filmmakers participated in the project and produced 6,000 hours of film material. When asked about the new film on 11/11/11 which has not yet been released, the producers revealed that "survival" will be the most important issue, such as the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan and the recovery in Haiti.
Another filming exercise is planned for 12 December 2012 (12/12/12). For more information about how you can participate go to: www.onedayonearth.org
For further information visit the Ciné-ONU page.
