Besides washing my hair a couple of times...we also biked to the farmer's market in the rain (mostly greens at this time of year), and then went out for Indian with a couple that we're friends with. They invited us over to watch the Pangea Day Film Festival, which we hadn't even heard of!
What did we think? Well. The concept (bringing together people from all different countries at the same time to be exposed to films about daily life in many different places, in the interest of furthering global cooperation and understanding) is a great one. But, like so many things, the application fell flat. A few of the films, especially ones related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict("Combatants For Peace") and one called "The Americana Project," about the reunion between a Cuban-American and his Cuban family, were really thought-provoking and good. However, there were also a number that had nothing to do with daily life or global understanding--they were just overly artsy and weird. It seemed like the filmmakers were using the festival as a vehicle to get "noticed," without any regard for the purpose of the assignment. On the other hand, the festival organizers chose which films (and which parts of films) were shown; from what it looks like on the website, there were many that would have been more appropriate which they didn't show. I could have used more actual glimpses into the daily lives of world citizens, and less obtuse artistic posturing.
The program interspersed segments of film with interviews and musical guests, and I think this is where the project really fell off the trolley. The music, in large part, seemed uninspired, and at times inappropriate. There was a bizarre performance called "My American Prayer," which seemed out of step with the purpose of, you know, including all countries in Pangea Day. It seemed orchestrated by Dave Stewart, whom the announcer referred to as "the LEGENDARY Dave Stewart," but who I couldn't have identified if you'd put a gun to my head. Apparently, he is the singer-songwriter for the Eurythmics...can't say I've given them much thought lately. The performance went on forever and involved some awkward canoodling between Dave and a young female violinist. Huh.
During another filmless segment (of which there were many, encompassing a total of probably an hour and a half of the four-hour "film" festival), there was an interview with the founders of the organization Combatants For Peace. These were fascinating men with amazing stories, but the interviewer literally cut them both off to switch back to the absurd musical performance of Dave Stewart. It seemed rude, and again, out of keeping with the supposed spirit of the day.
So...we're glad we watched it, and we appreciate the intent. We just wish the execution had lived up to its potential.
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