Last Saturday the day finally came. I watched all four hours of Pangea Day on the edge of my chair – that feeling of connection in the moment was palpable for me. I sensed that I was part of something special and greater than myself. I knew that millions of people around my planet were watching the exact same thing as I, at the exact same moment as I. The power of it all was more subtle than I expected. Instead of a big emotional wave, it was like a light bulb flicking on. I felt not just like I’d become more aware, but a need within to not let that awareness fade, as it so often does. It’s easy to say you’ll do or think this and that in the middle of a big event, but it’s keeping it going during your every day life that’s the real goal.

I strongly urge everyone to go to Pangea Day and watch as much of the entire broadcast as you can. (It starts off with an intro from Bishop Desmond Tutu – this is big time shit.) But I also wanted to share my five favourite shorts from the day:

1. “Pale Blue Dot” words by Carl Sagan (Earth)

I feel a tad guilty putting this one as my #1 since it wasn’t an official submission, but the genius of Carl Sagan simply can’t be ignored. His words, famously recorded by Carl himself in 1990 after he NASA used the Voyager 1 spacecraft to take a picture of Earth from more than 4 billion miles away. Written for the public unveiling of the photograph, his words are succinct and endlessly powerful. The heart of a poet, the mind of a scientist…

2. “J’Attendrai Le Suivant (I’ll Wait For The Next One)” by Phillipe Orreindy (France)

My jaw literally dropped at the end of this one. I felt everything all at once. Seriously, every emotion ever. I don’t want to be any more specific because then I’ll give something away.

3. “¿Por Qué Le Hago? (Who I Do It)” by Pablo Olmos Arrayales (Spain)

This made me cry. You’ll see why…

4. “The Americana Project: Cuba” by Topaz Adizes (USA)

The explosive authenticity of this short was so real that I honestly can’t figure out if it’s scripted or reality, or maybe it’s a mixture of both. Pure, visceral emotion that could only be born out of generations of family and cultural struggle.

5. “More” by Mark Osbourne (USA)

Amazing animation and a beautiful story, this didn’t at all turn out the way I originally thought it was going to.