The second annual One Day on Earth project will stream thousands of videos from around the globe onto a single website on Nov. 11 to create a thought-provoking patchwork of humanity’s life experiences.

Santa Monica residents Kyle Ruddick and Brandon Litman began the initiative in 2010 when they compiled video segments shot within a 24-hour period into one documentary illustrating the broad variations in the everyday lives of humankind. UCSB alumnus Raphael Sisa, who majored in Global and International Studies, is working as an associate producer for the project.

According to Sisa, the organization garnered a wide array of footage last year, including videos depicting conflict, birth, death and social movements.

“One Day on Earth is an online community, archive and collaborative media project that mobilizes filmmakers, students, non-profit organizations and NGOs to capture and share the human experience all around the globe on 11-11-11,” Sisa said. “Last year, on 10-10-10, over 3,000 hours of footage were created by filmmakers in every country in the world.”

Sisa said One Day on Earth works alongside the UN Development Program, the International Red Cross and over 60 nonprofit organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam and Water.org.

UCSB Global Awareness Club Academic Co-Cordinator Andreea Sandu, a third-year global and international studies major, said the documentary helps viewers’ cross-cultural understanding.

“I think this project can widen peoples’ perspectives of the hardships others face in other parts of the world,” Sandu said. “People everywhere will be surprised and shocked at how alike and different we all are. People in developing nations will become more aware of different lifestyles, different cultures and different kinds of people. I think, in a way, this will raise tolerance worldwide.”

Film & Media Studies’ professor Bhaskar Sarkar said the video also educates the public about conditions in remote regions.

“From my perspective, it is a very interesting project,” Sarkar said. “It gives us a sense of diversity because when we think about the world we sometimes think of it as homogenous. Given all that there is, there are still many people in the world who cannot afford a camera; [the project] is still pretty limited and we have to remember that.”

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