Documentary Australia Foundation

11/11/11

About the film

On the 11th November 2011 – the date reads 11/ 11/ 11

This alignment of 'ones' takes place every hundred years, and this time humanity will recognize the occasion like never before.

For 24 hours, on 11/11/11 anyONE who has access to a film, video, digital, phone or web camera will be invited to partake in the biggest creative project of our human history. People from 196 different countries, brought together by over 2000 languages will be asked to capture a day in the life of their world. The footage, audio, visual and photographic material will be collated and used as the ingredients for a variety of 11/11/11 initiatives including a 2 hour cinematic documentary, television series, photographic book, world music collection. portable arts festival and an interactive online portal. The 11/11/11 project is a time capsule, which will capture our world in a way that has never been technologically possible before.

Imagine millions of filmmakers all around the world contributing to one story the greatest story ever told

The feature length documentary is a collation of the 24 hours captured by the world. The film narrative is guided by the clock, as the day is recounted midnight to midnight. Everything you hear and see, would have existed on 11/11/11.

Whilst the story will unravel organically based on the material provided, there will be three main areas which will be explored.

Human similarity
Global polarity
Hope

The film will observe the threads of our societies, which bring us together and pull us apart. Everyday existence will be assembled to share a unified expression through daily experiences such as brushing teeth or eating breakfast.

The cinematic puzzle will be put together by the pieces created on the day. Through similarities of colour, story and experiences the world will be woven together to create a global tapestry, with one picture and one narrative.

The soundscape of the film will comprise of voiceovers, sound recordings and music, all which would have been played or recorded on 11/11/11. It's imperative that everything is presented as authentically as possible.

This film is a day in the life of our world, and will allow all living beings an opportunity to see our world, in a way that it has never been presented before. By bringing the world together as one, we open up the opportunity for people to view our planet as a singular entity.With this greater representation, may come an enlightened sense of global awareness, responsibility and recognition.

Total Project Budget

AUD $79 420 for development

Length of Production

71 minutes

Stage of Production

Development

How does the project meet the aims of a philanthropic foundation?

The entire objective of the project is to make the world a better place, to remove the boundaries between people and to ultimately show a common humanity. This concept of "one world" still feels very theoretical - 11/11/11 aims to visually illustrate that we are in fact "one people" with the same needs, desires, hopes and dreams. Since this film is "made by the people" it will focus on issues relevant to whomever is submitting. The objective is to include as many people, from as many backgrounds as possible, so as ensure a diverse range of opinions, backgrounds, languages and cultures. It aims to break down social phobias - racism, xenophobia, homophobia, age and sexual discrimination. 11/11/11 seeks to empower the individual, to provide a voice to those unheard and a vision of people barely seen.

What outcomes do you hope to achieve by making this film and how will you measure its impact?

1. To bring people from all around the world together on this one day 11/11/11. This will be measured by how many people participate in the project.
2. To showcase human diversity. This will be measured by the range of people who participate - their location, languages, age, gender, religious and sexual preferences.
3. To create a greater understanding amongst all people about how similar we all are. This is trickier to measure, but I believe it's impact will be seen by the types of reactions people have after participating, watching and interacting with 11/11/11. If online message-boards start to include messages celebrating diversity than we would have fulfilled our objective.
4. To create more compassion amongst human beings. This cannot be measured, but perhaps can be felt. I would like to believe that the 11/11/11 project will contribute to creating an atmosphere where all people have a deep seeded respect for one another and a fundamental recognition that we are all in-fact one people.

What is your education and outreach strategy

Our objective is to connect with schools, Universities, community groups and NGO's to create the greatest sense of outreach. We will also have a strong online community which will focus on communicating with social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tumblr, YouTube and Vimeo.

Currently we have 20 University Partners - International Film School Sydney, Metro Screen, Charles Stuart University, Queensland school of Film and Television, Minsk Filmschool, UC Santa Cruz, African School of Screenwriting, University of South Pacific, FilmArche, Southern Illinois University, Florence Film School, London Academy of Media Film & TV, New York Video School, Unitec, Performing and Screen Arts, University of Canterbury, Wintec School of Media Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, University of the Philippines Film Institute, National Animation and Design Centre (Montreal, Quebec) and Thailand Department of Film, School of Communication Arts.

We are partnered with Global Voices - an NGO - which has outreach to over 60 countries.

Our Facebook page keeps growing by the day - with currently 1213 members from over 40 countries.

Through our business partners we have access to databases with over 10 million subscribers.

Who are the filmmakers responsible for the project?

Ultimately the filmmakers are the contributors who submit footage from around the world. The project will be lead by socially conscientious filmmaker Danielle Lauren. She is a great believer that the arts can contribute both positively and significantly to global social change. Based in Sydney, Danielle is currently the Australian Ambassador for the "Charter for Compassion" and consults for 'Australians for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees'. Her not-for-profit experience includes financial and awareness campaigns for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, WIZO, the NSW Rape Crisis Centre and the AIDS council. Creatively Ms Lauren has produced and directed a variety of film, television, theatrical and online productions. Her credits include 'The Vagina Monologues' 'Mad Men' and 'Australian Idol'. She has developed projects for The Sydney Opera House, Sony Music, Channel 10, BBC, ITV, Channel [V]. Arena, W and Channel 9. Danielle completed her post graduate studies at the prestigious Australian Film, Television and Radio School and her Masters of Film from Sydney University.