The Global Search For Education: Director Claire Imler Takes Audiences Around the World in 106 Days.
This month on the Planet Classroom Network YouTube Channel, audiences can screen 106 Days, an invigorating visual collection of moments captured by filmmaker Claire Imler’s voyage to 9 countries around the world during the Spring 2019 Semester at Sea.
Through her vignettes, Claire’s experiences run the gamut from the everyday mundane to the magical and mystical. Audiences will see how she interacts with the locals, letting you vicariously experience how others live their lives. Cultural experiences always inspire us to learn more about yourself, and have compassion for others along the way.
The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome filmmaker Claire Imler.
Claire, 106 Days covered a wealth of places, cultures, and traditions around Asia and Africa, each shot exhibiting the unique beauty and richness of our planet. Your short demonstrates the power of film as a means of showcasing and exposing the splendor of the world. Besides film, in what other ways do you feel we can make the world more accessible?
Today, more than ever, I feel as there are so many accessible ways to connect with individuals all over the world. Whether it’s films, podcasts, books, social media, documentaries, or even Facebook groups, there are so many beautiful opportunities to connect with different lifestyles, cultures, and people. To me, it’s one of the most magical parts of social media. As I started getting more curious about the world around me, I found so many answers through different films or podcasts, but the most valuable experiences I ever gained were by traveling to different places around the world. While social media and the internet can be amazing, it can also be dangerous, and oftentimes depict a totally false picture of what a country is like. Through my travels, I’ve learned to go into each new experience with an open mind, and allow myself to make my own opinions. While creating this film during my travels, I wanted to show the beauty of all these countries from a neutral perspective.
The differences between cultures make each one attractive and unique. How can we convince people of Ethnocentrism, and thereby encourage the appreciation of other cultures?
It’s easy to fall into the idea that one’s way of going about their life is the correct way. I think it’s a natural human instinct to strive away from what makes one uncomfortable. But, though traveling I learned that being open-minded was one of the biggest blessings ever. By allowing yourself to dive in deeper into new cultures and traditions, hear different perspectives, and experience more types of lifestyles, you will learn so much about the real world outside of your comfort bubble. As a filmmaker and storyteller, I feel in love with travel because there is so much to learn and so many stories to be told. I realized that before, I tended to ignore problems that didn’t affect me, and it was so easy to dehumanize headlines that felt so far from my own reality. But after traveling, my perspective completely changed and I hope to continue sharing stories from around the world to share the beauty and uniqueness of our world.
What do you believe are the main takeaways for your audience in your film? How do you hope your film will make a difference?
I hope those who watch will just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the 9 countries highlighted in this film. While traveling, these were the moments that caught my eye and made me pull out my camera to capture them. So, I hope you enjoy seeing the world through my lens and that it sparks an interest to go see these beautiful countries for yourselves in person.
C M Rubin and Claire Imler
(Claire Imler’s film 106 Days is Curated for the Planet Classroom Network YouTube Channel by NFFTY)