Dubai, the land where everything is larger than life, has greenlighted plans to build the world’s largest solar panel manufacturing plant.  The photovoltaic production facility, Solar Technologies FZE, will be constructed at Dubai’s Technopark beginning next month and could begin producing cells as early as the last quarter of 2010.

Dilip Rahulan, the Chairman and CEO of Solar Technologies FZE said about solar energy, “The energy from sunlight striking the earth for 40 minutes is equivalent to the global energy consumption for a whole year.”  His company has plans to subsequently open plants in Mexico and Bulgaria after the Dubai facility is in operation.

It’s good to see Dubai hopping in full steam on renewable energy.  In addition to the abundant natural resources of fossil fuels throughout the Arabian peninsula, the area is also obviously one of the most sunny regions on the planet, making for a potentially easy transition from an economy based on the 20th Century power sources of oil & natural gas to 21st Century solar energy.

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Corridor #8 : (directed by Boris Despodov)

I just got out of a phenomenal little movie called Corridor #8. It’s a series of little vignettes featuring people who from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania and all live along a proposed road project that would link all of the Balkan countries together. The road project is appropriately called Corridor #8.  I went in expecting a political dialogue about the road project and instead was swept away by the lives and stories of the folks captured on Despodov’s camera. He traces the history of the 3 countries connection not through detailed accounts of times past but through the observations of his subjects, which in turn give the shape of his film heart.

Sadly enough I only have 2 more movies to see here before I hit the road (and the ferry) to go to the Nantucket Film Festival where I’m screening Every Third Bite. I won’t be as active tomorrow due to being on the road, but I’ll have some more HRWFF stuff up and hoepfully an evening arrival to Nantucket post.

It’s been a great few days and I’m excited to write it all up in more detail, let you all know how you can TakePart with the issues in the amazing films I have seen and post the awesome pictures I’ve been taking.

For now, go below the fold to see a trailer for Corridor #8 (the director just walked into the Cinema Lounge where I’m blogging - yay! film festivals!)

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Social Action + Cinema Videos of the Day:

1) National Hispanic Institute LDZ 25th Anniversary (2007)

For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>

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