National Geographic Society

Opening night.
It's 7pm, officially showtime and yet the line outside of Grauman's Egytptian Theater is wrapped around the pillars of the courtyard.  There is a buzz of anticipation on this crisp Hollywood night as the patrons gather curiously around the freshly erected photography exhibits of the 2006 All Roads Photography Award winners.  Moving stories of conflict, hope and life are told through the backdrop of these still images.  This is not your typical evening out on the LA scene, for sure.  Danny DeVito and his wife Rhea Perlman dart anonymously amidst the crowd towards the theaters seats as the lights begin to dim.  Gazing across the room I am struck by the sheer numbers and diversity throughout the room, not typical of a night out in LA.  The only seats available are in the first 3 rows of the theater.  Looking up, arms and legs are dangling over a packed balcony.  Although this is the third year of the festival, one truly never knows what to expect on opening night, especially in LA.  I am comforted by familiar smooth timbre of National Geographic's Director of Live programming Greg McGruder. His eloquence sets a cast of cool amongst the theater's walls as he welcomes the audience and introduces All Roads director Francene Blythe.   

Authentic and elegant Francene set the room on a course of serenity as she introduced other key players and the first performer of the evening Yungchen Lhamo of Tibet.  The lights go down...and the most beautiful sound emanates from the speakers.  As I close my eyes, my mind is swept away by the sweet tones of perfection that is Yungchen Lhamo.  Try and imagine what perfection sounds like.  Its akin to the feeling you get as you bear witness to the first true smile of a newborn child. Even the All Roads Trailer that plays in a loop on the website takes on a new, deeper meaning as it is shown on the big screen. It actually gave me goose buumps!! The night's feature film Milarepa lived up to its billing.  With sweeping shots of the mountainous Asian mountainous highlands the film lead us on a journey steeped in jealousy, revenge, history, faith and mysticism. 

What a night...and it's only the beginning!!!

(All images courtesy of Becky Hale, National Geographic Society)