NEW YORK, NY.- New Yorkers and visitors to Times Square are invited to join in the global celebration of Nelson Mandela on Thursday, July 18, as part of Nelson Mandela International Day, an annual event in honor of Mandela’s birthday.

Times Square Arts and Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC), in collaboration with the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, will present “The Power of Words,” a short video installation that highlights Nelson Mandela’s powerful words and teachings, and pays tribute to the peaceful vision of the South African leader on the occasion of his 95th birthday. The film originally screened in Times Square during the Tribeca Film Festival in April as part of the Midnight Moment.

On July 18, “The Power of Words” will screen at 7:15 p.m. in a grand presentation on the electronic billboards of Times Square (best viewing at Duffy Square, between 46th and 47th Streets). The piece will also screen on a continuous loop in the Times Square Museum & Visitor Center (1560 Broadway, Seventh Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The words of Nelson Mandela—made up of text edited from numerous speeches—will collide, float, pour, and burst onto a cosmic blue background in the collaborative work, created by Nabil Elderkin, Andrew van der Westhuyzen, and Gregory Stern. “The Power of Words” project, supported by Montblanc, was created in response to a challenge by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Tribeca Film Institute to inspire filmmakers to create short films that highlight the enduring impact of words and the resonance of Mandela’s message through multiple eras and generations. The initiative will continue later this year when Nabil Elderkin and four additional filmmakers work with the Tribeca Film Institute and Out of Africa Entertainment, as well as youth from Boys & Girls Club of America chapters across the country to create original short films based on quotes from Mandela’s teachings that will be released over the next nine months.

According to the Mandela Day website, “The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good. Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals—for people everywhere—to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr. Mandela did.”