Movie Night
Thursday, March 1, 8:00pm to 9:30pm, Harbour Ballroom, Westin Harbour Castle Convention Centre, 1 Harbour Square, Toronto, Ontario
Au bout du fil (Hanging On)
Canada, 2006 (14 minutes)
In French – subtitles in English
It's hard to make your qualities stand out in a close-knit town where everyone knows everyone else. Several young immigrants, all graduates from Université de Moncton in New Brunswick, are having a hard time finding work that takes advantage of their training. They become caught in a vicious circle — working in local call centres, where they must perform repetitive and alienating tasks. This short film highlights the invisibility that many young people feel in a society that does not recognise their true worth.
Au bout du fil was produced as part of the Work For All project 2006, a National Film Board of Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada labour initiative to combat racism in the workplace.
About the director
Chedly Belkhodja, an occasional filmmaker, is associate professor of political science at Université de Moncton and co-director of the Atlantic Metropolis Centre. Immigration and cultural diversity are the two issues closest to his heart and he has recently published on essay on the subject titled D’ici et d’ailleurs.
Brooks – The City of 100 Hellos
Canada, 2011 (48 minutes)
In English
Brooks, a small farming city known for cowboys and oil patch workers in Alberta, has become home to thousands of new immigrants, refugees, and temporary foreign workers over the last decade. Exploring challenges for residents, both new and old, this documentary examines a rapidly changing community in midst of a transforming cultural identity.
Brooks - The City of 100 Hellos will air on CBC, has aired on OMNI TV and has been in the Ghangzhou International Documentary Film Festival in China, the Lucerne International Film Festival's Showcase in Switzerland, Toronto's Commffest Global Community Film Festival and Winnipeg's Real to Reel Film Festival.
*The documentary was made possible with 100% funding from the OMNI Television Independent Producer's Initiative.
About the director
Brandy Yanchyk is a Canadian journalist who free-lances for the BBC, CBC, OMNI Television and Deutsche Welle Radio.She is currently working on a film in production for OMNI TV called Nature’s Invitation that explores the relationship new immigrants in Canada have with nature.
*Please join Brandy for a conversation about the film after the screening
