Gina Valle

June 27 - Multicultural Day in Canada

2011-06-26T23:49:00.000-04:00

June 27 is recognized as Multicultural Day in Canada. But that is not all. In 2011, we will be celebrating forty years of multiculturalism in Canada. Alot has happened in forty years.

On June 27, Multicultural Day, I will be sharing some insights with Ontario government employees at the Ministry of Economic Trade and Development (EDT) regarding the essence of the 1971 Multicultural Policy; why, as a nation, we needed to move from biculturalism to multiculturalism; the significant milestones to show for the relative success of multiculturalism, and what we can expect in the next forty years.

July 1st is around the corner. On that festive day of celebrations, most of us will raise a glass to this fabulous country of ours, and most of us will also raise a glass to how multiculturalism defines us a nation. Right on.

International Women's Day in Sweden

2011-03-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

In May 2010, the Canadian Embassy in Sweden opened its new premises in the heart of Stockholm, where it will continue to conduct business as usual, and showcase Canadian talent from all corners of our country.

On International Women's Day, March 8, 2011, the photo exhibit Legacies opened at the Embassy, and provided a backdrop for a seminar on the Canadian integration model, which was attended by the Swedish Minister of Integration. If anyone in that room read the insights found in Legacies, then they will have a clear idea of what integration means for new citizens in their adopted homeland.

Given that the exhibit is also in French, it will stay on in Stockholm and participate in La Francophonie events organized by the Canadian Embassy.

March 8, 2011 is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.

Stereotypes sell . . . but we're not for sale

2010-11-16T13:24:00.004-05:00

Can you think of anything good about stereotypes? I can't.

The Italian American community has published the book Anti-Italianism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), which documents how Italians of all stripes are stereotyped in North America. My article, Stereotypes sell, but we're not for sale, is the only Canadian contribution to this collection of essays by American scholars, media, writers.

Two steps forward. One step back. For all the gains Italians have made in North America, the mobster and the gum-chompin' bimbo still manage to portray us on television screens and publicity ads. Two steps forward. One step back.

We've come a long way . . . but not far enough - yet!

The Last Rite wins 2010 CEMA Award

2010-11-09T22:26:00.002-05:00

On November 6, The Last Rite won the 2010 Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA)(http://www.canadianethnicmedia.com/) Award in the category of best television documentary for its sensitive and thoughtful multifaith portrayal of death and dying. The Honourable Federal Minister of Labour, Lisa Raitt, was on hand to present the award to an audience of more than 250 people. Other winners at the CEMA Awards Gala were in the categories of television (news), radio, print, internet and the distingished Sierhey Khmara Ziniak Award for exemplary work in the field of multiculturalism. From the presenters to the entertainment to the winners, it was an evening in celebration of diversity.

Legacies Photo Exhibit at Queen's Park

2010-09-17T00:10:00.000-04:00

In June, the Honourable Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Services and Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, hosted a reception at the Ontario Legislative Assembly to welcome Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, prior to their annual meeting. A number of women leaders who have worked tirelessly on the advancement of women were also in attendance to share their knowledge and experiences with Ministers. The photo exhibit Legacies was on display and served as a backdrop for the eclectic exchange of ideas that evening.

Susan Seaby, Executive Director of the Ontario Women’s Directorate (http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/owd ) writes "I would like to convey our sincerest thanks to you Gina, for participating at the reception in June at the Legislative Assembly. The Legacies photo exhibit added a special feel to the evening, and was very much appreciated by all the guests. "

International Festival of Cinema & Religion

2010-09-01T23:45:00.001-04:00

The Last Rite has been selected to participate at the International Festival of Cinema & Religion (http://www.religionfilm.com/) in Italy, (October 8 - 21, 2010). The screening is scheduled for Saturday, October 9 in the majestic northern city of Trento.

Festival screenings also take place in Rome and Bolzano. This year's theme is Journeys of Faith, Journeys of Hope. The International Festival of Cinema & Religion is dedicated to promoting, through the medium of cinema, a culture of dialogue, and to also creating opportunities for filmmakers of different cultures and religions to meet and share their knowledge and experiences.

Here's to keeping my fingers crossed on October 9th !.

The Last Rite in the community . . .

2010-07-27T23:56:00.004-04:00

In May and June The Last Rite was featured at a number of different events. Palcare Network (http://www.palcarenetwork.org/) organized a Lunch n' Learn for Newmarket's healthcare community, and The Durham Hospice (http://www.durhamhospice.com/) showcased the documentary at their Annual General Meeting. Mount Royal University (http://www.mtroyal.ca/) in Calgary shared The Last Rite with their students in a graduate program. It seems that no matter the place or the event, the documentary generates a great deal of discussion, and that is always a good thing.

Hardworking Women Indeed

2010-04-12T22:56:00.003-04:00

In March 2010, Multicultural Canada launched a new learning module Hardworking Women Indeed (www.multiculturalcanada.ca/ItalianImmigrationtoCanada), which looks at the contribution of Italian immigrant women to Canada.

When I was asked by the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (MHSO) (http://www.mhso.ca/) to work on this project, I had no reservations saying yes. MHSO had a number of interview tapes of Italian women who were born at the turn of the 20th century, which they wanted to include in the national Multicultural Canada project.

Before long, I was honing my calabrese, napolitano, veneto, romano dialect skills in order to synthesize and capture in writing the womens' lives in Canada. It was nostalgic and humbling to put these hardworking womens' experiences on paper, and then on the internet. Each story, joke, fable brought me back to my childhood memories of growing up Italian-Canadian. Each anecdote convinced me that these women had more fortitude in their soul than I will ever muster up in a lifetime.

Words on paper, or on the world wide web, can rarely do justice to the depth of life experiences, but Multicultural Canada and MHSO have tried to do just that with Hardworking Women Indeed. If you read the module and learn something you didn't already know, I would love to hear from you.

Montreal Premiere - Sunday, April 25, 2010

2010-04-06T22:23:00.002-04:00

The Montreal Premiere of The Last Rite will take place on Sunday, April 25th, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. at CinemaSpace, at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts (http://www.segalcentre.org/), 5170 Cote St. Catherine Road in Montreal. Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Please contact me if you would like to attend and a ticket will be reserved for you.

No such work can be credited to one person alone, and this documentary is no exception. There are many people who deserve to be recognized for their hard work in this creative project. I would like to begin by saying thank you to Ingrid Berzins Leuzy (http://www.ingridberzinsleuzy.com/) the Executive Producer, who planted the seed in 2008 over dinner one evening, that a documentary is something I should seriously consider doing. Ingrid ensured we made it to the finish line, and picked up all the loose pieces along the way. Thank you to Nigel Akam, Director of Photography (http://www.njacam.com/) - the talented man behind the camera, who brought the stories to life with the exquisite images he shot. Thank you to Diane Akam (http://www.njacam.com/), the Editor, who worked tirelessly with 22 hours of footage, reworking and refining the story to make the documentary as engaging as it is. Thank you to Nicholas Schnier (http://www.nschnier.com/), the creator of the original soundtrack for this documentary, who conducted multiple interviews with me, to ensure that he got it just right – and he certainly did. Thank you to Madeline Ziniak for believing in my vision and Paritosh Mehta for being my lifeline at OMNI.

Toronto Premiere From left to right - Nicholas Schnier, Diane Akam, Nigel Akam, Madeline Ziniak - National Vice President, Rogers OMNI , Ingrid Berzins Leuzy, Gina Valle, Paritosh Mehta - Director, Independent Production Development, Rogers OMNI.
The Last Rite continues to air in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Please contact http://www.omnitv.ca/ for details.

Documentary Premiere - Tuesday, October 13, 2009

2009-08-26T23:15:00.004-04:00

The Premiere of The Last Rite will take place on Tuesday, October 13 at Innis Hall Theatre (www.utoronto.ca/townhall). Last Saturday the cast & crew were together for a private screening, and now as a group, we look forward to sharing it with you in the coming weeks.

OMNI TV (http://www.omnitv.ca/) will air The Last Rite on Sunday, October 18 at 9:00 p.m. in English, and for those of you who speak Italian, or know anyone who does, it will air on Saturday, October 24 at 10:00 p.m.

This documentary took us into ashrams, Buddhist temples, mosques and hospitals, where we had the opportunity to spend time with spiritual leaders, palliative care workers and families searching for answers on death, and life after that.

I hope you will have an opportunity to see The Last Rite. For more information on the documentary, please go to http://www.ginavalle.com/