Running Time: 52 x 30 mins

synopsis

A Scattering of Seeds – The Creation of Canada is a series of 52 documentary films exploring the dreams, daring and determination of Canada’s first immigrants. It is a journey into the hopes and triumphs of those who built a nation, interpreted by Canada’s best independent documentary filmmakers.

A Scattering of Seeds draws on a rich archive of home movies, photographs, letters home, diaries and oral history. These are personal portraits celebrating the diversity of the first families who arrived during Canada’s formative years of nation building. From the early French, Ukrainian and Irish settlers to the more recent Chinese, Japanese and Sikh immigrants, this kaleidoscope of images and experiences is unparalleled in Canadian filmmaking.

By personalizing the stories of immigrants, A Scattering of Seeds makes the stranger immediately familiar and the beginnings of this country, a shared experience. It is Canadian history both heroic and haunting, set at the intersection of dreams and disappointment. There is conflict, oppression and the occasional sinking of hearts, yet the resolve and character of these immigrants is what builds a nation and allows it to grow.  At the root of each story is the instinct to contribute something, to leave something, to mark the efforts of a life. Who we were before we became who we are is our lasting legacy and our greatest teacher.

In these divisive times it is the hope of our ancestors and their gift of compromise that can overcome cynicism. A Scattering of Seeds demonstrates a profound understanding of the sense of community that continues to shape a country still in transition.

Credits

Executive Producer Peter Raymont
Producer/Writer Lindalee Tracey
Associate Producer Mary Holmes
Researcher Siobhan Roberts


Produced by White Pine Pictures in association with Badger Films for The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation