Face 2 Face With David Peck

Chris and Face2Face host David Peck talk about engaged Buddhism, Cambodia, power and politics, photographs as symbols and hope. Trailer Synopsis Fading from black, the frame fills with the image of a rice field, leaves of grass billow in the wind. Cut to construction along the Mekong river in the capital Phnom Penh. On the soundtrack the metronome of steel girders being pushed deep into the ground keeps time. In the foreground a young man prepares to cast his fishing net into the river as an old sampan fishing boat chugs by. In the background a new bridge is under construction, the sound of which marks the unsteady pace of progress in Cambodia. The film is an intimate portrait of three Cambodian’s involved in forced evictions. We meet the characters at the very beginning of their journey, unsure of themselves and unaware of where they will end up after years of protests against their government. Biography Chris is an award-winning video journalist and documentary filmmaker and the founder of Little Ease Films

Kelita and Face2Face host David Peck talk about country music, trauma, suicide, resilience, and the importance of story telling, listening and how we can break the “cycle”. More about Kelita’s new album project here. Biography KELITA writes, sings and speaks from her own life experiences, sharing her powerful and inspiring healing journey. Coming from a life of countless tragedies and family dysfunction, she shares the lessons of overcoming and victory with an endearing transparency and honesty that engages, encourages and inspires. Her ability to touch and penetrate the hearts of audiences is what drives her success. KELITA’s is a message that rings true and pours out through the words she shares from her inner being. She has the innate ability to write, sing and speak what others are feeling. From her imaginary stage in the hayloft of the big barn of her parents’ Claresholm, Alberta ranch, she began to sing at the age of four under the yard light that was her first “spotlight”. Her love of music and perform

Heather and Face2Face host David Peck talk about greed, activism and sweatshops and her new film Complicit and why consumers have so much power when it comes to making a difference. Trailer IMDB TIFF Synopsis: The documentary follows the intimate journey of Chinese migrant worker Yi Yeting, a benzene-poisoned victim-turned-activist who takes on the global electronic industry. While struggling to survive his own work-induced leukemia, he brings his fight against benzene from his hospital room where he helps other workers, to Silicon Valley and the international stage. Yi's efforts along with the support of others, ultimately contributes to Apple banning two of the most toxic chemicals, benzene and n-hexane, in its final assembly. Against huge odds Yi directly confronts corporate and government interests, while empowering and inspiring the people around him. His wife Liu Huihui, a stay-at-home mom, goes undercover to investigate an Apple supplier. Xiao Ya, an teenager rural migrant, who arrives in the city with

Anna Jane Edmonds, Karl Janisse and Zach Ramelan and Face2Face host David Peck talk about immersive storytelling, collaboration and inclusion, globalization and how movies can in fact change the world. More about Blackout Media here on the website. Biographies Anna Jane (AJ) Edmonds is an emerging leader in the film industry, working in Toronto and Los Angeles as a producer and idea creator for movies with an edge. After working on set with a number of Toronto based film productions, in 2014 she secured the opportunity to work at Silver Pictures Entertainment and be a part of its management and development team during the production of the films THE NICE GUYS and COLLIDE.  Zach Ramelan is an award winning independent filmmaker from Ontario, Canada. From the age of 17, Zach has pursued his passion as a full time filmmaker. Since then he has created several award-winning short films, music videos and feature films. His music videos have enabled him to collaborate with international artists such as Sixx AM and F

Vaden Earle and Face2Face host David Peck talk about human rights, statelessness, change, immigration policy and the current state of affairs in Canada. Link to ONE Vaden’s must have book. Biography As a motivator, Vaden has the incredible talent of releasing vision and purpose in others, as his life message is all about making vision a reality, and not giving up until the end result is in your grasp.   As an innovative forward thinker, Vaden has a knack to stay ahead of the curve and continually come up with initiatives that are relevant and timely. As a speaker, his dynamic and avant-garde approach is sure to activate his audience, and yet his unaffected manner will keep them at ease, and assure them that change really is possible. As a writer, Vaden has an incredible ability to bring stories to life in such a way that the reader cannot help but be inspired. Having received and been nominated for numerous speaking and entrepreneurial awards, Vaden has accumulated vast amounts of experience in a relatively

Josh Freed and Face2Face host David Peck talk about “line regret”, “queue science”, cars as “me” vehicles, occupied time and why Brits like to talk to strangers. Synopsis: All over the world people are lined up now - millions, maybe billions of us - losing trillions of hours of our time. We line up at hospitals, banks, border crossings, supermarkets, trains, planes and fast food chains. In fact, for over 50 years queue designers have been trying to conquer the queue, in vast, largely secret worldwide experiments - and the lab rats in the maze are us. THE TAMING OF THE QUEUE travels from Canada to England and India to look at how humans behave in queues. It looks at the boredom, frustration, stress, fatigue and fury we all feel in line-ups, as our fast-paced lives slow to a crawl. Biography Josh Freed, the Montreal-based writer/director of THE TAMING OF THE QUEUE, is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and journalist. His documentary films have been seen in over 50 countries, and include Deluged by Data (for wh

Zaradasht Ahmed and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his film “Nowhere to Hide”, the Iraq War and the Triangle of Death, compassion and humanizing the victims of the ongoing conflict. More here on the website about the film. Trailer IMDB Synopsis: Nowhere to Hide follows male nurse Nori Sharif through five years of dramatic change, providing unique access into one of the world’s most dangerous and inaccessible areas – the “triangle of death” in central Iraq. Initially filming stories of survivors and the hope of a better future as American and Coalition troops retreat from Iraq in 2011, conflicts continue with Iraqi militias, and the population flees accompanied by most of the hospital staff. Nori is one of the few who remain. When ISIS advances on Jalawla in 2014 and takes over the city, he too must flee with his family at a moment’s notice, and turns the camera on himself. Biography Director and Photographer Zaradasht Ahmed is a Kurdish/Norwegian filmmaker. He was born and raised in Northern Iraq. His l

  Nathan Fitch and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Island Soldier, the US military and Micronesian soldiers, service, hope and economics. Trailer IMDB More about the film here on the website. Synopsis: ISLAND SOLDIER follows members of the Nena family from one of the most remote islands in the world to the training grounds of Texas and the battlefields in Afghanistan. The death of Sapuro “Sapp” Nena in Afghanistan makes waves through his tiny home island of Kosrae - where nearly everyone is connected to the U.S. Military directly or through family members. In an attempt to heal from his own deep wounds, Sapuro’s best friend in the Army, Mario Robles, heads to Kosrae with his family to meet Sapp’s parents for the first time and pay his respects on Veteran’s Day. It is an emotional gathering of two families, from opposite sides of the world, brought together by loss, love and honor. Biography Nathan is a filmmaker and visual journalist based in Brooklyn. He currently works in the video departm

George and Face2Face host David Peck talk about love, gratitude, celebrity and rebellion and influence, “earned fear”, how you can be angry for good reasons, U2 and why poverty is so not necessary. More about The Strombo Show here.   More about George here. Biography A six-time Gemini Award and Canadian Screen Award winner for best host in a talk series, George Stroumboulopoulos has interviewed a who’s who of entertainment icons, world leaders and respected thinkers. George has also taken an active role in global initiatives and is a strong advocate for social issues. George is the first Canadian National Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme. And he’s one of three Canadians recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader for 2012. He was also a driving force behind Canada for Haiti, a live benefit that raised more than 27 million dollars for Haitian earthquake victims, and One Million Acts of Green, which saw Canadians register 1.6 million acts of green on the

Steve and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, injustice, the 2008 financial crisis, speaking truth to power and closing the equity gap. IMDB Trailer Find out more about the film here. Synopsis Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle. Biography Steve James produced and directed Hoop Dreams, winner of every major critics prize as well as a Peabody and Robert F. Kennedy Award. Other award-winning films include Stevie, winner of the Sundance Film Festival Cinematography Award, IDFA Grand Jury Prize and the Yama

Sara Taksler and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Tickling Giants, fear, politics, outrage, hope and oppression and why jokes are an easier delivery system for calling out hypocrisy.  Trailer IMDB More about the film here on the website. Synopsis: In the midst of the Egyptian Arab Spring, Bassem Youssef makes a decision that’s every mother’s worst nightmare... He leaves his job as a heart surgeon to become a full-time comedian. Dubbed, “The Egyptian Jon Stewart,” Bassem creates the satirical show, Al Bernameg. The weekly program quickly becomes the most viewed television program in the Middle East, with 30 million viewers per episode. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart averaged two million viewers. In a country where free speech is not settled law, Bassem’s show becomes as controversial as it popular. He and his staff must endure physical threats, protests, and legal action, all because of jokes. As Bassem attempts to remain on the air, keep his staff safe, and not get arrested, he continues to

Jason Dudek and Face2Face host David Peck talk about root causes, Capital, impact investment, Sierra Leone, progress, opportunity and closed circuit economies. Biography Jason Anthony Dudek is the Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Mountain Lion Agriculture, and holds an MSc from the London School of Economics where he studied smallholder Agronomics in Sierra Leone. He has spent the last 12 years working in Sierra Leone, where he helped found an innovative organisation dedicated to accountable, effective community-based development. Jason also volunteers his time on a number of boards including as Chairman of the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, one of Canada's most innovative and effectual philanthropic foundations both in terms of programming and investment.  Jason also has business experience in Canada, the United Kingdom and Iraq, co-founding several companies including the firm employed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation to conduct Iraq’s Official Investment Map in 2008.  Find

Michelle Stevens and and Face2Face host David Peck talk about shame, suicide, trauma and empathy, the power of habit and why belief matters. Read more about Michelle here. Biography Dr. Michelle Stevens, a psychologist, is the founder and director of Post-Traumatic Success, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring those affected by psychological trauma. She is the author of Scared Selfless: My Journey from Abuse and Madness to Surviving and Thriving.  She studied writing at New York University before earning her doctorate in clinical psychology from Saybrook University, where her thesis was honoured as the Dissertation of Distinction. Stevens has presented her research to the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, where she also received an award for Outstanding Research. She works with survivors around the globe as a therapist, speaker, and advocate, encouraging them to heal, grow, and fight for better lives.

Gerry Flahive and Face2Face host David Peck talk about secrets, story, the “D” word, why he’s a 2001 fanatic and how a “real life” can be intimidating. Biography Gerry Flahive is a Toronto-based writer, producer and creative consultant at his media arts company, Modern Story. Until May 2014, Flahive was Senior Producer at the National Film Board of Canada, which he joined in 1981. He has done creative and storytelling consulting, strategic planning, course development and speechwriting for clients, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Cirque de Soleil, Telefilm Canada, MaRS, TVOntario, Humber College and Giants of Africa. His productions have won many international awards including 2 Emmy Awards, a World Press Photo Award and a Peabody Award for HIGHRISE (highrise.nfb.ca), a global interactive documentary. He produced & co-produced more than 80 documentary projects on a wide range of subjects. Major projects include the international co-production PARIS 1919, the ground-breaking Filmmaker-in-Residence mult

Shimon Dutan and Face2Face host David Peck talk about the “settlement enterprise”, racism, empathy, the West Bank and absolutes, Israel and why there’s reason for hope. Trailer IMDB Synopsis Of the grievances and grudges that plague the Middle East, no issue is more incendiary than the Jewish-only settlements that have dotted the occupied West Bank for a half-century.  Canadian/Israeli Shimon Dotan’s acclaimed documentary The Settlers sets out to illustrate - through first-person accounts, historical footage and expert witness - how 400,000 motivated Israelis ended up in communities almost strategically placed between, and sometimes within, Arab Palestinian cities populated by the millions. It is a confounding tale of religious zeal and secular hatred, where an olive tree is an amorphous territorial border, and the burial of a stillborn baby amounts to a claim of political sovereignty over a city.  Dotan, a professor of political cinema at NYU Graduate School of Journalism, traces 50 years of internationall

Karen Dougherty and Face2Face host David Peck talk about William Blake, mourning, balance, existential angst and how to really “be” with someone. Read more about Karen and her work here. Biography Karen Dougherty is Toronto-based psychotherapist and documentary filmmaker. In her practice she works to help patients through periods of adversity, transition, and instability to deepen self-understanding, establish emotional regulation, and build resilience. Her key areas of interest are repetitive bad-object relations, trans-generational trauma, and existential issues. She is a Candidate at the Toronto Institute of Psychoanalysis. As a filmmaker, Karen specializes in psychoanalytic, history, and social issue documentaries. Her current project, funded by PEPweb http://www.pep-web.org/, explores the world of Columbia University Researcher Dr. Beatrice Beebe, whose frame-by-frame video microanalysis of mother-infant communications has revolutionized our understanding of attachment. Recent collaborations include rese

Bronwen Hughes and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film The Journey is The Destination, Dan Eldon, the “global tribe”, living a life of “crowded hours”, and having no sense of the other. IMDB Trailer   More about Dan Eldon here. More about Creative Visions here. Synopsis The Journey is the Destination is based on the remarkable true story of the life of Dan Eldon, a photographer, artist, and adventurer.  By the age of 22, he had travelled to more than 40 countries, created fine art journals, worked with refugees, been hired as the youngest photojournalist at Reuters, fallen in love  — and accumulated more life experience than most in a lifetime.   Inspiring and irreverent, the film tell the story of a young man coming of age to realize his purpose, and his belief that we can all create positive change.   This film is 23 years in the making and we could not be more proud to have Kathy’s original dream become a reality.  This would not be possible without the phenomenal group of producers, the incr

Vaishali Sinha and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Ask The Sexpert, cultural context, “women as allies”, a Doctor as a 90-year-old pioneer and the latent effects of colonialism. IMDB Synopsis ASK THE SEXPERT is a feature length documentary about a highly popular 93-year-old sex advice columnist for a daily newspaper in Mumbai. Despite sex being a taboo topic in that country, the column’s brand of non-moralistic advice and humor has emboldened many to write in with their questions, the vast majority of whom seek basic information. The columnist gains popularity even while a ban on comprehensive sex education in schools is adopted by approximately one third of India’s states. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yRR1_VU1cQ  Biography Vaishali Sinha Co-Directed/Produced the feature documentary MADE IN INDIA about the personal stories behind the phenomenon of outsourcing surrogate mothers to India. The film premiered at Hot Docs Film Festival and aired on PBS in 2012. The film received several Jury

  Egil Larsen and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film 69 Minutes of 86 Days, The Refugee crisis, making sense of time, polarization of real issues, childlike wonder and why he still has hope. Trailer Hot Docs Review – calls it “Essential viewing.” Find out more about the film here. Synopsis Every day, about 90 Syrian refugees arrive in Canada. 40,081 have been welcomed since November 4, 2015. (Data as of January 29, 2017) The war in Syria has now lasted six years. According to UNICEF, one in three of today’s Syrian children have never experienced anything but war and flight. Every week hundreds of families flee. 69 Minutes of 86 Days is the part of the story that hasn’t been told. Follow three-year-old Lean’s journey from an unfamiliar port in Greece on the edge of a beach, through passport controls, congested trains, tents, and a large field, to the quiet streets of Uppsala, Sweden. At an unspecified port, we are led into a crowd of people through a trail of discarded lifejackets. Part of a ne

Kalina Bertin and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Manic, survivor guilt, family secrets, mental health issues, intimate connections and prejudice. IMDB Trailer And learn more about Kalina here.  Synopsis Manic chronicles filmmaker Kalina Bertin’s struggle to make sense of the legacy of mental illness wreaking havoc over her sibling’s lives. Convinced that her father holds a key piece of the puzzle, she sets out to find the truth about him, and discovers a man known alternately as a cult leader, a scam artist, a prophet, and a father of fifteen. Manic invites the viewer on a compelling and intimate journey through time and through the mind, where past and present collide. Biography After completing her degree in film production in Montreal at UQÀM, filmmaker Kalina Bertin quickly realized that if she didn’t set out to understand the mental illness in her family it would destroy her. This process gave birth to her compelling documentary film Manic, which explores the legacy of bipolar disorder