Face 2 Face With David Peck

Trevor and Ellen Scherer Crafts and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Street Gang, revolutionary ideas, the definition of genius, lightening in a bottle, TV as a wasteland and Kermit the Frog.TrailerFind out more about Street Gang here.Synopsis:Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street takes us inside the minds and hearts of the Sesame Street creators, artists, writers, and educators who, together established one of the most influential programs in television history.In late 1960s, Joan Ganz Cooney, a socially conscious female television executive was working in the fledgling world of public television. She was asked by friend Lloyd Morrisett, who worked for the Carnegie Corporation of New York and who specialized in the psychological studies of pre-school children, to take on revolutionary experiment. Could Joan create a children’s show that would "master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them?"Inspired by the civil rights movement, Joan and Lloyd took this exp

Tracey Deer and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Beans, bridges under construction, storytelling and changing the world, persistence, forgiveness, how anger can guide us for good, listening well and why trauma doesn’t need to define us.TrailerFind out more about the film here and Tracey here.Synopsis:Beans is a coming-of-age story, inspired by co-writer/director Tracey Deer’s own experience as a 12-year-old Mohawk girl who had to grow up fast during the 1990 Oka Crisis, a 78-day armed stand-off between the Quebec/Canadian governments and the Mohawk who were peacefully protesting a golf course expansion that would desecrate their burial ground.Since debuting at TIFF 2020, the film has reaped many accolades – among them, Berlin’s Generation Kplus Crystal Bear for best film, two CSAs (Best Motion Picture and Best First Feature), TIFF Emerging Talent Award (Deer), TIFF Rising Stars (actor Rainbow Dickerson), TIFF’s Canada Top Ten, VIFF’s Best Canadian Film, VFCC’s One to Watch (actor Kiawentiio),

Saul Williams, Motion and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their new film Akilla’s Escape, extended family, lived experience, existence as resistance, racialized capitalism, poetry, art and pushing boundaries and why it may not be a great idea to dabble in hope or cynicism.TrailerFind out more about the film here.Synopsis:Akilla’s Escape weaves the present and past in a crime-noir about the urban child-soldier. Set in Toronto and New York where over 450,000 Jamaicans reside, the story speaks to the historical criminalization of black boys that modern society overlooks.Akilla Brown is forty years old and for the first time in his life, the clandestine cannabis grow operation he runs is legit. Only one year into government approvedlegalization, the pendulum of hypocrisy takes a toll and Akilla decides to cash out. While making a routine delivery on a cool, summer night, destiny takes anunexpected turn when Akilla confronts a firestorm of masked youths in an armed robbery.In the aftermath of the heist, Akill

Nicole Dorsey and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Black Conflux, identity and uncertainty, empathy, attitude and ego, staying present, humility in asking good questions and why what you do next really matters.Watch the film now online.TrailerFind out more about Nicole and the film here.Synopsis:“The lives of an anxious teenage girl and a troubled man converge fatefully, in Nicole Dorsey’s vivid debut exploring womanhood and toxic masculinity.“Black Conflux is a constant visual delight.” –Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood ReporterSet in suburban Newfoundland in 1987, Nicole Dorsey’s debut feature is a dreamy account of two converging lives.Fifteen-year-old Jackie (Ella Ballentine) is navigating the tricky transition between vulnerable adolescence and impending adulthood. The film opens with Jackie auditioning for her school choir with a gorgeous rendition of “Hey, Who Really Cares?”, by obscure early-’70s psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs. It’s a symbolic overture for a promising young w

CJ Hunt and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his film The Neutral Ground, memory and racial justice, rewriting history, propaganda, troubling stories we tell and why it’s time to be honest, out loud and in public.TrailerFind out more about CJ and the film here and you can watch the film here on PBS and through WNED in Canada.Synopsis:An official selection of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, The Neutral Ground begins in 2015 as Hunt documents a raucous New Orleans City Council meeting about the removal of four Confederate monuments. It quickly becomes apparent just how divided white and Black residents are on the meaning of the city's statues. This tension between what to Hunt seems obvious – that the statues should be removed – and the fervor with which so many people oppose this view opens an opportunity for him to try and understand the mythology of the Confederacy and why Americans are willing to put so much on the line to guard its stone remnants.When death threats halt the removals in New Orleans

Marc Silver and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his film 3.5 minutes, cities designed to separate, bridge building, racism, gun violence, fact versus fake news, vertical learning curves and justice through storytelling.TrailerFind out more about Marc here and stream the film here.Synopsis:Black Friday 2012: four boys in a red SUV pull into a gas station after spending time at the mall buying sneakers and talking to girls. With music blaring, one boy exits the car and enters the store, a quick stop for a soda and a pack of gum.A man and a woman pull up next to the boys in the station, making a stop for a bottle of wine. The woman enters the store, and an argument breaks out when the driver of the second car asks the boys to turn the music down.3½ minutes and ten bullets later, one of the boys is dead.About Marc:Marc Silver is an award-winning filmmaker and director of the Oscar shortlisted and Emmy nominated feature doc, 3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets. It premiered at the Sundance Festival 2015 winnin

Aidan Turner and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new TV series Leonardo, mystery and wonder, curiosity, nature versus nurture, solving puzzles, ego, painting the details and why humility is underrated.TrailerSynopsis:A compelling look at one of the most restlessly brilliant men of all time, Leonardo gets inside the mind of the genius, showing the drama behind his art, and exploring a tantalizing mystery left unexplained by biographers – the nature of his relationship with the model Caterina da Cremona.Caterina’s apparent murder – and the painting’s disappearance – make for a mystery full of twists and turns that takes us through the key years of Leonardo’s artistic life, leading to a thrilling climax nearly as ingenious as one of Leonardo’s own creations.About Aidan:Aidan Turner was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1983. After graduating from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2004, Aidan appeared in a number of stage productions, many with Ireland's national theatre, The Abbey. Such produc

Yung Chang and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new, memorable and hopeful film Wuhan Wuhan, empathy, universals, hatred and division, humanizing statistics and tragedy, everyday heroes and the poetic history of a city.Find out more about the film here.Synopsis:Wuhan Wuhan is an observational documentary unfolding during February and March, 2020 at the height of the pandemic in Wuhan city, where the coronavirus began. With unprecedented access at the peak of the pandemic lockdown, Wuhan Wuhan goes beyond the statistics and salacious headlines and puts a human experience into the early days of the mysterious virus as Chinese citizens and frontline healthcare workers grappled with an invisible, deadly killer.The film focuses on five heart-wrenching and endearing stories: a soft-hearted ER doctor and an unflappable ICU nurse from the COVID-19 hospital; a compassionate volunteer psychologist at a temporary hospital; a tenacious mother and son who are COVID-19 patients navigating the byzantine PRC healthca

Cody Westman and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Hell or Clean Water, the environment, activism, awareness, confidence and doubt, how change takes time and how one person can make a difference and why everyone should try.TrailerSynopsis:Shawn Bath is an unlikely environmentalist. Just 10 years ago he was throwing garbage out his truck window. But as a commercial diver in Newfoundland, Shawn has seen ‘everything that mankind doesn’t want’. The harbours in the province are full of tires, bottles, boat parts and fishing equipment, a world-wide problem that is ‘out of sight, out of mind’.After meeting his girlfriend Staunene, Shawn has a change of heart and is now hell bent on cleaning up the trash that’s littering the bottom of the Atlantic. He quits his job and devotes all his time and energy into his new cause Clean Harbours Initiative, relying solely on donations while he tries to secure government funding.The problem? He only has $9 in his bank accoun

Jason Sherman and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film My Tree, fresh starts and gifts, staying inquisitive, conscience and push back, mysteries that unfold, belief systems and stories that are used to suppress.Synopsis:Jason Sherman, a Canadian Jew, searches for the tree that was planted in his name in Israel many years earlier.His travels take him to parks and forests throughout the country, where he learns a number of surprising facts about his tree: that it was likely a pine; that it was chosen because it grows fast; that it was completely wrong for the Israeli climate — and that it is sitting atop the remains of a Palestinian village that was captured and destroyed in 1967.Deeply disturbed by his findings, Jason returns home, determined to learn how it is he never knew these things — and what he should do now that he knows them.About Jason:Jason Sherman is one of Canada’s most influential and prolific playwrights, with a multi-award-winning body of work that has been produced around the worl

June Millington, director Bobbi Jo Hart and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their fun, engaging, long overdue new film Fanny: The Right to Rock. They touch on sexism in the industry, liberation, your inner compass, poetry, safe spaces and role models, racism and why it’s so important to play it forward.“Revivify Fanny. And my work will be done.” David BowieTrailerTo learn more about the band and their work head here.For more information about IMA go to www.ima.orgSynopsis:Fanny: The Right to Rock opens with the words of David Bowie, bemoaning the band’s fate: “One of the most important bands in American rock has been buried without a trace.” The film then takes us deep into the woods of Goshen, Massachusetts, where we discover the Institute for the Musical Arts. It’s an underground music camp and recording studio for girls and women only, where Fanny lead guitarist June Millington, 69, has been teaching young girls to rock out long before rock camps became “a thing.”There, she and fellow Filipi

Chris J. Russo, Sue Taylor, Chiah Rodriques and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their new film Lady Buds, Cannabis, big business, trailblazing, racism, sexism, happy accidents, the war on drugs and our authentic selves.More about the movie here.See it at Hot Docs 2021Synopsis:Following the widely praised 2016 decision to legalize cannabis in California, six courageous women emerge from the shadows to enter the new commercial industry. As farmers, entrepreneurs and activists, these modern-day pioneers find their initial optimism is quickly replaced with uncertainty and fear as the new legislation favors deep pocketed corporations. Those who shaped the foundations of the cannabis industry for decades soon find themselves struggling to fight for their piece of the American Dream in a market they helped create.Lady Buds features second-generation cannabis farmer Chiah Rodriques, 72-year-old African American retired Catholic school principal turned dispensary owner Sue Taylor, Latinx queer activist Felicia Ca

Louise Detlefsen and May Bjerre Eiby and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their beautiful new film It Is Not Over Yet, community, compassionate care, family and belonging, living with dementia and the ethical demands of others. TrailerTo learn more about May Bjerre Eiby and her books work check out the website here.Synopsis:It Is Not Over Yet is an immersive, life-affirming journey into the day-to-day rhythm of a controversial nursing home for people with dementia in Denmark. The founding nurse of Dagmarsminde, May Bjerre Eiby, has no interest in specific dementia diagnoses or medicine since neither improves the quality of life for her 11 residents. Instead, she and her staff have developed a new kind of treatment inspired by the methods introduced by Florence Nightingale 150 years ago, as well as Danish philosopher Løgstrup."Compassion Treatment," as May calls it, prioritizes hugs, touch, talking, humor, eye contact, cake, nature, bubbles, and the joy of community. Having suffered the painful loss o

Ann Shin and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Artificial Immortality, biotech & empathy, rogue technology, trans humanism and memory, carbon footprints, Deepak Chopra and robot priests.TrailerSee it at Hot Docs 2021 and CRAVE – eventually.Synopsis:If you could create an immortal version of yourself, would you? Until recently, that question was the stuff of science fiction, but now experts in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics suggest it will be possible.Artificial Immortality explores the latest advancements in AI, robotics and biotech as it poses the questions: what is the essence of being human, and can it be replicated? The technology in this field is exploding and it’s become a pressing issue as more and more of our lives is played out online.Visionaries, writers and thinkers such as: Nick Bostrom, Martine Rothblatt, Hiroshi Ishiguro, Douglas Rushkoff, Ben Goertzel and Deepak Chopra, explore how humanity is advancing toward a post-biological world of intelligence witho

Pedro Kos and Face2Face host David Peck talk about the new film Rebel Hearts, hypocrisy, patriarchy and institutions, reform and systemic change, movements and oppression, the power triangle, anti-intellectualism and why it’s so important to protest with joy.TrailerSee it at Hot Docs 2021 and find out more about the film here.Synopsis:In 1960s Los Angeles a trailblazing group of nuns, The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, bravely stood up to the patriarchy of the Catholic Church, fighting for equality, their livelihoods, and their own freedom against an all-powerful Cardinal who sought to keep them in their place. Their bold acts of faith, defiance and activism turned the Church upside down, helping to reshape our society in ways that continue to resonate today. From marching in Selma in 1965 to the Women’s March in 2018, they challenged the notion of what a nun and a woman were supposed to be.These unlikely resistance fighters, including Anita Caspary, Helen Kelley, Pat Reif and iconic pop artist Cori

Nicole, Nneka and Camila and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Collecting Courage, the right to heal, truth and experience, historic exclusion and why the time is now.To learn more and purchase the book head here.About the Book:Collecting Courage is a powerful and moving collection of personal experiences written by Black fundraisers that chip away at the idea of an inherent goodness of the charitable sector. So how can a sector that exudes such external benevolence be the cause and source of pain and trauma in the form of macro and micro aggressions as documented in these stories? It has to do with who holds power and influence; it has to do with white supremacy, inequity and racism and it has to do with deeply entrenched beliefs, behaviours and exclusionary policies and practices that have been ‘normalized’ within the sector.These personal testimonies document racism, survival and the pre-eminence of 14 accomplished Black North American Fundraisers, 5 from the United States and 9 from Canada. This collec

R.J. Cutler and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, stardom and family, empathy, authenticity and Justin Bieber, Orlando Bloom, opportunity and healing through storytelling.TrailerWatch on Apple TV+Synopsis:Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry tells the true coming-of-age story of the singer-songwriter and her rise to global superstardom.From award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler, the film offers a deeply intimate look at this extraordinary teenager’s journey, at just seventeen years old, navigating life on the road, on stage, and at home with her family, while writing, recording and releasing her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?The documentary is from Apple Original Films, in association with Interscope Films, Darkroom, This Machine and Lighthouse Management & Media.About R.J. Cutler:Cutler is an American filmmaker, documentarian, television producer and theater director.R.J’s  first film, The War Room, was nominated for

Fisher Stevens and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Palmer, Justin Timberlake, second chances, redemption, family and connections, limitations, and why it’s important to get out of your bubble.TrailerPalmer appearing globally on Apple TV+ Watch on Apple TV.Synopsis:Former high-school football star Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake) went from hometown hero to convicted felon, earning himself twelve years in a state penitentiary. He returns home to Louisiana, where he moves back in with Vivian (June Squibb), the grandmother who raised him.While trying to keep his head down and rebuild a quiet life for himself, Palmer is haunted by memories of his glory days and the suspicious eyes of his small-town community. Things become more complicated when Vivian’s hard-living neighbor Shelly (Juno Temple) disappears on a prolonged bender, leaving her precocious 7-year-old son Sam (Ryder Allen), often the target of bullying, in Palmer’s reluctant care.In time, Palmer is drawn into a more hopeful world as he forges a conn

Philippe Falardeau and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his touching and thoughtful new film My Salinger Year, context and culture, risk taking, monsters and creativity and artists that move you.TrailerThe film is available to rent or buy on the Apple TV app/iTunes and other VOD platforms.Synopsis:New York in the 90s: After leaving graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, Joanna gets hired as an assistant to Margaret, the stoic and old-fashioned literary agent of J. D. Salinger. Fluctuating between poverty and glamour, she spends her days in a plush, wood-panelled office - where dictaphones and typewriters still reign and agents doze off after three-martini lunches - and her nights in a sink-less Brooklyn apartment with her socialist boyfriend.Joanna’s main task is processing Salinger’s voluminous fan mail, but as she reads the heart- wrenching letters from around the world, she becomes reluctant to send the agency’s impersonal standard letter and impulsively begins personalizing the resp

Richard Jenkins and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his delightful new film The Last Shift, simplicity, connecting with a script, context and complications, emotional intelligence, and why there are no magic endings.TrailerWatch the film on Google Play, YouTube and Amazon Prime.Synopsis:Stanley (Richard Jenkins), an aging fast-food worker, plans to call it quits after 38 years on the graveyard shift at Oscar’s Chicken and Fish. His last weekend takes a turn while training his replacement, Jevon (Shane Paul McGhie), a talented but stalled young writer whose provocative politics keep landing him in trouble.These two who share little in common are brought together through circumstance. Stanley, a high school dropout who has watched his life pass by his drive-through window, proudly details the nuances of the job. While Jevon, a columnist who’s too smart to be flipping patties, contends their labor is being exploited. A flicker of camaraderie sparks during the long overnight hours in a quiet kitchen.About Ri