Strangers for the Day

All across Canada, at every level, national life is being enriched and strengthened by the talents and skills, as diverse as the countries from which they come, which are being poured into their adopted land by immigrants from the British Isles and Europe. This film travels to many places from coast to coast to present a visual inventory of the many ways in which Canada's expansion is being helped by the newcomers, who see fresh opportunities to develop existing resources--both economically and culturally--and who also arrive as the purveyors of specialized knowledge from abroad.

Most of them have come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and some have transited through refugee camps in Uganda and Tanzania. They arrived in Quebec in the early 2000s and settled in Sherbrooke, in the Eastern Townships region. Unable to find work there, many of these French-speaking families have since left the province to move out West. Over time, a migration corridor has been carved out between Sherbrooke and the town of Brooks, Alberta, where a pan-Canadian welcome network has been created to facilitate the integration of newcomers. From Sherbrooke to Brooks is the story of this corridor travelled by many French-speaking Africans in search of a better life. Interlacing personal stories amid several back-and-forth trips between these two locations, this documentary lays bare the challenges many French-speaking African refugees face. It also shows the remarkable resilience of these exiles, trapped between the fragility of their dreams and the harsh constraints of reality. At a time when the news is dominated by images of refugees fleeing war and poverty, From Sherbrooke to Brooks takes stock of the work that's yet to be done to successfully integrate those who will be contributing to tomorrow's world.

This historical drama features the first winter spent in Canada by a family of Irish immigrants deep in the Ottawa Valley. The year is 1830. Because the father is working in a logging camp, the mother has sole charge of the family. Sickness overtakes her, and she dies. The children are left on their own to survive. The film graphically illustrates the enormous hardships endured by the first settlers who had to cope with a climate with which they were unfamiliar. A beautiful, moving film.