Britz - North American Premiere

Sundays February 3 and 10, 2008 at 9 pm ET
2 / 100 minutes
Written and directed by Peter Kosminsky

A gritty and unflinching contemporary thriller about two young British Muslims, a brother and sister, forced to confront who they are as a hunt rages to uncover an active terrorist cell in mainland Britain. The story is told in two parts, each part taking the perspective of one of the siblings.

In the first story, Sohail is desperate to become more British and finds himself working for MI5.  His first assignment is to assist in tracking down a terrorist cell linked to the July 7^th London Bombers. The enquiry leads him back to his own community in Bradford where no one, not even his closest friends, is above suspicion.

Part two focuses on Nasima, a young medical student, and unlike her brother, Sohail, Nasima is deeply suspicious of the British establishment and spends much of her time campaigning against repressive government policies.  The turning point is when her best friend commits suicide while under arrest for falling foul of the anti-terrorist laws.  Nasima is forced to question her liberal views and embarks on an extraordinary journey that eventually takes her to a terrorist training camp.  In the gripping finale, Sohail's investigation and Nasima's new radicalized path collide.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

Bulgaria's Abandoned Children – North American Premiere

Sunday February 24, 2008 at 9 pm ET
90 minutes
Directed by Kate Blewett and produced by True Vision Productions

Filmmaker Kate Blewett presents a harrowing and heart-rending film that attempts to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves. In the hills of rural Bulgaria 75 unwanted children are wasting away within the country's social care system. Few of the children can talk, not necessarily because they are incapable but rather because no one has taught them how. They suffer a variety of problems, many are blind or deaf and some are unable to leave their beds, many are literally wasting away. Abandoned into the hands of the staff at the Social Care Home these children inhabit a bleak, uncaring world so devoid of normal everyday stimulus that many have taken to rocking slowly and constantly in their chairs just for something to do. Conditions are shocking for a third world country, let alone a member of the European Union.

Made by True Vision, whose roster of social documentaries includes World Without Water and The Dying Rooms.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

The View From Here
Kike Like Me – North American Premiere

Wednesday February 6, 2008 at 10 pm ET
85 minutes
Written and directed by Jamie Kastner and produced in association with TVO

Inspired by the film Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) starring Gregory Peck, and also by John Howard Griffin’s book Black Like Me (1961), journalist Jamie Kastner presents himself as Jewish to explore modern attitudes and misconceptions about being Jewish. After testing his credibility with Hasidic Jews in New York City, the filmmaker visits the home of Pat Buchanan to question the conservative pundit about his theories on how American Jews are influencing foreign policy. Often humorous in his presentation, Jamie continues his journey around the world, visiting a Paris suburb where he sparks a tense debate with angry young Arabs, a Canadian welcome centre for Jewish immigrants in Jerusalem, and Jewish memorials in Berlin. However, Jamie’s tone changes after a visit to the Auschwitz museum in Poland.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

Human Edge
Effing Sheffield – North American Premiere

Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 10 pm ET
75 minutes
Written and directed by Kim Flitcroft

Filmmaker Kim Flitcroft paints a portrait of working class life in Sheffield, England, by profiling four individuals facing obstacles in their lives and careers. Mick Burke is an unemployed heroin addict whose only joy in life is working on his Vespa scooter. Cassi Kennedy is a pregnant landscaper with dreams of breaking into the music business. Stephen Stevlor is a local photographer looking to make a name for himself in the arts community and among Sheffield’s female population. And Glen Brodie, who as featured in Flitcroft’s 1995 documentary, Tales From A Hard City, is a reformed car thief and drug addict trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

Lemur Street – Canadian Premiere

Wednesdays February 13 to April 16, 2008 at 7 pm and 7:30 pm ET
20 / 30 minutes
Produced by Oxford Scientific Films

A gripping documentary series in the vein of Meerkat Manor following two warring gangs of lemurs who live as neighbours on the tropical paradise of Madagascar. The gangs are each made up of about 20 ring-tailed lemurs, both ruled by a dominant female. Life in each group is packed with drama, infighting and bullying as they jostle for dominance.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

Journeys from the Centre of the Earth – North American Premiere

Fridays February 22 to March 14, 2008 at 7 pm ET
4 / 60 minutes
Produced by The Open University

Geologist Iain Stewart goes on a journey around the Pacific Rim to show how the Earth’s geological history has shaped the region’s society and culture. In Indonesia he explains how volcanic eruptions caused devastation across the world. In California he asks why people there are prepared to live with disastrous earthquakes, landslides and firestorms. In Peru he looks at how the Incas were able to build a huge and successful empire in some of the most perilous terrain on the planet. And in Japan he observes that because three quarters of that nation is covered in hostile mountain peaks, it forces the huge population onto a few overcrowded strips of coastal plain. This geological curse has affected everything from living space to etiquette and entertainment.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

The Virgin Queen – Canadian Premiere

Thursdays February 14 to March 6 at 9 pm ET
4 / 50 minutes
Directed by Coky Giedroyc, written by Paula Milne, and produced by BBC

Amidst an atmosphere of plotting and intrigue, torture and murder, Elizabeth I reigned alone for more than 40 years.  Imprisoned in the Tower of London by her half-sister queen Mary, Elizabeth spends her early years in fear for her life.  After Mary's death, Elizabeth is plunged into the role of queen, discovering the harsh realities of ruling a country divided by faith and under threat at home and abroad.

Anne-Marie Duff plays Elizabeth, from the young princess to the successful queen, who turns England into a major world power.  Some of the important political and historical events during her reign are highlighted as she balances personal life with the pressures of being a monarch, including her great love affair with Robert Dudley and her last enigmatic relationship with the young Earl of Essex.

Media Contact: Paul Ginis     416.484.2600 x2445   pginis@tvo.org
Anne Rubenstein     416.484.2881    arubenstein@tvo.org
Audience Relations: 416.484.2665     asktvo@tvo.org

About TVO: TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires, and stimulates curiosity and thought. We are committed to empowering people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media.