The "Albertans: Who Do They Think They Are?"
digitization project is proud to have White Pine Pictures as a
content provider. White Pine Pictures is an independent Canadian
film and television production company that specializes in docu-dramas,
and documentary films and television series'. They have kindly
granted us permission to present small video clips from their
series: A Scattering of Seeds - The Creation of Canada. A
Scattering of Seeds is a 52-part documentary series developed for
History Television that explores the immigrant experience in
Canada. Award-winning filmmaker Peter Raymont, now in partnership
with Creative producer Lindalee Tracey, is the founder of White
Pine Pictures. The company has earned a solid reputation for high
production and post production quality. They have won over thirty
international awards, including Canadian Genies and Geminis, and a
Gold Medal for Best Documentary Television series at the
international Worldfest Houston. Their content has significantly
added to the integrity and overall presentation of this project.
We encourage you to visit their web site for more information on
the series and White Pine Pictures.
1. Something From Nothing: The Shumiatcher Saga
Director David Paperny
DAVID PAPERNY profiles the legendary Shumiatcher family of
Calgary; Russian Jews, who's company Smithbilt, became synonymous
with the white hats of the Calgary Stampede and the 1988 Olympic
Games in Calgary.
9. The Impossible Home: Robert Kroetsch And His German Roots
Director Carl Bessai
CARL BESSAI focuses on novelist and poet Robert Kroetsch, who,
through his award-winning stories and poems, recounts the
immigration of his German great, great-grandfather to Ontario and
then onward to Heisler, Alberta.
10. The Fullness Of Time: Ukrainian Stories From Alberta
Director Halya Kuchmij
HALYA KUCHMIJ returns to one of the first Ukrainian settlements in
Alberta, and weaves together the stories of early immigrants
compiled by poet, Harvey Spak.
13. A Land As Green As The Sea
Director Tom Radford
TOM RADFORD explores the legacy of his grandparents who left
Scotland during the Highland Clearances to found the first
newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta and to become Pulitzer Prize
winners.
16. Brothers from Vietnam
Director Carl Bessai
A filmmaker s first-person account of sponsoring a Vietnamese Boat
family in Edmonton, Alberta, and their relationship over the
years.
17. New Norway: The Immigrant Trail
Director Tom Radford
The legacy of three generations of a Norwegian family who
emigrated to Alberta in 1912, set-up a general store and got
involved in local politics and community building.
27. Má Vlast (My Homeland): The Jiraneks In Canada
Director Tom Radford
Michael and Renata Jiranek came to Alberta in 1968 with their
young sons, Martin and Alex to escape the Soviet invasion of their
Czech homeland. Their dream was to coach figure skating. Within
ten years they had taken Kurt Browning, from the small town of
Caroline, and turned him into a national figure skating champion.
45. A Farmer from Amber Valley - J.D. Edwards
Director David Adkin
David Adkin's A Farmer From Amber Valley is the moving story of
Jefferson Davis Edwards, a black American in search of a freer
life in Alberta.
50. The Travelling Reverend
Director Linda Ohama
Linda Ohama's The Travelling Reverend is the inspiring story of
Reverend Y. Kawamura, a Japanese Bhuddhist priest who settled in
Alberta in 1934.
