Enemy Alien

The bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, by a nation he knew only by name, thrust nine-year-old Minoru Fukushima into a world of racism so malevolent he would be forced to leave Canada, the land of his birth. Like thousands of other Japanese Canadians, Minoru and his family were branded as an enemy of Canada, dispatched to internment camps in the interior of British Columbia, and finally deported to Japan. Directed by Michael Fukushima, Minoru's son, the film artfully combines classical animation with archival material. The memories of the father are interspersed with the voice of the son, weaving a tale of suffering and survival, of a birthright lost and recovered.

Miyuki Tanobe is a Japanese painter who has chosen to make Québec her home. She works in the Nihonga style, applying centuries-old techniques to scenes drawn directly from the working-class neighbourhoods of Montréal. The film records the progression of one of her paintings from a preliminary sketch to its completion, showing how thoroughly she has grasped the essence of her new homeland. Tanobe portrays Montréal and Québec life in a lively and perceptive fashion.

The massive immigration of Hong Kong Chinese has reshaped the face of Vancouver. The Third Heaven gives us a glimpse inside this influential but little-known community. Prejudices fall by the wayside as we discover the community's way of life and the vital role it plays in the Canadian and world economy through a moving, intimate portrait of the Lam family, who arrived here in 1991. The Third Heaven shows us that the cohesion of the Chinese diaspora is not only based on business but on strong, long-standing cultural and family ties.