Face 2 Face With David Peck

Elisa and Face2Face host David Peck talk about child marriage, being present, staying positive and why Selvi’s story is an inspiration to us all.   IMDB Trailer   Learn more about the film here.   Synopsis   Selvi, like so many girls living in India, is forced to marry at 14, only to find herself in a violent marriage. One day in deep despair, she chooses to escape, going on to become South India’s first female taxi driver. We first meet Selvi at a girls’ shelter in 2004 – timid, soft-spoken, a fresh runaway from a difficult life.   Over a ten-year journey, we see a remarkable transformation as Selvi finds her voice and defies all expectations – learning to drive, starting her own taxi company, leading educational seminars, and much more.   This character-driven story highlights the challenges that millions of devalued women and girls in India face. In a society where women are often considered expendable or worthless, Selvi is exceptional – a charming, strong, and utterly courageous young woman who moves bey

Baxter and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new book Patmos, burned out suicidal theologians, the Incarnation, lies about ourselves and the “reconstruction of our fallen minds.” Biography Dr. C. Baxter Kruger, theologian, writer [and fishing lure designer] is the Director of Perichoresis Ministries. Baxter is a native of Prentiss, Mississippi. He and his wife Beth have been married for 30 years and have 4 children. A life long student of psychology, Baxter has degrees in political science, divinity, and earned his PhD.from Kings College, Aberdeen University in Aberdeen, Scotland under Professor James B. Torrance. He is the author of 8 books, including The Great Dance, Jesus and the Undoing of Adam and Across All Worlds, and recently the international bestseller, The Shack Revisited. He teaches around the world.   He is an avid outdoorsman and holds two United States patents for his fishing lure designs. He is also the founder and President of Mediator Lures. Find out more about him here. ----------

Luke and Face2Face host David Peck talk about community, the changing face of Toronto and gentrification. His film Eastern captures the story of a high school basketball powerhouse, but is really a story of the changing face of a neighbourhood.  Trailer Synopsis Eastern chronicles the dynamic story of four basketball players from Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute in Toronto, supported by a community of fans, coaches, and mentors. A prolific basketball team known to foster future NBA players, the documentary poignantly captures the moments leading up to Eastern Commerce’s last championship before the high school’s closure in 2015.   Biography LUKE GALATI is a triple threat — a journalist, specializing in writing, documentary filmmaking and photography. Luke is fascinated with the world of visual storytelling. He is the director of the award-winning documentary, Eastern, which chronicles the final season of the Eastern Commerce Saints, Canada’s most historic high school basketball program. As well, Luke app

Drew and Face2Face host David Peck talk about the concept of contact, aliens, humour as the “WD-40 of healing” and aboriginal consciousness.   For more information about Drew go here.   To purchase Take Us To Your Chief head here.   Biography   During the last twenty-five years of his life, Drew Hayden Taylor has done many things, most of which he is proud of. An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, he has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada’s premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright (with over 70 productions of his work), a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and has worked on over 17 documentaries exploring the Native experience. Most notably, he wrote and directed REDSKINS, TRICKSTERS AND PUPPY STEW, a documen

Roger and I talk about his new book The First 1000 Days, “stupid poverty”, malnutrition, journalism and “gray matter” as infrastructure. More about Roger here at Outrage and Inspire. For more information about his book “The First 1000 Days” go here. The First 1000 Days initiative is here. Biography Roger Thurow joined The Chicago Council on Global Affairs as senior fellow for global food and agricultural in January 2010 after three decades at The Wall Street Journal. For 20 years, he served as a Journal foreign correspondent, based in Europe and Africa. His coverage of global affairs spanned the Cold War, the reunification of Germany, the release of Nelson Mandela, the end of apartheid, the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the humanitarian crises of the first decade of this century – along with 10 Olympic Games. In 2003, he and Journal colleague Scott Kilman wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. Thurow and Kilman are authors of t

Ed and I talk about building a safe future for all, The Locust Effect, responsibility and compassionate intervention. To buy a copy of The Locust Effect head here. Biography Ed Wilson is IJM Canada's Executive Director. In this role, Ed provides strategic and visionary leadership to the mission and vision of IJM in Canada, in order to rescue victims of violence and protect the poor by strengthening their justice systems. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Ed served as Chief Operating Officer for eight years, during which time he helped lead IJM Canada's dramatic growth in revenue and impact. Ed's non-profit management skills are shaped by almost 30 years of leadership experience. Prior to joining IJM Canada, he served as a founding Board member and first Executive Director of Heartwood Place in Kitchener, Ontario, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe, affordable and adequate housing to individuals and families in need. In 2004, Heartwood Place was honoured by the Canada Mortgage and Housi

Dr. Swingle and I talk about her new book i-Minds, the digital divide, facial cues, the danger of unmitigated access and directional versus correctional therapies. Read more about her book i-Minds here and if you'd like to purchase it you can do that here. Biography Dr. Mari Swingle, or Dr. Mari as she tends to be referred to at the Swingle Clinic brings to the clinic extensive experience from both the world of Education and Clinical Psychology. Prior to the founding of Swingle Clinic, in 1997, Dr. Mari worked extensively in curriculum development, language learning, and the exploration of learning modalities to assist with accelerated as well as remedial learning. Currently she works with a wide range of neurophysiological ailments; her specialty lying with children and families experiencing behavioral and learning difficulties including but not limited to, dyslexia, processing, written output, speech and auditory disorders. Dr. Mari Swingle also frequently works with the dynamics that arise in families wit

Curt and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Syrians as newcomers to Canada, mentorship, giving back and about Syrians helping Syrians.   For more information about QuestScope go here.   Biography Curt Rhodes has spent over 30 years working with, and on behalf of, marginalized communities and young people across the Middle East. As the recipient of the 2014 Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award, Dr. Rhodes was recognized by Tufts University for his demonstrated compassion and tenacity in creating a highly effective and determined organization dedicated to the survival and nurturing of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised. In recognition of his work through Questscope with marginalized youth in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and in the region, Dr. Rhodes was awarded 2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year for the Middle East and North Africa by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.  Dr. Rhodes began his career in the Middle East in the early Eighties, as Assistant Dean in the School of Public

Deepa and Face2Face host David Peck talk about systemic violence, choice and responsibility, inequality, gender disparity, power dynamics and why good parenting matters. For more information about TIFF go here. For more information about Deepa’s work here. IMDB Synopsis Anatomy of Violence mixes fiction and fact in an improvised exploration of the events leading up to, and following, the notorious gang rape of a young woman by six men in a moving bus in New Delhi, December 16, 2012. Twelve actors collaborated with filmmaker Deepa Mehta to imagine what might have driven these men towards such a savage assault. The film also imagines the nature of the young woman’s life, her family, her friends and her hopes and dreams before the fatal attack. “What makes monsters?” is a question that this film stares directly at. It probes and explores where these young men could have come from and what might have motivated them. They have been called “monsters” but is this a simplistic labeling that relieves society and lead

Pamela and I talk about volunteerism, “your story”, social entrepreneurship, Universal Giving and why she’s not a pessimist. Biography Pamela Hawley is the founder and CEO of UniversalGiving™ an award-winning nonprofit that helps people give and volunteer with vetted, quality opportunities all over the world. Opportunities range from giving $25 to provide a month of meals to a child in Haiti, to volunteering with migrant children in Beijing, China. Pamela started in community service at age twelve, after experiencing life-changing poverty on a family vacation. She and her father were in a marketplace and looked down a side cul-de-sac where she saw a whole line of half-clothed, begging, unwashed, starving children. The word UNACCEPTABLE came across her mind, and led her to volunteer all over the world (Read more here). Some of Pamela’s many volunteer experiences include working with microfinance in rural India, sustainable farming in Guatemala, earthquake relief work in El Salvador, and computer training in

Erin and I talk about gender disparity, her new film Girl Unbound, honesty, inspiration and where our perspective comes from.  For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Trailer More info about the film here. Synopsis Maria Toorpakai Wazir has spent her young life defying expectations. At age 25, she is an internationally competitive squash player. But in her home country, Pakistan, she remains controversial. In her family's region of Waziristan, women are forbidden by the Taliban from playing sports. In Girl Unbound, we follow Maria over several months as she represents Pakistan on the national team and carves her own identity, despite threats to her family. Filmmaker Erin Heidenreich makes her feature directorial debut with the same self-assurance behind the camera that Maria possesses on the squash court. The film takes us from Toronto, where Maria practices with squash champion Jonathon Power, to Pakistan, where her family is forced to relocate to Islamabad for safety. Defying fundamentalist threats,

Paul and I talk about his new film Dog Eat Dog, living in the “sweet spot” of history, why humans have run their course and the recidivist nature of crime.   For more information about TIFF go here.   IMDB Trailer   Synopsis   DOG EAT DOG is a gritty contemporary crime thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe about a trio of excons, deep in the underbelly of Cleveland, who are hired for a kidnapping.   When the botched abduction goes awry and gets completely out of control, the cons find themselves on the run, vowing to stay out of prison at all costs.   Biography   Paul Schrader is an award-winning screenwriter and film director. Schrader wrote or co-wrote screenplays for four Martin Scorsese films: Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). Schrader has also directed 18 feature films, including his 1982 remake of the horror classic Cat People, the crime drama American Gigolo (1980), the biographical drama Mishima: A Life in Four Cha

Mohanad and I talk about Palestine, history, peaceful revolution, looking for shadows and finding the bridge between all of us. For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Trailer More info about the film here. Synopsis In his remarkably assured debut documentary, Ramallah-based director Mohanad Yaqubi untangles the fraught history of his homeland, long at the centre of one of the world's most painful conflicts. With the precision and grace of the best essay films, Yaqubi uses found footage, much of it newly discovered, to trace his country's quest for self-determination, dignity, and, ultimately, peace. Off Frame AKA Revolution until Victory builds off Yaqubi's discovery of film shot by the Palestine Film Unit, a group founded in the 1960s that saw itself as the cinematic front of the Palestinian movement. He connects their work in this tumultuous historic moment with wider trends, bringing his documentary into dialogue with the larger film world. There are parallels with Third Cinema and social realism,

Maria-Jose and Olga and I talk about show-women, reinventing yourself, living for and with your dreams and gender issues of all kinds. For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Trailer Synopsis The disco-era heyday of Mexico's burlesque culture may have long passed, but many of the sequined stars of those cabarets are still with us. Their stories speak volumes about what it means to be a no-longer-young woman in a career grounded in physical beauty and erotic appeal. Eight years in the making, María José Cuevas' Beauties of the Night is a captivating group portrait of iconic Mexican showgirls, still thriving with grace and style in their ostensible golden years. Shifting elegantly between eye-popping archival materials and endearingly frank new interviews, Cuevas introduces us to Olga Breeskin, who actually began her performing career playing classical violin with her father; to Lyn May, who, now in her sixties, happily maintains a rigorous daily regimen of exercise and intercourse and extols the virtues

Ilan and I talk about his new film An Eye for An Eye, hate, racism, and forgiveness, why the future may not be so bright, where hope fits in and why developing a positive narrative is essential.  IMDB Trailer More info about the film and Ilan here. Synopsis The subject of a new documentary out in theatres beginning October 28th, "An Eye For An Eye" by Israeli director Ilan Ziv, tells the story of shooting victim Rais Bhuiyan , the only survivor of a post 9-11 hate crime by Texas native Mark Stroman who would became known as the "Arab Slayer" and whose life Ziv and Bhuiyan worked tirelessly to save.  Ilan Ziv's 8-year journey and friendship with Stroman helped guide him to his final revelation: to seek forgiveness and a deeper understanding of the origin of his hate and racism, providing a unique and provocative insight into the mind of a racist turned serial killer. Ziv and Bhuiyan came together on this project to open hearts and minds around the culture of hate and the politics of revenge post 9-11, a rhetor

Dr. Lang and I talk about redundancies in the brain, the tendency towards addiction, bio-markers and neurological disorders and vaccines, neuro-plasticity and diagnosis. Get a copy of his book: “Parkinson’s Disease: A Complete Guide for Patients and Families” here. Biography Dr. Lang directs a large multifaceted clinical research program in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders. Dr. Lang’s research includes clinical studies of poorly recognized neurological disorders. Dr. Lang is Director of the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease at the University Health Network and the University of Toronto and Director of the Movement Disorders Centre at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre. Lancet Neurology, the world's leading medical journal, has referred to Dr. Lang as “a master of movement disorders.” In addition to leading Canada’s busiest Parkinson’s clinic, Dr. Lang is dedicated to advancing research, including studies of poorly recognized neurological disorders; clinical trials of

Yesim and I talk about tradition, sexual politics in Turkey, harsh modernism, manipulation, control and patriarchal power. For more information about TIFF go here. Trailer Synopsis In her most politically charged film to date, Turkish writer-director Yesim Ustaoglu revisits her previous films' themes of alienation and the longing to escape, viewing them through a distinctly female lens. In Clair Obscur, a film about the lives of two women from opposing worlds, Ustaoglu explores the different possibilities and limitations that exist for women in Turkey today. Chenaz thinks of herself as modern and liberal. Resident psychiatrist at a hospital on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, she lives with her long-time partner, Cem, in a stylishly appointed home. Valuing each other's independence, Chenaz and Cem appear to think of each other as equals, but as Chenaz spends more time with a work colleague, she begins to wonder if Cem's treatment of her is motivated by love or by a desire for control. Elmas lives with her much-

  Jonathan and I talk about “blindness” and disability, assistive technology, crowd funding and why he roots for the underdog. Biography My name is Jonathan Nadeau and I'm a husband, a father of three, and a blind GNU/Linux user. I'm also the host of three podcasts about free software. I interview project leaders of free software and GNU/Linux distributions. This summer I'm interning with the FSF's campaigns team. I was not born blind but was in a car accident when I was 14, which caused me to lose my sight — after my accident I was introduced to a world of accessible technology using proprietary and nonfree software. I came to free software from using Windows and used a program called Jaws — this software allows people who are blind or have low vision to access a computer and be productive, by reading text and actions on the screen. Jaws is nonfree software — users can't share it due to the terms of the license and as a result many people who would benefit from it, are unable to get a copy. In the United Sta

Raja, Hiam and Sarra talk about their new film Foreign Body, refugees, identity, relational complexity and the present over the future. For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Trailer Synopsis Seeking refuge from her Islamist radical brother whom she informed on, a young woman arrives in France illegally following Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution and discovers a new world of both hope and danger, in the fourth feature from writer-director Raja Amari (Satin Rouge, Buried Secrets). In the turbulent aftermath of the Tunisian revolution, young Samia (Sarra Hannachi) flees her homeland. She braves hostile seas in the crossing to France, but once there she finds that her struggles have only just begun. With no friends, no family, and — most crucially — no immigration papers, Samia has to figure out how to make a life and a living in a foreign land. She meets a young man, Imed (Salim Kechiouche, Blue is the Warmest Color), and soon finds work in the employ of the elegant Leila (the inimitable Hiam Abbass, subject

Bill and Mark and I talk about their new film The Head-hunters Calling, pure ego, being present and why we’re all addicts of one kind or another. For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Synopsis A ruthless corporate headhunter (Gerard Butler) battles his rival for control of their job placement company, until a family tragedy brings his personal and professional lives into conflict. Grounded in a generous, soul-searching lead performance from Gerard Butler, this drama follows a corporate headhunter torn between the dictates of his ambition and the needs of his family. For Dane Jensen (Butler), success demands a little ruthlessness; you don't get anywhere without stepping on toes. After years of climbing the corporate ladder, he has the biggest goal of his career in sight. The head of Dane's recruitment company (Willem Dafoe) has announced his retirement — and the time has come for Dane to pounce. Dane's ascension requires all his attention, particularly given that his biggest rival (Alison Brie) is you