Face 2 Face With David Peck

Ashley and I talk about her new film Werewolf, choices and addictions, modern existentialism, Albert Camus and about "paying attention." For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Trailer Synopsis Blaise and Nessa are outcast methadone users in a small town that doesn't offer an easy way out. Each day starts in a long lineup at the tiny pharmacy, then it's door ­to­ door begging to cut grass for people who just want them to go away and die. At dusk they push their rusty lawnmower up a steep hill and crash in a filthy camper at the edge of town. In this bleakness, Nessa plots an escape, while Blaise lingers closer and closer to relapse, arrest, hospitalization, or worse. Tethered to one another, their getaway dreams are kept on a very short leash. Biography Ashley McKenzie ​is an emerging writer­/director from Cape Breton Island, Canada. Her 2015 short 4 Quarters screened at TIFF, VIFF, Stockholm IFF, Festival du nouveau cinema, and won Best Short Film at the Atlantic Film Festival. With her previous work,

Today we talk about a documentary which engages politics and religion, the Gaza Strip, the Middle East, and why surfing is a brilliant metaphor for community and change. For more information about Gaza Surf Club (IMDB, trailer) and TIFF. Synopsis of Gaza Surf Club This handsome and heartfelt documentary takes us into the world of the Gaza Strip’s surfing enthusiasts, and reveals a formidable resilience pulsing within a beleaguered population. Caught between Israel and Egypt, assailed by airstrikes and rockets, the Gaza Strip has been called "the world's largest open-air prison." But Gaza is also bordered by the Mediterranean, and the sea's majestic white caps are drawing a new generation to the country's coastline to taste freedom in the rolling surf. This heartfelt documentary from directors Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine takes us into the world of Gaza's surfing enthusiasts and reveals a formidable resilience pulsing within a beleaguered population. For the young surfers at the centre of Gaza Surf Club, soc

Katell Quillévéré and I talk about her new film Heal The Living, science over mystery, living for our loved ones, taking care of others and the rituals of death. For more information about TIFF go here. IMDB Trailer Synopsis Unintended consequence is the theme of this potent, pulsing drama, which draws seemingly unrelated stories together into a narrative about the moment when tragedy meets hope. Life's precariousness, its chance encounters, and the mysteries revealed by modern science all provide the foundation for Réparer les vivants. Director Katell Quillévéré brings both remarkable technique and sensitivity to this deeply moral, humanist tale, adapted from Maylis de Kerangal's novel Mend the Living, which was nominated for a Booker Prize. The film begins in innocence as a French teenager leaves his girlfriend's apartment and joins his friends on a road trip to a seaside surfing spot. In another town, a woman receives the news that her heart condition has become more serious. Elsewhere, medical staff at a

Maya and I talk about her important new film Forever Pure, racism, religion and hate, Israel, the cost of remaining silent, and politics as sport. Forever Pure recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. For more information about the festival go here. Watch the trailer. Synopsis Beitar Jerusalem F.C. is the most popular and controversial football team in Israel, the only club in the Premier League never to sign an Arab player. Midway through the 2012-2013 season, a secretive transfer deal by the owner, Russian-Israeli oligarch Arcadi Gaydamak, brought two Muslim players from Chechnya. The deal inspired the most racist campaign in Israeli sport that sent the club spiralling out of control. One season in a life of this famed club is a story of Israeli society, personal identity, politics, money and a window into how racism is destroying a team and society from within. Biography Maya Zinshtein is an Israeli filmmaker and journalist, who emigrated from Russia during her childhood. She now live

Raoul Peck  Raoul and I talk about white privilege, consumerism and class economics, apathy and ignorance and how most issues are not about guilt, but about “knowing”.  For more information about TIFF go here.  IMDB  Synopsis  Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck (Moloch Tropical, Murder in Pacot) creates a stunning meditation on what it means to be Black in America.  In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his new endeavour: the writing of his final book, Remember This House, recounting the lives and successive assassinations of his friends Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Baldwin was not able to complete the book before his death, and the unfinished manuscript was entrusted to director Raoul Peck (Moloch Tropical, Murder in Pacot) by the writer's estate.  Built exclusively around Baldwin's words, Peck's I Am Not Your Negro delves into the complex legacy of three lives (and deaths) that permanently marked the

Half a Man   Kristina and Maja and I talk about their beautiful new film Half a Man, the Balkan War, innocence, overcoming trauma, denial and what family is really all about.   TIFF Runs from: September 8th – September 18th, 2016   For more information about the festival go here.   Trailer   Biography   Kristina Kumric   Kristina Kumrić graduated design at the Faculty of textile technology of the Univeristy of Zagreb and later Film and TV directing at the Academy of dramatic art in Zagreb. She is the author of several short fiction and documentary films. Her short documentary “Welcome to Igrane” won a special jury prize at the Vukovar Film Festival, 1st jury prize at Liburnia Film Festival and best film awards at FRKA festival. Kristina has been working with the Croatian Radiotelevision and since 2013 she is a lecturer at the Culturology department of the University of Osijek in Croatia. Maja Hrgovic   MAJA, born in Split, Croatia in 1980, is an award winning fiction writer, journalist and cultural activist.

Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla   We talk in this interview about Khushboo’s and Vinay’s new brilliant film “An Insignificant Man”, about social and political change and why India is a “very ambitious project”, inequality and hope and why these two young directors want  TIFF Runs from: September 8th – September 18th, 2016  For more information about the festival go here.   Trailer IMDB   Biography Khushboo Ranka Khushboo Ranka was born in Mumbai and studied documentary filmmaking at Goldsmith's College in London. She has directed the short film Continuum (06) and co-wrote Ship of Theseus (12), which screened at the Festival. An Insignificant Man (16) is her first documentary feature.   Vinay Shukla  Vinay Shukla was born in Raipur, India and studied at Mumbai University. He has directed the short film Bureaucracy Sonata (11).An Insignificant Man (16) is his first documentary feature.  ----------   For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.   With thanks to

Kulvir Gill   Kulvir and I talk about generosity, the biggest delusion of humanity, our authentic selves and how the right thing can be done in the right way,   Biography   Kulvir Singh Gill is a Senior Principal with Clareo Partners, a corporate strategy and innovation management consultancy. He has over 15 years of consulting and mining industry experience. Mr. Gill started his career with Oliver Wyman as a management consultant before holding several positions with Barrick Gold Corporation’s supply chain and organizational effectiveness teams.    Mr. Gill serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for William Osler Health System Foundation and was previously on the board of Habitat For Humanity Brampton.   He is also the co-founder of the Seva Food Bank and coordinates the annual Toronto Sikh Retreat for Sikh-Canadian youth. Mr. Gill holds a B.Sc. and a B.Comm from the University of Calgary. He was a 2010/11 Action Canada fellow and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.   Mr. G

Marko Papic   Marko and I talk about our multi-polar world, risk, why he reads the news for a living, American hegemony, and why “should” is a four letter word.   Biography   Marko Papic joined BCA Research in September 2011 and is the Chief Strategist of BCA’s Geopolitical Strategy service. Marko launched Geopolitical Strategy in March, 2012, a service that blends BCA’s macroeconomic research with the geopolitical methodology, with the goal of avoiding bias and providing investment-relevant forecasts. The GPS service is the financial industries only dedicated geopolitical strategy. Prior to joining BCA he was a Senior Analyst for STRATFOR, a premier global intelligence agency where he contributed to the firm’s global geopolitical strategy as well as its analyst recruitment and training program. Before joining BCA, he also helped create the Center for European Union Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.   Marko holds graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Britis

Petr and I talk about his new film Never Alone and about choice, fascism, ideological issues that concern us all and why he’s still an optimist.   TIFF Runs from: September 8th – September 18th, 2016  For more information about the festival go here.   Trailer IMDB   Biography  Petr Vaclav graduated from Prague Film Academy FAMU. His short documentary MADAME LE MURIE (1993) was nominated for Student Academy Award.  Vaclav ́s first feature film, MARIAN (1996) - the story of a Romani child - won the Silver Leopard and the FIPRESCI Award in Locarno and other prizes at Angers, Thessaloniki, Belfort, Cottbus, Bratislava and Tehran film festivals, and had theatrical release in France, the Netherlands, the USA and South Korea.  His second feature, PARALLEL WORLD, (2001) was selected for the San Sebastian Official Competition.  His recent feature THE WAY OUT about a young Romani woman fighting for an ordinary life was screened at Cannes (ACID Selection 2014) and released in France under the name ZANETA.  Petr is curre

Nick Saik   Nick talks about his new film Know GMO, drought resistant crops, weed management and rational optimism versus irrational pessimism.   Synopsis A 90-minute science based documentary that shows the public what the words “Genetically Modified Organism” really mean; Know GMO examines the real world challenges of Organic food production globally. We want to know: has biotechnology contributed to global food security? Are new agriculture technologies actually decreasing disease? Are they conserving land? Can it all really be done in a sustainable manner? We’ve set out to improve the public understanding of sustainable agricultural tools spanning Organic and Genetically Modified food production all across the globe. Know GMO is a film about different points of view. This film is really three films in one. It’s a story about Genetically Modified Food, and how it’s been setup as the antithesis of Organic Food. It’s a story about fathers and sons, how Director Nick Saik and his father, Rob Saik have taken o

  Rick and I talk about kitchen table culture, aspiring leaders, 3 part epiphanies, and why conversation is a deeply creative process.   Biography   Rick Wolfe is the originator of the Kitchen Table Conversation approach to facilitated dialogue. He developed the process for use in his management consulting practice. As a consultant he specializes in strategic planning, brand development, stakeholder engagement and business development. Based in Toronto, Rick has frequently undertaken assignments across Canada, the US and in the UK. Stakeholder engagement assignments have also taken him to various European centres and Tokyo.   Among the clients he has served: IBM, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Smith & Andersen, RBC, TD Bank, Barclays Bank, Sun Life, Lifelabs, EXL, TCS, Siemens, SAS, Microsoft, Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright, Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, LG Electronics and the University of Waterloo.   Prior to opening his consulting practice, Rick was a senior account servi

Anita and I talk about racism in Canada, why we need to build inclusion, how hate speech and free speech are very different and why there is only one human race.   Biography   Anita Bromberg is the Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a Canadian Crown Agency dedicated to eliminating racism and maintaining harmonious relations across diverse communities. A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Community Program Excellence Award, Anita brings to the position three decades of experience working on issues of racism and discrimination, as well as human rights, countering hate and intergroup relations. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Anita is a lawyer by profession, and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1982. She is a frequent spokesperson, lecturer, trainer and media representative on topical issues of the day, particularly as they relate to racialized communities. A court recognized expert on racism and extremism, she has also instituted and participated in nu

Charles Plant   Charles and I talk about fear, doubt and uncertainty, success and entrepreneurship and why gossip is a way to regulate one’s own behavior.   Biography   Charles is a serial entrepreneur. He has an MBA in marketing and was trained as a Chartered Accountant and a banker.   He spent 15 years as co founder and CEO of Synamics, a telecommunications software firm that provided mass calling platforms to telcos. Since then he has co-founded two other technology companies and been an officer, director or investor in a dozen others. He’s provided financing, consulting and coaching services to several dozen other firms and provided training to thousands.   Charles spent four years at MaRS ending as CFO. For most of his time at MaRS he spearheaded a group of former entrepreneurs and specialists who developed thought leadership, provided education, mentorship, market intelligence and capital to over 2,000 technology startups in Ontario.   Among several other jobs in management consulting and investment ba

Bobby Motta   Bobby and I talk about magic, deception, mentalism, entrepreneurship and building a business from the ground up and about why perspective is everything.   Biography   Experience Bobby Motta, the mentalist and mind reader who gives a performance you have to see to believe. Canada’s own master of the unknown earns props from celebrities here and abroad, astounding stars like Russell Crowe and Nelly Furtado.   His incredible ingenuity and stage effects have also made him one of the industries most sought-out consultants behind the scenes, loaning out his secrets to names like David Blaine, and Criss Angel, and consulting on some of Stage and TVʼs biggest production spectaculars to date.   His ultra-thrilling style and mesmerizing technique grabs hold and won’t let go, blurring lines between reality and the paranormal realms as he pulls you in. Bobby is the epitome of his craft with international appearances that set the bar.   He’s been featured on almost every major television network and starred

David and I talked about entrepreneurship, what’s wrong with our educational system, why learners need to be engaged and how passion plays such an important role in pretty much everything and about his exciting initiative called Kaajenga. Biography   David founded KAAJENGA after a 25-year career in consulting, eLearning, technology, and banking. He became Chief Executive Officer of Spring Valley Architectural Innovations in 2011 and helped turn it around, grew sales 435% creating a national sales network in the process. At various stages throughout his career he has held many executive management positions in both private and public organizations including; INTERCHANGE, The Executive Knowledge Exchange, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Networks North NETWORKS NORTH INC. (NASDAQ:NETN), IRGATEWAY (TSX Venture Exchange) and Curriculum Services Canada (Not for Profit). He was nominated for Canadian Young Entrepreneur of the Year and built a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution for his service-b

Eugene Burger   Eugene and I talk about magic as a “way”, storytelling, how words have hypnotized us, why we all need to wake up and why mystery is really the problem.   Biography He's amazed and delighted audiences from Las Vegas to Tokyo. As Stagebill magazine proclaimed, Eugene Burger is "universally recognized as perhaps the finest close-up magician in the world." "Close-up magic" is just that: magic performed right under your nose, where everyone becomes part of the show. And with Eugene Burger it is an unforgettable experience, for as the Chicago Reader noted in an unprecedented eleven-page cover story about him, "Burger adds something extra." His warmth and humor are captivating and his magic is simply amazing. By definition, magicians are pretty special people, but Eugene Burger is considered exceptional even by other magicians. He has written fifteen best-selling books for the trade, starred in eight instructional videos, lectured extensively to magicians' groups in over a dozen countries, and his wr

Matthew and I talk about his latest TV appearance, Las Vegas, why he’s finally left his ego behind as a performer and how he thinks there’s an audience for everything now.   Biography Having worked with comedy greats such as Drew Carey and Jerry Seinfeld, and submitted for a Canadian Comedy Award, Matthew DiSero performs everywhere from Casino’s Las Vegas to corporate events in Tokyo. Headline performances at Canada’s Walk of Fame Ceremonies, Ohio’s “Great Lakes Comedy Festival”, Regina Comedy Festival and Moncton’s HubCap Comedy festivals, have led to television appearances on the Comedy Network, ABC, The CW network and Bite TV.   Matthew DiSero is both a comedian and magician, blending the two disciplines together to create the perfect interactive, clean and funny show for after dinner and special events. Talent buyers the world over regularly hire Matthew because he is consistently funny, entertaining and on target with their audiences. In demand internationally Matthew DiSero can also be seen performing

Glenn Mullin Glenn and I talk about “humourful humility”, the power of the inner life, Buddhism, the first Tibetan fart joke and the beneficial presence of others. Biography Glenn H. Mullin is a Tibetologist, Buddhist writer, translator of classical Tibetan literature, and teacher of Tantric Buddhist meditation. He divides his time between writing, teaching, meditating, and leading tour groups to the power places of Nepal and Tibet. Glenn lived in the Indian Himalayas between 1972 and 1984, where he studied philosophy, literature, meditation, yoga, and the enlightenment culture under thirty-five of the greatest living masters of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His two principal tantric gurus were the late great masters Kyabje Ling Dorjechang and Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang, who were best known as Yongdzin Che Chung, the two main gurus of the present Dalai Lama. The list of Glenn’s other teachers and initiation masters includes the Dalai Lama, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Ngakpa Yeshe Dorje Rinpo

Rob Stewart   Rob and I talk about the environment, why Sharks are sophisticated animals, when he first fell in love with humanity, why he still has hope and the need for us all to go a little farther and deeper.   Biography   Rob Stewart is an award winning wildlife photographer, filmmaker, conservationist and educator. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Stewart began photographing underwater when he was 13. By the age of 18 he became a scuba instructor trainer and then moved on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, studying in Ontario, Jamaica and Kenya. Before making Sharkwater (2007), Stewart spent four years travelling the world as chief photographer for the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s magazines. Leading expeditions to the most remote areas of the world, Stewart’s highly sought after images have appeared worldwide: www.robstewartphotography.com   While on assignment to photograph sharks in the Galapagos Islands, Stewart discovered illegal longlining, killing sharks within the marine reserv