TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - TVO presents the World Broadcast Premiere of Migrant Dreams on September 14 at 9 pm and midnight, and available for streaming on tvo.org the following day. The feature documentary from filmmaker Min Sook Lee (El Contrato) tells the story of migrant workers who came to work in Ontario greenhouses as part of Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program. They feel the Canadian broker they paid to get the greenhouse job is extorting them, and believe the greenhouse owners are complicit in the scam.
"TVO's commissioned documentaries focus on contemporary social, political and cultural issues that are relevant to Canadian audiences and promote citizen engagement," says John Ferri, TVO's Vice President, Current Affairs and Documentaries. "Migrant Dreams forms a basis for an important conversation that is happening right now in this country about the rights of people who work to bring food to our tables."
Migrant Dreams focuses on a group of women, mostly from Indonesia, who work packing vegetables inside greenhouse operations in Leamington, Ontario. The women have been recruited by agents who illegally charge upwards of seven thousand dollars in agency fees. Unable to afford the levy, migrants use their Canadian wages to pay back their debt and rent on company controlled housing, with little left over to send back home. The workers' dreams are pinned to the hope that their two-year contracts will be renewed for another two years. Local activists try to help the women by informing them of their rights and finding alternative housing.
"I'm thrilled TVO is making the story of these women in Migrant Dreams available to a wide audience," said Min Sook Lee. "There are over 100,000 low-wage migrant workers in Canada, many with legitimate complaints about their living and working conditions. I hope this film can be part of a critical examination of migrant labour in Canada."
Migrant Dreams will repeat on TVO Saturday September 17 at 9 pm, and Sunday September 18 at 11 pm.
About TVO
As the technological extension of Ontario's public education system, TVO's vision is to create a better world through the power of learning. TVO provides learning opportunities for Ontarians through innovative educational products, in-depth current affairs, groundbreaking documentaries, and award-winning TVOKids resources both inside and outside the classroom. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and is a registered charity supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.
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SOURCE TVO
Image with caption: "Still from "Migrant Dreams." Migrant workers pack vegetables. (CNW Group/TVO)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160817_C5961_PHOTO_EN_754687.jpg
Image with caption: "Still from "Migrant Dreams." Greenhouses in Leamington, Ontario. (CNW Group/TVO)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160817_C5961_PHOTO_EN_754688.jpg
Media contact: Paul Ginis, Public Relations Specialist, 416.484.2600 x.2445, [email protected]
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