Showing 282 results

Item consists of a home movie following a girl riding a horse on a trail.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Cindy’s dad is filming her at the age of 8 horseback riding at Algonquin Park during her family’s first visit. Since then, her family has developed a love of camping, and now camps in Ontario’s provincial parks a few times a year."

Item consists of a home movie featuring a girl riding a horse on a trail.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Cindy’s dad is filming her at the age of 8 horseback riding at Algonquin Park during her family’s first visit. Since then, her family has developed a love of camping, and now camps in Ontario’s provincial parks a few times a year."

Item consists of a home movie featuring the end of a school performance with the last song "celebrating our differences" and includes a speech about diversity and thank yous.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "At North Agincourt Junior Public School a group of elementary school children are performing at a concert either in 2003 or 2004. Large drawings hung in the background of different countries indicate that the concert is likely a multicultural day celebration performed for parents.
"The running joke at Agincourt Collegiate Institute is that white people are the visible minority."

Since Cindy was very young when moving to Canada, she identifies more with having immigrant parents than being an immigrant herself. Cindy had a lot of friends that shared similar cultural backgrounds, and experiences as the community of Agincourt where she lives is largely Chinese, East and South Asian, and Tamil."

Item consists of a home movie featuring children eating ice cream at the airport for a flight.

Project and donor(s) contributed descriptions follows: "In 2004, its Cindy Long’s first time back to Guangzhou, China after immigrating to Canada. She is with her mom and her friend likely at Toronto Pearson International Airport."

Item consists of a home movie featuring an individual waving on a boat with the cityscape in the background.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Its Cindy Long’s first time meeting her cousins in China once they are a bit older. She now travels there around every 3 or 4 years. Her parents said that they were very close as children, but when they got older they couldn’t connect as easily because her cousins speak little English, and Cindy’s Cantonese and Mandarin are not strong. Now as older teens/young adults, they enjoy spending time together when Cindy visits China, and often talk about the differences in school, culture, etc, between the two places."

Item consists of a home movie featuring two girls watching a performance on a boat.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Its Cindy Long’s first time meeting her cousins in China once they are a bit older. She now travels there around every 3 or 4 years. Her parents said that they were very close as children, but when they got older they couldn’t connect as easily because her cousins speak little English, and Cindy’s Cantonese and Mandarin are not strong. Now as older teens/young adults, they enjoy spending time together when Cindy visits China, and often talk about the differences in school, culture, etc, between the two places."

Item consists of a home movie featuring the cityscape views from a boat and zooms in on other boats in the water.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Its Cindy Long’s first time meeting her cousins in China once they are a bit older. She now travels there around every 3 or 4 years. Her parents said that they were very close as children, but when they got older they couldn’t connect as easily because her cousins speak little English, and Cindy’s Cantonese and Mandarin are not strong. Now as older teens/young adults, they enjoy spending time together when Cindy visits China, and often talk about the differences in school, culture, etc, between the two places."

Item consists of a home movie featuring a man writing on a desk in an auditorium and a girl playing the piano.

Project and donor(s) contributed discussion follow(s): "Cindy Long is practising piano at their home in Agincourt, Toronto. She took lessons at the New Conservatory of Music in Scarborough. She began group lessons at age 6, and continued to play through high school. Because she was given the choice to continue lessons or not (rather than being forced to practice as some of her peers did), she gained a love of piano and music that remains to this day."

Item consists of a Black-Canadian family’s home movie featuring children in costumes, joking around, waving to the camera, entering and exiting a home, and showing off their treats.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "The Seaman family moved to their second family home on 100th Avenue in Chomedey, Laval, Quebec in the mid-1970s. In this particular footage, Heather recalls getting ready for Halloween and dressing up in homemade costumes. Heather recalls doing a multitude of different activities as a child, and explains that they weren’t limited as children. For example, her brother, Herbert, played hockey at a high level and played guitar, while she and her sister Hazel figure skated, took piano lessons, and dance classes. "We were the only Black family in the neighbourhood and an interesting story is when we first moved there, people were shocked to see a Black family with two cars!"

In Laval, while living at their fourth family home, back on 100th Avenue in Chomedey, Heather’s mother, Althea Joseph Charles Seaman, started the ‘Laval Black Community Association’ in 1983 to bring together Black people from different cultural backgrounds. The intention was to create a support system, but also a space for people to learn about each other’s cultures and share their achievements and heritage with the wider Canadian community. Her mother also developed an annual Black History Month celebration where people showcased their artwork, music, writing, spoken word pieces and dance performances. Business people, clergy from various faiths and politicians from all levels of government were always in the audience – no matter their race or whether they were English or French speakers. "The organizations that our mom created were to give us a sense of our heritage" and to share that with others."

Item consists of a Black-Canadian family’s home movie featuring a blindfolded child being led to a birthday cake and blowing out the candles with her family by her side. The footage also features the family sharing kisses in front of a birthday cake and bringing presents to the birthday girl.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows:  "Every year, on our birthdays, my parents would go all out.  Birthday surprises in our house were everything! In this family footage, shot at our third family home on Lippé Street in St. Laurent, a borough in Montreal, Quebec, you can see Heather with her siblings and parents celebrating her seventh birthday. It was December 28, 1977 – three days after Christmas – so Heather always received double the presents every year! 1977 was also the same year that her sister, Hazel, broke her arm – you can see her wearing a cast on her left arm."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a women and a child picking grapes from the pergola.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Shanti’s sister’s farm is a treasured place in their family’s collective memories. With 90 acres of land, the farm was a beloved retreat to the country for the Toronto family. In the footage, Leyla can be seen showing her picked grapes to her mother. Above them, Shanti’s mother picks grapes from their pergola.

Having recently started ballet classes, Leyla is wearing a pink ballet outfit complete with her own tutu. Endured by her outfit and feeling affection, Leyla is hugged by her grandmother.

At almost 4 years old, Layla and her grandmother are preparing the lights (diyas) for Diwali. In the Caribbean, the diyas would be lit outside the home, but since the family lived in an apartment the practise was kept to inside the home. Carefully, Leyla is guided in helping her grandmother. Her mother was a retired nurse to prepare for the holiday. Leyla grew up watching her grandmother during her daily prayers and helping on Diwali.

In rare form, Shanti is in front of the camera. As the family documenter, Shanti is usually the one behind the camera. Dressed as a witch, Shanti can be seen posing with her daughter who decided to go as a fairy princess this year before their evening of trick-or-treating."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a child lighting diyas for Dwali.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Shanti’s sister’s farm is a treasured place in their family’s collective memories. With 90 acres of land, the farm was a beloved retreat to the country for the Toronto family. In the footage, Leyla can be seen showing her picked grapes to her mother. Above them, Shanti’s mother picks grapes from their pergola.

Having recently started ballet classes, Leyla is wearing a pink ballet outfit complete with her own tutu. Endured by her outfit and feeling affection, Leyla is hugged by her grandmother.

At almost 4 years old, Layla and her grandmother are preparing the lights (diyas) for Diwali. In the Caribbean, the diyas would be lit outside the home, but since the family lived in an apartment the practise was kept to inside the home. Carefully, Leyla is guided in helping her grandmother. Her mother was a retired nurse to prepare for the holiday. Leyla grew up watching her grandmother during her daily prayers and helping on Diwali.

In rare form, Shanti is in front of the camera. As the family documenter, Shanti is usually the one behind the camera. Dressed as a witch, Shanti can be seen posing with her daughter who decided to go as a fairy princess this year before their evening of trick-or-treating."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a girl wearing fairy princess costume singing a song and an adult wearing a witch costume.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Shanti’s sister’s farm is a treasured place in their family’s collective memories. With 90 acres of land, the farm was a beloved retreat to the country for the Toronto family. In the footage, Leyla can be seen showing her picked grapes to her mother. Above them, Shanti’s mother picks grapes from their pergola.

Having recently started ballet classes, Leyla is wearing a pink ballet outfit complete with her own tutu. Endured by her outfit and feeling affection, Leyla is hugged by her grandmother

At almost 4 years old, Layla and her grandmother are preparing the lights (diyas) for Diwali. In the Caribbean, the diyas would be lit outside the home, but since the family lived in an apartment the practise was kept to inside the home. Carefully, Leyla is guided in helping her grandmother. Her mother was a retired nurse to prepare for the holiday. Leyla grew up watching her grandmother during her daily prayers and helping on Diwali.

In rare form, Shanti is in front of the camera. As the family documenter, Shanti is usually the one behind the camera. Dressed as a witch, Shanti can be seen posing with her daughter who decided to go as a fairy princess this year before their evening of trick-or-treating."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a child spinning in circles while carrying another child who is laughing and giggling.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Robert, Shanti’s nephew swings 2-year-old Layla around on his family’s farm in Puslinch. Ten years older than Leyla and an only child, he cherished the weekend and summer visits from his younger cousin.

Her mother was an active swimmer in her youth and was excited to take up her old hobby on the family farm. Layla gestures to her grandmother in the pool who is clearly enjoying her self. Smiling brightly and leisurely swimming around she tells Layla how cold the pool is and not to come in."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a girl sitting next to a hospital bed and saying "she’s so beautiful."

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Shanti has recently given birth to her second child, Rohan on April 8th 2001 at Scarborough Grace General Hospital. Her mother (a nurse herself) supported Shanti during the delivery. Leyla, the oldest and only child for the first 6 years of her life meets her younger brother for the first time on video.

Born closer to Easter, the rest of the family is able to travels down to meet the new member of the family. Robert who is now 16 is meeting his youngest cousin for the first time."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a man holding a newborn and three men sleeping on the couch.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Shanti has recently given birth to her second child, Rohan on April 8th 2001 at Scarborough Grace General Hospital. Her mother (a nurse herself) supported Shanti during the delivery. Leyla, the oldest and only child for the first 6 years of her life meets her younger brother for the first time on video.

Born closer to Easter, the rest of the family is able to travels down to meet the new member of the family. Robert who is now 16 is meeting his youngest cousin for the first time."

Item consists of a Pakistani-Canadian family's home movie featuring the family taking the subway, riding attractions at Ontario Place, and includes views of the CN tower and a sunset over Lake Ontario. Home movie also includes footage a baby smiling , giggling, and interacting with other children while sitting on a couch.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Travelling via Subway on the Bloor Line, a family is visiting Ontario Place during the summer of 1995. Less than a year old, Noor resides in Saudi Arabia with her mother, while one of her older brothers attends a boarding high school in Ontario. Her father is with his wife’s extended family and spends the majority of the time behind the camera. Scene of the water park and the children playing is captured along with the skyline of Toronto."

Item contains a sound recording of an interview conducted by the Home Made Visible with a project participant.

Item consists of a Japanese-Canadian family's home movies filmed in the 1960s.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Neighbourhood children parade down a residential street in Vancouver celebrating Canada’s centennial in 1967. Amongst children dressed in outfits celebrating Canada or their country of origin, Naomi is dressed as a pioneer homesteader, Akemi is wearing a kimono and Steven is dressed as John A. Macdonald. The parade and after party were organized by their father, Doug and another neighbourhood parent."

Item consists of a Japanese-Canadian family's home movies filmed in the 1960s.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "These clips feature Christmas and playing in the snow. Naomi, Akemi and Steven open gifts on Christmas morning. Later, extended family gather to enjoy Christmas dinner. The footage ends on a winter afternoon with Naomi, Akemi and Steven playing in the snow."

Item consists of a Punjabi-, Jatt-, and Sikh-Canadian family's home movie featuring family members speaking to one another, driving through the countryside, and speaking one another at a wedding.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Jagtar’s grandfather Sardar Bishon Singh left colonial India in 1902 and after enduring a two year journey via several steam ships from Calcutta, Hong Kong, The Philippines and Hawaii finally arrived on the shores of California in the Port of Stockton in 1904. Sardar Bishon Singh was instrumental in establishing the very first Sikh Gurdwara in North America in Stockton California. Following the devastating major San Francisco earthquake and then the resulting fires which completely destroyed San Francisco in 1906, Jagtar’s grandfather escaped to Vancouver British Columbia on a boxcar, marking the first of his family’s arrival in Canada. His grandfather was eventually able to sponsor his younger brothers son’s arrival to Canada in January of 1960, and Jagtar born in India in December of 1959, arrived to Canada at five years of age on December 18th, 1964. Jagtar returned to India for the first time since his childhood at 25 years old for a traditional Sikh marriage in January of 1985.

In this clip, on February 5th, 1985 in Gurdwara Karamsar Rara Sahib or Gurdwara Rara Sahib is situated at village Rara Sahib near Ludhiana, Punjab, India, Jagtar and his soon to be wife Gurinder Kaur, receive a blessing from the Gurdwara Sant Ji elder prior to their wedding. The two elder gentlemen are Jagtar’s future father-in-law Sardar Mewa Singh Kular and father Sardar Hardev Singh Dhaliwal. Here his father is visible in a pale blue suit not far from Sant Ji. This home movie memorializes these two important figures in Jagtar’s life who have since passed, his father-in-law and his father. After his father’s passing, Jagtar says it was fate to see his father here and remember him as a young man.

In the next scene, Jagtar is in his ancestral village in Toosey, Punjab, India dressed in his wedding attire. As they are leaving, elders and family women offer their blessings by giving him sweet treats.

The car and the groom's family travel down to the Milni ceremony (meeting of the two families) for introduction between the two families. After both sides of the family arrive, the fathers meet and exchange garlands. The uncles at each level exchange an official introduction. Then people gather for tea and refreshments just before going to the Gurdwara, a place of worship.

The groom’s side of the family pays respect to the Guru Granth Sahib, a living embodiment of the Sikh’s gurus."

Item consists of a Item consists of a Punjabi-, Jatt-, and Sikh-Canadian family's home movie featuring a portion of a wedding featuring singing and traditional ceremonies.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "In late February in 1985 Jagtar’s after getting married in India for his wedding took a religious pilgrimage to pay respects at the Sri Harmandir Sahib. They visited the Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) to see the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, where the 1984 attacks by the Indian paramilitary troops to oust out Sikh extremists happened. The attacks killed hundreds of people and left tons of damage to the buildings and structures of the Sri Harmandir Sahib complex, the holiest shrine of Sikhism. In the clip you see Jagtar pan the camera to the bullet holes and remnants of the attack. ‘It was a tense and strange situation’. He proceeded in India with caution but was fortunate that his future father-in-law was a powerful man in India and provided protection at his wedding."

Item consists of a Punjabi-, Jatt-, and Sikh-Canadian family's home movie featuring a wedding and family members speaking outside, singing, and dancing.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "The bride's side of the family takes their seat beside the groom and the ceremony begins. There’s an Ardas, a request for a blessing. The priest Jathadar Ji advises the couple on how to conduct their lives together according to Sikh traditions and religious edicts.

The bride’s father takes the palla around the groom’s neck and puts it around his daughter, officially blessing them. The lamas begin; the couple bows down and walks around the Guru. The lama is repeated four times and with each lama, the couple gets closer to marriage. After that and more scripture, the audience members pay their respect one by one. The couple is seen off and returns and celebrates in their ancestral village with sweets, blessings and dancing."

Item consists of a Barbadian- and Guyanese-Canadian family's home movie featuring two adults and a baby in the kitchen, children and adults dancing, a child unwrapping Christmas presents and playing with a doll, children riding bicycles and playing on swing sets, the family driving in a car, and snowy streets with adults shovelling and children playing.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Its 1972 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Shot on 8mm film, Mike Nobrega, his brother Richard, and aunt Beryl are seen inside their home and backyard on Tupper Street.

Mike was born in Toronto, and moved to Nova Scotia when he was young. His father is from Guyana and mother is from Barbados. The community around where he grew up was very diverse, including people from the Ukraine, Poland, Carribean, Italy. Many came to work in steel and coal mines."

Item consists of a Anishinaabe family's home movie.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "In 2001 in Toronto, Ontario at the SkyDome for an annual Pow wow. It was a huge event that everyone in Toronto looked forward to. At the time Rebeka was working for Native Women in the Arts and Dave comes by to visit Rebeka and they go and walk around the pow wow and visit friends.

The second part of the clip is at an event, is a book launch for ‘Nation to Nation: Aboriginal Sovereignty and the Future of Canada’ (2001), a compilation of academic writings about Indigenous sovereignty. A friend of Rebeka’s was one of the publishers, and at the time Rebeka was staying with her, and gifted her friend with a poem for letting her stay at her house. She loved the poem so much she made it the front cover of the book. Rebeka is seen in the clip speaking to the value of the book, at the time there weren’t a lot of contemporary books about nation to nation."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring a woman sitting on a chair who stands up to walk away, the camera then zooms in to a man standing in the background and zooms out to a child walking across the frame.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring multiple generations sitting, standing, and waiting.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring a man and child dancing with disco lights in the background.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of a Haitian family's home movie featuring two adults dancing to music in a living room. The footage is damaged with the colour switching to back and white, flickering, and a lot of noise appearing.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows:"The year is 1985 and in Verdun, Quebec, eight or nine years old Josiane Blanc celebrates her Catholic communion. In this clip Josiane’s mom dances with her uncle."

Item consists of a Haitian family's home movie starts with a child putting a communion veil on another child. It also features the child in a white dress speaking to an audience and ends with several children entering the frame wrapping arms around one another. The audio is out of sync and the footage contains a lot of noise.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "The year is 1985 and in Verdun, Quebec, eight or nine years old Josiane Blanc celebrates her Catholic communion. In this clip Josiane is speak and telling her family what she is grateful for. She goes on to play with her friends and cousins. Josiane recalls that growing up in Verdun she was one of the only Black kids at her school for a few years. When the second Black girl arrived, they would end up being friends and her friend appears in tail end of this video."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring the camera zooming in to people on the patio of a snowy house, a man operating a snow plow, snowy forested landscapes, people exiting cars, children throwing snowballs, people operating snowmobiles, snowy cityscape views from the top of Mont Royal, cars driving up Mont Royal, the Mont Royal cross with blue skies and the sun shinning in the background, people walking on snowy trails, a horse and sleighs on trails and pulling up to the Mont Royal chalet, people walking down stairs to a car park, people at a cottage and skiing, people walking across a frozen lake, a light house, the camera spanning across the frozen lake and the sun setting in the background, and ends with a flowing river.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "The following clips are from 1969-71. The reels start in the winter of 1970/71 north of Montreal, at Laurentian Mountains, a known good skiing place. Bala Nundy lived in Montreal at the time just before he got married in 1971. When Bala moved to Montreal he didn’t have any family there and his close friends became his family. Here they rented a cottage for a weekend trip. Since they are all from hot countries without snow they got excited and took many pictures.

The next scenes overlook downtown Montreal; Mont Royal, Jack Cartier Bridge, horse driven buggies, etc. The 8mm footage is sped up like a Chaplin film.

In the next scene, his future wife’s family and their friends appear. This is also in the Laurentian Mountain area in the winter of 1971.

Then there is a clip of Bala downhill skiing for the first time, he hoped that this would make his grandkids laugh in the future. This was taken in 1968 in Chicopee hill near Kitchener, ON.

Then to frozen Lake Erie, and a park in Galt, Ontario (later became Cambridge, Ontario).

Now Bala’s daughter Smita says, ‘You’ll often find her dad sitting down and going through old photos.’ He is known for sharing pictures at family get-togethers and is inspired by his grandkids. He has thousands of pieces of materials and started filming in 1965."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring people exiting a home, driving away, and a toddler playing in the snow with two adults.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "The following clips are from 1969-71. The reels start in the winter of 1970/71 north of Montreal, at Laurentian Mountains, a known good skiing place. Bala Nundy lived in Montreal at the time just before he got married in 1971. When Bala moved to Montreal he didn’t have any family there and his close friends became his family. Here they rented a cottage for a weekend trip. Since they are all from hot countries without snow they got excited and took many pictures.

The next scenes overlook downtown Montreal; Mont Royal, Jack Cartier Bridge, horse driven buggies, etc. The 8mm footage is sped up like a Chaplin film.

In the next scene, his future wife’s family and their friends appear. This is also in the Laurentian Mountain area in the winter of 1971.

Then there is a clip of Bala downhill skiing for the first time, he hoped that this would make his grandkids laugh in the future. This was taken in 1968 in Chicopee hill near Kitchener, ON.

Then to frozen Lake Erie, and a park in Galt, Ontario (later became Cambridge, Ontario).

Now Bala’s daughter Smita says, ‘You’ll often find her dad sitting down and going through old photos.’ He is known for sharing pictures at family get-togethers and is inspired by his grandkids. He has thousands of pieces of materials and started filming in 1965."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring women receiving papers from men and posing for a group photograph with award certificates in their hands.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "My grandchildren and nieces receiving a certificate from Sikh Gurdwara for studying religious prayers. Video takes place in the religious temple, a Sikh Gurdwara. When immigrating to Canada, the sister of the donor lived with her parents, who insisted her children participate in religious education. Featured here, are the children praying in Punjabi, a language foreign to them. Later, the eldest grandchild celebrates his 13th birthday and receives presents. In the last clip, the child recites a prayer on his birthday in order to receive a gift and cheque."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring children sitting on a couch and on the floor eating food while watching Pinocchio on TV. The camera zooms in to the TV for the second half of the clip.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Family and friends party at home. The cameraman (father/grandfather) interviews the children, asking how they like Vancouver, and their thoughts on the wedding recorded in a previous video. The clip shows a family gathering, where the adults enjoy an anniversary party, while the children watch Pinocchio in the family room."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring a graduation ceremony with camera zoomed on crowd and individuals in a hotel room celebrating by opening a champagne bottle.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "My son graduates with an MBA from Stanford University and we celebrate in a hotel room with his mother. Video shows the donors brother graduating from Stanford University, followed by a celebration in a hotel. A graduation toast is given by the father in English."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring officiant reciting wedding pledges and couple exchanging their vows.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "My son’s wedding civil vows. This video depicts an Indian family’s wedding within North American customs, and shows a couple taking their civic vows, followed by a reception. Performances are held, afterwhich the dancers receive blessings where the guests circle them with cash and leave it as a blessing. Songs of romance are sung in Punjabi and Hindi.

Skikh prayer is taken on the morning of the wedding, where the groom is wearing a traditional headdress shrouding the eyes. The headdress is tied on by the grooms sister,creating a symbol of mystery and modesty, and the warding off of the evil eye. The groom then ventures from his dwellings to his brides’, riding by horseback to symbolize the right of passage to manhood. The family surrounds the groom in a musical procession. This reenactment of an Indian tradition was the first to be held in New York City."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring a man riding a horse surrounded by family and friends dancing in New York City at the intersection of 48th street and 3rd avenue.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "My son (groom) is riding a horse through the streets of NYC to get to his marriage ceremony (traditional for India but first time it happened in NYC). This video depicts an Indian family’s wedding within North American customs, and shows a couple taking their civic vows, followed by a reception. Performances are held, after which the dancers receive blessings where the guests circle them with cash and leave it as a blessing. Songs of romance are sung in Punjabi and Hindi.

Skikh prayer is taken on the morning of the wedding, where the groom is wearing a traditional headdress shrouding the eyes. The headdress is tied on by the grooms sister,creating a symbol of mystery and modesty, and the warding off of the evil eye. The groom then ventures from his dwellings to his brides’, riding by horseback to symbolize the right of passage to manhood. The family surrounds the groom in a musical procession. This reenactment of an Indian tradition was the first to be held in New York City."

Item consists of an Iranian-Canadian family’s home movie featuring cityscapes of Baghdad including footage of traditional architecture.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Although Aeyliya was born in London, England, she spent a year of her childhood in Baghdad, Iraq, a place in which she does not have too many strong memories of, yet finds fascination with when she watches her footage.

"My grandmother, mom, brother, and I are in the footage. It’s very interesting to see this place that kind of has a memory for me, and then seeing family members like my grandfather who’s no longer alive, and then seeing my mother as a ‘young mother.’" Aeyliya describes having memories of eating certain candy in Iraq, and specifically in the footage she speculates that her mother was going to the mosque perhaps to pray, while she and her brother were running around in the courtyard. "[It’s] very surreal to see your past, to see yourself and your history. When I first watched the footage I thought ‘oh, this is kind of a weird feeling, strange, but still good.’" There are a number of ways ones life could’ve been dramatically different. "Where is home?" She ponders."After migrating to Iraq from London, my parents decided to leave Baghdad for better economic opportunities and migrated to our final destination Canada."

Aeyliya’s family came to Montreal "literally" by boat. "We left London to Montreal and took the QE2, and then settled in St. Catherines, Ontario. "One decision that you have no control over could dramatically change your life," Aeyliya adds, describing her thoughts behind her parents decision to live in Iraq for a year, nearly settling there, before plans changed and then moved from London to St. Catherines instead, "I look at the footage and think of that sometimes." After migrating to Iraq from London, my parents decided to leave Baghdad for better economic opportunities and migrated to our final destination Canada. "

Item contains a sound recording of an interview conducted by the Home Made Visible with a project participant.

Item contains a sound recording of an interview conducted by the Home Made Visible with a project participant.

Item consists of a Filipino-Canadian family's home movie featuring two men playing tennis at a park and two children on the court.
2023/08/22 KCP. Updated scope note based on donor feedback.

Item consists of a Filipino-Canadian family's home movie featuring two children and a doll on a swing set.

Item consists of a Filipino-Canadian family's home movie featuring children climbing up and coming down a slide.

Item consists of an Afghani family’s home movie featuring children and teenagers from the Raptors Junior Dance Pak rehearsing a dance routine at the SkyDome.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Around 1994, 9-year old Azada Rahi living in a nearby co-op auditioned at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre to be part of the junior Toronto Raptors Dance Pak. The choreographer was Clarence Ford, who auditioned kids, teens and young adults from all over the city, and ran the Pak once the crew was established. He was a delight to work with, was extremely kind, and was great at keeping so many young people organized and focused.

Here, November 2nd ,1995, at the SkyDome (presently the Rogers Centre) the Pak rehearses the same routine over and over in preparation for the opening performance at the first-ever Toronto Raptors game. On the day of the performance, Azada recalls pushing through the stomach flu to perform, her hard work could not go to waste, and it was a very exciting time. They had already performed at the Toronto Raptors opening dinner gala the previous summer. The Junior Dance Pak continued to dance at games and other functions for some time, though Azada only stayed with them for about a year and a half to two years.

In 1996 the Pak was hired to perform at the YTV Achievement Awards. Dawning matching plaid and denim ensembles, the Pak backup danced for Indigenous Canadian country singer, Rebecca Miller. This country line-dancing number was one of three performances they did at the Awards that evening, including one with Aashna Patel.

For Azada, the years she spent in the Pak, encountering Canadian athletes and entertainers were "fun and weird". These tapes are the sole recordings of her dancing that she has had access to. Looking back at the footage proved surprisingly hilarious, and are a chance to reflect on herself as an uninhibited young dancer."

Item consists of an Afghani family’s home movie featuring children and teenagers from the Raptors Junior Dance Pak dancing on stage behind Six Nations country singer Rebecca Miller singing and introducing the YTV Achievement Award recipients.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Around 1994, 9-year old Azada Rahi living in a nearby co-op auditioned at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre to be part of the junior Toronto Raptors Dance Pak. The choreographer was Clarence Ford, who auditioned kids, teens and young adults from all over the city, and ran the Pak once the crew was established. He was a delight to work with, was extremely kind, and was great at keeping so many young people organized and focused.

Here, November 2nd ,1995, at the SkyDome (presently the Rogers Centre) the Pak rehearses the same routine over and over in preparation for the opening performance at the first-ever Toronto Raptors game. On the day of the performance, Azada recalls pushing through the stomach flu to perform, her hard work could not go to waste, and it was a very exciting time. They had already performed at the Toronto Raptors opening dinner gala the previous summer. The Junior Dance Pak continued to dance at games and other functions for some time, though Azada only stayed with them for about a year and a half to two years.

In 1996 the Pak was hired to perform at the YTV Achievement Awards. Dawning matching plaid and denim ensembles, the Pak backup danced for Indigenous Canadian country singer, Rebecca Miller. This country line-dancing number was one of three performances they did at the Awards that evening, including one with Aashna Patel.

For Azada, the years she spent in the Pak, encountering Canadian athletes and entertainers were "fun and weird". These tapes are the sole recordings of her dancing that she has had access to. Looking back at the footage proved surprisingly hilarious, and are a chance to reflect on herself as an uninhibited young dancer."

Item consists of a Chinese-Russian family's home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "Filmed by Kate and Stan’s dad, George, in 1963. George staged this shot of Stan is in his Virden Band uniform marching with his alto horn in his bedroom before going downstairs into the world. Four years later the Virden Band would go on to play at Expo ’67 in Montreal."

Item consists of a Chinese-Russian family's home movie featuring footage of a sign that reads: "Virden Cafe : fish & chips, chop suey".

Project and donor contributed description follows: "The neon lit café sign of the Virden Café at night, Kate’s dad’s Chinese Canadian restaurant."

Item consists of a Chinese-Russian family's home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "On January 24th, 1963, Kate’s mother, Clara Chan, prepares for Chinese New Year the night before, setting the table and filling red envelopes with money her kids.

Cut to the next day where Stan, Joyce, Linda and Kate, are coming downstairs to receive their red envelopes. Everyone sings around the piano as Joyce plays. Upon further observation Kate’s friend notices that they are singing 'Away in a Manger'.

Clara is a Russian refugee who came to Canada after the war in 1950. Fortunately for Clara the Manitoba law that prohibited white woman from working in Chinese restaurants was repealed in 1948. Her parents met in the Virden Café in 1950."

Item consists of a Chinese-Russian family's home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "In the 1960s Kate’s dad, George admired the RCMP and made a point of befriending them. This segment includes four RCMP weddings. Here at Virden United Church George, like much of the town, waits to see the bride and groom. George would later go on to screen these films at the town Holiday parties.

The Chan family was the only Chinese family in the community and his relationship with the RCMP helped him maintain his business as the owner of the Virden Café. It also helped that Kate’s mother, Clara, was Russian and hostess at their café."

Item consists of a Chinese-Russian family's home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "In the 1960s Kate’s dad, George admired the RCMP and made a point of befriending them. This segment includes four RCMP weddings. Here at Virden United Church George, like much of the town, waits to see the bride and groom. George would later go on to screen these films at the town Holiday parties.

The Chan family was the only Chinese family in the community and his relationship with the RCMP helped him maintain his business as the owner of the Virden Café. It also helped that Kate’s mother, Clara, was Russian and hostess at their café."

Item consists of a Chinese-Russian family's home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "Kate and her siblings open presents and set the scene for a play her dad directed with typewriter and doctor/nurse kits.  Kate’s mom is in the silk housecoat. Joyce plays piano and they all gather to sing around her."

Item consists of an Argentine-Chilean family’s home movie featuring a party with adults and children dancing, footage of and from the top of the CN tower, a child playing around the house and pool, and a child playing with a soccer ball wearing a 1978 Argentina Championship t-shirt.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "These clips show episodes from Jean-Pierre Marchant's childhood in the mid-1970s Montreal. His parents were immigrants, recently arrived from Argentina and Chile. Throughout Jean-Pierre's childhood, they documented the family's life with a Super 8 camera (and would later switch to video). These clips depict him as a playful child, trips, and well-attended birthday parties. Looking back, Jean-Pierre recognizes that these parties were a big opportunity for the adults to get together and celebrate. The Marchants mostly socialized with people from similar backgrounds, and Jean-Pierre says that 'it was important for my parents, who were trying to make a life in a new place, to associate with others who spoke their language'."

Item contains a sound recording of an interview conducted by the Home Made Visible with a project participant.

Item consists of a Chinese family’s home movie featuring children playing, celebrating birthdays, opening presents, and eating sweets.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "This footage documents a series of four of Derek Kwan’s birthdays in Vancouver in the nineties between October 1991 and 1994.

In October 91, the setting is a McDonald’s ball pit in the greater Vancouver area. Surrounded by friends, family and cousins, Kwan and other kids are wearing the McDonald’s card paper hats eating birthday cake, with his mom sitting behind him. At present opening time, seen in the shot is his uncle, cousins, and grandma.

For Derek’s 3rd birthday in October 1992, we are located in Richmond, a suburb 20 minutes away from the city of Vancouver. We are indoors and adults are encouraging Derek to hit a piñata of Mickey Mouse’s head that was made by Derek’s mom, Victoria. She loved to create themed birthday parties, and DIY party favors with her friends, and Derek remembers having a piñata every year, until he got too old for it.

Victoria made the piñata incredibly strong, and it’s very difficult to break. Eventually the adults jump in and start helping the kids break through the Mickey piñata. Derek shares: "Disney holds cache to it as a kid growing up in the 90s as the happiest place on earth."

Each year, when Derek opens his gift, he consistently receives boxes from the Bay, which he notes is interesting as a staple Canadian store. At his third birthday he also receives a table hockey set, another inherently Canadian gift, and the family excitedly surrounds the set.

At Derek’s fourth birthday in 1993, we are located at Chuck E Cheese. Much like the McDonalds ball pit, Chuck E Cheese was a go-to sport for 90s kids birthday parties. Derek receives action figures, and a ninja turtle toy.

Documented at Derek’s fifth birthday in 1994, is Derek’s childhood home in East Vancouver, where he lived during elementary and high school. We see the backyard and kids playing surrounding the basketball hoop.

Derek shares that thoughts of being Chinese took a back seat and he didn’t think too deeply about it growing up. East Vancouver was very diverse and being white was the minority. He grew up around Chinese, Vietnamese, Pilipino and East Indian people. Although race wasn’t a forefront in Derek’s mind, it was brought to his attention during family functions when everyone spoke Cantonese, and for cultural festivals like Chinese New Year."

Item contains a sound recording of an interview conducted by the Home Made Visible with a project participant.

Item consists of an Iranian-Canadian family’s home movie featuring landscapes, cityscapes, and heritage sites in Iran.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "Both Bita and her father, Abbas, contributed to this write up. Bita felt protective of her family and their image,  and chose to contribute a clip that didn’t centre people but a place. The scenery itself is a beautiful valuable contribution of a country in flux.

In 1998, Abbas visits Iran with his daughter Bita for the first time in sixteen years since moving to Canada. Bita at the time was a shy eight year-old and recalls that she didn’t speak for the first three weeks of the trip and that this was her first time leaving Canada.

In this clip Abbas is alone behind the camera capturing historical sites. He was prompted to take this trip because an Iranian friend in Vancouver couldn’t go home and asked him to make these movies of Cyrus the Great, Isfahan, etc. and to bring them back to show on local Persian TV. He did end up making these movies on a miniDV camcorder but never did give them to his friend.

The clip starts out at night time in Shiraz, with the Takht-e Lamshid built for Cyrus the Great. Then moves on to Isfahan, the "Great Mosque" that in farsi they call the Shah Mosque based in Naghsh-e Jahan Square. Abbas recalls at the time wondering how locals knew he hadn’t been living their for 16 years. People could tell that he had left and was living somewhere else. For Abbas, these clips show a country rich with stories and pride.  

After years of searching for these tapes, they found them again in the summer of  2018 the night before Bita returned to Iran for the second time in her life."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "Muslim by faith, the children practice memorizing the Quran in Arabic. Their parents teach them to recite one line at a time to ensure that they learn at a young age. They know that seeing this would bring their grandmother joy and make her proud. The video letter is a way to connect with her through these recitations of a shared faith as she doesn’t speak English."

Item consists of a Chinese family’s home movie featuring children opening and playing with Christmas presents. Project and donor contributed description follows: "During this Christmas, the family have their cousin Sau Fong visiting. The children are waving excitedly to the camera as they open and show their gifts. Over the years, uncles and aunts would occasionally stay with the Lo family while studying English at the local college. Home movies were one of the ways they stayed connected to relatives in Macau and shared their life living in Canada. Copies were routinely made to send back.""

Item consists of a Chinese family’s home movie.

Project and donor contributed description follows: "The year is 1981 and the Lo family are spending a summer afternoon picking vegetables and fruits from their backyard. One of the twins, Lorna helps their father harvest cabbage while the other twin, Vivien keeps Aylwin – the youngest and only a year old accompanied on a blanket. Featured through out the clip is the one outdoor activity that remained a family tradition over the year, picking apples from the beloved Crab Apple tree"

Item consists of a Tamil family’s home movie.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "At nine-year-olds, Abhirami Balanchandran visits Sri Lanka for two months with her family for the second time. Here her and her family join several other Tamils come to witness Thuku Kavadi] where a person’s back is pierced with hooks hanging from a pillar, with no harness or anything else holding them up. It looks like you're flying. Abhi recalls asking her mom, ‘How do they do that?’ and her mom told her people train for months with such deep meditation that they transcend pain from their bodies. Sometimes they are suspended for as long as two hours. This ritual is also a part of the ceremonial festival Thaipusam for Murugan, the God of War."

Item consists of Japanese family's home movie featuring family members walking around and walking.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69'). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists a home movie featuring a neighbour covered in snow and community members playing winter sports such as ice skating, tobogganing, and hockey.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring a woman and a boy eating a table.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring a boy praying and reading a book in bed.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring featuring a view of a neighbourhood, a bridge, and animals at a zoo (reindeer, zebras, lions, and geese).

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring a boy filling a pool and children playing in the water.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring two boys playing with sticks in the backyard.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring a community picnic.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring women feeding a baby at a picnic table.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item consists of a Japanese family's home movie featuring a baby grabbing cherry blossoms.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Terry Watada became interested in his family history when he realized his parents were forced into internment camps by the Canadian government during World War II. The youngest of two boys and with an 18-year age gap, he only came to know this history in his late teens. The footage selected shows glimpses of Terry’s childhood and features community members with whom he grew up. A small clip shows Terry wearing his cub scout uniform. In 1959, he was eight-years-old and was part of the 45th cub scout "wolf pack"; he later became a scout until the age of 17.

The families on the farm near the beginning of the footage feature the Watada family visiting the Itos in Cooksville, Ontario. Mr. Ito had connections with Terry’s father when he lived in BC; Mr. Ito was a former employee of Matsujiro Watada. Because his father helped with the down payment of their farm, the Watadas would receive bushels of vegetables every season during Terry’s childhood.

A prominent feature of his childhood, Terry and his family attended organized community picnics along with other members of the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto. A game played was the catching of mochi balls. A coveted gift since the process to make it by hand was time consuming. The picnic near the end of the selected home movies depicts a Shinto lion dance (around 68’ or 69’). There were always religious undertones at these picnics, either Buddhist or Shinto along with the Obon festival that would take place every year. The religious undertone would shift as they became an event that no longer only catered to a Japanese audience."

Item contains a sound recording of an interview conducted by the Home Made Visible with a project participant.

Item consists of two girls in matching outfits dancing to the "Eye of the Tiger" with dolls as props.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "We’re in a suburban backyard in Ottawa, ON and it’s summer time in 1984. Sonia, age 4 and her younger sister, age 2 are playing with a swing set and an inflatable tipi likely from Canadian Tire. The inflatable has a small hole to pop your head in, and has imagery of the trope of the "Indian" and the "cowboy." This was strange for Sonia to see when revisiting the footage, because this type of imagery likely wouldn’t be sold anymore.

She and her sister are singing songs in Japanese (her mother’s mother tongue) and Marathi (her father’s mother tongue). The Japanese songs are ones she still recalls and sings to her own children. The Marathi songs are familiar, and Sonia recalls her father teaching them to her, but she doesn’t remember their titles, or know what they mean.

Sonia grew up in Ottawa, and moved to Toronto as an adult. Although she was the minority in school as one of two non-white children, she doesn’t remember feeling out of place. Her parents said that other children called her "blacky" but she doesn’t recall this happening.

In relation to Home Made Visible, Sonia says, "The process of drawing out pieces of history and indicating its value, [and] that it deserves to be preserved is incredible""

Item consists of a Japanese-Indian family's home movie featuring a family playing in the water, exiting the lake, and a child narrating their surroundings.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "We’re in a suburban backyard in Ottawa, ON and it’s summer time in 1984. Sonia, age 4 and her younger sister, age 2 are playing with a swing set and an inflatable tipi likely from Canadian Tire. The inflatable has a small hole to pop your head in, and has imagery of the trope of the "Indian" and the "cowboy." This was strange for Sonia to see when revisiting the footage, because this type of imagery likely wouldn’t be sold anymore.

She and her sister are singing songs in Japanese (her mother’s mother tongue) and Marathi (her father’s mother tongue). The Japanese songs are ones she still recalls and sings to her own children. The Marathi songs are familiar, and Sonia recalls her father teaching them to her, but she doesn’t remember their titles, or know what they mean.

Sonia grew up in Ottawa, and moved to Toronto as an adult. Although she was the minority in school as one of two non-white children, she doesn’t remember feeling out of place. Her parents said that other children called her "blacky" but she doesn’t recall this happening.

In relation to Home Made Visible, Sonia says, "The process of drawing out pieces of history and indicating its value, [and] that it deserves to be preserved is incredible""

Item consists of a Japanese-Indian family's home movie featuring a family hiking during autumn, reaching the look out, and piling into their car.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "We’re in a suburban backyard in Ottawa, ON and it’s summer time in 1984. Sonia, age 4 and her younger sister, age 2 are playing with a swing set and an inflatable tipi likely from Canadian Tire. The inflatable has a small hole to pop your head in, and has imagery of the trope of the "Indian" and the "cowboy." This was strange for Sonia to see when revisiting the footage, because this type of imagery likely wouldn’t be sold anymore.

She and her sister are singing songs in Japanese (her mother’s mother tongue) and Marathi (her father’s mother tongue). The Japanese songs are ones she still recalls and sings to her own children. The Marathi songs are familiar, and Sonia recalls her father teaching them to her, but she doesn’t remember their titles, or know what they mean.

Sonia grew up in Ottawa, and moved to Toronto as an adult. Although she was the minority in school as one of two non-white children, she doesn’t remember feeling out of place. Her parents said that other children called her "blacky" but she doesn’t recall this happening.

In relation to Home Made Visible, Sonia says, "The process of drawing out pieces of history and indicating its value, [and] that it deserves to be preserved is incredible""

Item consists of a home movie featuring a girl riding a horse on a trail with footage zooming on the horses hooves.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Cindy’s dad is filming her at the age of 8 horseback riding at Algonquin Park during her family’s first visit. Since then, her family has developed a love of camping, and now camps in Ontario’s provincial parks a few times a year."

Item consists of a home movie featuring playing the xylophone at a school recital.

Item consists of a home movie featuring a Santa parade in front of the University of Toronto Schools.

Item consists of a home movie featuring a woman stirring a pot.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "At their home in Agincourt, Cindy’s mom is cooking dinner. When she used to get home from work earlier than her dad, she would start dinner."

Item consists of a home movie featuring the moving walkway at the airport.

Project and donor(s) contributed descriptions follows: "In 2004, its Cindy Long’s first time back to Guangzhou, China after immigrating to Canada. She is with her mom and her friend likely at Toronto Pearson International Airport."

Item consists of a woman and a man performing a traditional dance that involves moving bamboo sticks.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Its Cindy Long’s first time meeting her cousins in China once they are a bit older. She now travels there around every 3 or 4 years. Her parents said that they were very close as children, but when they got older they couldn’t connect as easily because her cousins speak little English, and Cindy’s Cantonese and Mandarin are not strong. Now as older teens/young adults, they enjoy spending time together when Cindy visits China, and often talk about the differences in school, culture, etc, between the two places."

Item consists of a home movie featuring children dancing over bamboo sticks.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "Its Cindy Long’s first time meeting her cousins in China once they are a bit older. She now travels there around every 3 or 4 years. Her parents said that they were very close as children, but when they got older they couldn’t connect as easily because her cousins speak little English, and Cindy’s Cantonese and Mandarin are not strong. Now as older teens/young adults, they enjoy spending time together when Cindy visits China, and often talk about the differences in school, culture, etc, between the two places."

Item consists of a home movie featuring a house decorated for Chinese New Year and child playing the whistle.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "It’s a family friend’s birthday party at their home in Agincourt, Scarborough. Pictured are decorations left from Chinese New Year.

Since Cindy was very young when moving to Canada, she identifies more with having immigrant parents than being an immigrant herself. Cindy had a lot of family friends that shared similar cultural backgrounds, and experiences as the community of Agincourt where she lives is largely Chinese, East and South Asian, and Tamil."

Item consists of an Indo- and Black-Caribbean family’s home movie featuring a girl playing peek-a-boo and kissing a newborn.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Shanti has recently given birth to her second child, Rohan on April 8th 2001 at Scarborough Grace General Hospital. Her mother (a nurse herself) supported Shanti during the delivery. Leyla, the oldest and only child for the first 6 years of her life meets her younger brother for the first time on video.

Born closer to Easter, the rest of the family is able to travels down to meet the new member of the family. Robert who is now 16 is meeting his youngest cousin for the first time."

Donor contributed description follows: "Item consists of a Chinese family's home movie featuring winter activities with children and adult sledding and ice skating in High Park, Toronto. On footage: Chia-chi (mother), Millie (elder daughter), Cecilia Chen (younger daughter). Camera: Edward Tzen-hwa Chen.

The Chens had an immense appreciation for the outdoors and natural landscapes and wanted to nurture this relationship in their children."

Item consists of a Pakistani-Canadian family's home movie and includes footage of Ridley College and Port Elgin.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "Footage of a family eating breakfast cuts to a teenager standing by an old building. Noor’s oldest brother, Fahad is giving their father a tour of his boarding school. This is the first time her father is seeing Ridley College. He relied on extended family in Canada to help settle Fahad in his school. Dressed like any other boy from the 90’s, Fahad leads his father on a grand tour. "Being Pakistani in Saudi Arabia was difficult" Noor mentions as she talks about being separated from her brother as he went to school in Canada. To Noor "it feels like filling in the blank watching these videos…" since she was still a child when her family moved.

Shot over a few days, the home movie ends on a barbeque in Noor’s aunt home. Her aunt can be seen making fresh kebabs. "We still have those barbeques… they’re much different now, but we still make kebabs from scratch", Noor recounts."

Item consists of a Japanese-Canadian family's home movies filmed in the 1960s.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "These clips feature birthdays for two of the Ozaki children in 1966. Steven Ozaki is celebrating his first birthday indoors with extended family in April. Naomi Ozaki is celebrating her fourth birthday in May with neighbourhood children inside the family home and in the family's backyard in Vancouver."

Item consists of a Japanese-Canadian family's home movies filmed in the 1960s.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "In the summer of ’65, Naomi and Akemi run around a sprinkler and play in a wading pool in their backyard. Three year old Naomi, in the red bathing suit, two year old Akemi in the blue bathing suit and their four month old brother, Steven are recorded by their father Doug on the sunny Vancouver summer afternoon."

Item consists of a Anishinaabe family's home movie.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "A protest against the First Nations Governance Act (FNGA) at Parliament Hill in 2003. FNGA was a legislation that the government was trying to impose on First Nations that would overstep their jurisdiction to First Nations relations, impeding their rights as sovereign nations in very much the same type Indigenous people had with the White Paper, it could lead to a slippery slope of further government control over our nations.

Various Chiefs across Canada organized this protest that gathered quite a lot of support across First Nations. This was part of a caravan to Ottawa and take place in Toronto, ON.

Chief Roberta Jamieson, the chief of Six Nation, is talking about the FNGA can negatively affect the community. Beside her is another respected leader Roger Obonsawin shared a few words among well-known community members. Rebeka and David travel in their van and on their way stops in a Mohawk community, Tyendinaga where they are hosted.

They arrive in Ottawa and people from across Canada came and in the end there are people the legislation was thrown out. They succeeded.

The National Chief Matthew Coon Come gave a speech on Parliament Hill. The National Chief spoke out a lot at that time against the Federal government. Many social organizations were afraid of having their funding pulled but it was really good to be apart of something larger, bringing people across the country together.

As young Indigenous people in Toronto they formed the Coalition of Indigenous Sovereignty, including allies, supported by unions and grassroots organizations, met regularly to oppose this legislation. ‘It’s pretty inspiring to review that part of our lives. It captured a moment in time in Toronto for our family that was very special with us. It reflects where our communities were at.’

(4)
Rebeka and her family take a road trip to relatives in the states of David Shilling's in their old van. They were excited to cross this huge bridge into the states. His cousin plays with their kids.

There was a gathering to honor the live of the late Anishnaabe [Rodney Bobiwash] from the Mississaugas nations up north and [Kim Pernel Dominco]. Rodney was a professor at the University of Toronto and used to be the director of First Nations House. He worked international solidarity with Indigenous people in the South, and he had been support the work of [Kim penrecl Dominico] from Colombia. They had been working had together to bring light to the damning of a river on traditional territories. It was during the Free Trade Agreement summit happening in Montreal. Unfortunately, [Kim] was targeted and disappeared. It was devastating.

Shortly after that Rodney passed away due to complications with diabetes. They had his funeral at the Native Canadian Centre in Toronto, hundreds and hundreds of people came out. A Mayan group performed a beautiful dance in his tribute. At the time they felt very fortunate to be able to document things for their communities and to have that proof of gatherings and also for their family.

(5)
In the late nineties and early 2000s Rebeka’s brother and dad at the cabin for the summer. They had a huge catch and had a big fish fry and invited friends over. They made fried bread and lightly battered fish. Rebeka recalls that it was a lot of work to get the line ready, and to fillet it and to bred it, but it was heavenly to have."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring two adults posing for a photograph.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring a bride and groom standing in front of the officiant. flanked by a man in a suit and a woman in a blue dress. The groom is stating his declaration of no legal impediment to marriage and the bridge is giggling.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring the wedding couple walking out of frame, while the woman in a blue dress and child walk into the frame. Footage is slightly out of focus.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring the camera spanning across the room to reveal a decorations and children choosing their seats at the table.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring the bridal party seated at a table.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Ojibwe family’s home movie featuring children walking across the frame and the wedding couple tasting their cake.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "On December 1, 1995, Star Nahwegahbo’s uncle and aunt, Mark and Florence, get married in Sudbury or Espanola, Ontario. These clips capture their wedding and reception; and the personalities of Star’s family shine through; we see her grandmother, grandfather and great grandfather, her aunt giggling at her own wedding as the priest fumbles on their names, and children running and dancing in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation community centre.

Star was around the age of 12 or 13 and recalls avoiding the camera. Around that time she had just moved from Sudbury to Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, and had difficulty with the large cultural shift. Star felt she didn’t yet have a language to speak to her identity or community dynamics due to colonization.

Upon sharing the clip with her family members, Star’s family was moved to see family that had since passed. It was Star’s first time seeing the footage, and "it was nice to see everybody so young, celebrating, having a good time."

As an artist, Star participated in the Project because she felt compelled to push back against the colonial gaze. She wanted to have more representation through her own family’s lens and to have footage and imagery for the younger generation to access, to highlight the celebration and positive times for her community."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring people walking down the street, throwing snow balls, riding a snowmobile, snowy landscapes with trees and houses.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "The following clips are from 1969-71. The reels start in the winter of 1970/71 north of Montreal, at Laurentian Mountains, a known good skiing place. Bala Nundy lived in Montreal at the time just before he got married in 1971. When Bala moved to Montreal he didn’t have any family there and his close friends became his family. Here they rented a cottage for a weekend trip. Since they are all from hot countries without snow they got excited and took many pictures.

The next scenes overlook downtown Montreal; Mont Royal, Jack Cartier Bridge, horse driven buggies, etc. The 8mm footage is sped up like a Chaplin film.

In the next scene, his future wife’s family and their friends appear. This is also in the Laurentian Mountain area in the winter of 1971.

Then there is a clip of Bala downhill skiing for the first time, he hoped that this would make his grandkids laugh in the future. This was taken in 1968 in Chicopee hill near Kitchener, ON.

Then to frozen Lake Erie, and a park in Galt, Ontario (later became Cambridge, Ontario).

Now Bala’s daughter Smita says, ‘You’ll often find her dad sitting down and going through old photos.’ He is known for sharing pictures at family get-togethers and is inspired by his grandkids. He has thousands of pieces of materials and started filming in 1965."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring three individuals drinking champagne and discussing a t-shirt that reads "A-B-C-D-E-F-U-C-K."

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "This is a graduate toast with mum and dad (my wife and I). Video shows the donors brother graduating from Stanford University, followed by a celebration in a hotel. A graduation toast is given by the father in English."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring a man encircled by woman saying prayers.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "These are prayers for the groom. This video depicts an Indian family’s wedding within North American customs, and shows a couple taking their civic vows, followed by a reception. Performances are held, after which the dancers receive blessings where the guests circle them with cash and leave it as a blessing. Songs of romance are sung in Punjabi and Hindi.

Skikh prayer is taken on the morning of the wedding, where the groom is wearing a traditional headdress shrouding the eyes. The headdress is tied on by the grooms sister,creating a symbol of mystery and modesty, and the warding off of the evil eye. The groom then ventures from his dwellings to his brides’, riding by horseback to symbolize the right of passage to manhood. The family surrounds the groom in a musical procession. This reenactment of an Indian tradition was the first to be held in New York City."

Item consists of an Indian family’s home movie featuring a woman and man dancing.

Donor(s) and project contributed description follows: "My sister sings while another sister and brother dance Bhangra. Video depicts an Indian wedding held in British Columbia. A series of ceremonies took place over the course of many days, including the singing of wedding songs during the Sangeet music party, the father of the bride singing, and the application of henna on the hands. A North Indian Punjabi dance, Bhangra, is performed by aunts and uncles of the bride. The wedding was held at the paternal aunt's house."

Item consists of a Guyanese family’s home movie featuring what appears to most likely be Kaieteur Falls. Footage zooms out from the falls to a landscape shot, cuts to men walking in the Amazon, cuts to several shots of the falls and the valley below, and ends with the three men at the river bed.

Item consists of a Guyanese family’s home movie featuring what appears to most likely be Kaieteur Falls and Orinduik Falls. Footage consists of a close up of the top of the falls; a close up of the middle section of the falls; another view of the falls, the river below, and a rainbow; a landscape shot of the falls from a far away plane window which is covered in water droplets alongside views of the winding river; three men walking on a trail; and a close up of a quickly moving river and rapids.