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WWI

Owning The Sins of Our Past: 1on1 with Ryan Boyko (THAT NEVER HAPPENED)

October 21, 2018 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Directed by Ryan Boyko, That Never Happened: Canada’s First National Internment Operations reveals the story of Canada’s first national internment operations between 1914 – 1920, when over 88,000 people were forced to register and more than 8,500 were wrongfully imprisoned in internment camps across Canada, not for anything they had done but because of their heritage. Although the public records were destroyed in 1954, a few brave men and women began working over 30 years later in order to reclaim this piece of history so that future generations would be aware. As he discovered more about this tragedy, Boyko was amazed at how little information there was about it and became increasingly determined to make sure that the story was told.

“In 1996, I saw another documentary [on the topic] and I learned a little bit about it,” he begins. “At that point in time, it was called the Ukrainian Internment Operations because there weren’t really any details. There wasn’t detail about the other communities that were affected. There wasn’t a lot of detail about what it was, just that something had happened. So, I went to my grade school teacher and I said, ‘Can you tell us a little bit about the Ukrainian Interment during World War I?’ And he said, ‘You mean the Japanese interment during World War II?’ And I said, ‘No, I mean the Ukrainian Interment during World War I.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘That never happened.’”

“…That’s ultimately why we chose that title. To honor those people who were faced with that negative experience of being told that it never happened. We don’t know how many people were told that and stop looking. That’s part of why it’s important that we tell this story as it is [because] others were told that it never happened. Maybe those people that stopped looking at that time will start looking again.”

While Canada is most frequently associated with its value of global cultures and peacekeeping, news of a hitherto unknown internment operation seems shocking. Still, Boyko believes that fear has been the primary reason that this story went untold in the history books.

“I think one of the key things that we understand is that, once people were released from these camps, whether it was because of the camps had ended or paroled by a specific company, they didn’t want to talk about it,” he recalls. “A lot of them were not given the pay right away or escaped or died in the camps, [but] no one ever received that money because people were afraid to go and talk to the government. They were afraid to go through the due process, in case they ended being rounded up again. A lot of people just kind of said, ‘Okay, this is not good. I’m going to forget it and I’m willing to work and I’m going to be the best Canadian citizen that I can… or they left and went back home.”

Despite the fact that multiple governments have fought to keep this story under wraps, he says that recent officials have been more than co-operative in uncovering information to bring this story to light.

“I think we have to look at it through the lens of history,” Boyko explains. “These are the things that were happening in our own country and this is not the only negative thing that happened. I think that, rather than looking at why it happened, I think it’s more important to look at the fact that we’re not allowed to bring it to the surface. As we talk about in the documentary, there were five different prime ministers that this recognition went through, but really the last two governments, including the current government—both conservative and liberal government—really supported the making of this film. They opened doors, and [gave] access to Parks Canada and the Canadian military. Our Canadian government just used this as part of the permanent mission of Canada to the United Nations to screen on a global level, talking about what Canada has done wrong in the human rights aspect and how we can learn from these mistakes and move forward, not just as our country but as a global society.”

After his experience at the UN, Boyko was stunned at the thoughtful conversation and relevant discussion that the film inspired amongst delegates from multiple countries.

“When we do [Q&A events], we’re used to having different people ask [questions] and carry on the conversation,” he claims. “That’s what we were having at the UN and the people who were there supporting the event were saying that events [there] are lucky if they get one question. We could have gone for an hour with questions from people talking. Learning that it’s not normal for delegates to ask questions about a film, project or presentation really made our trip. We had the opportunity to speak to various different ambassadors from various different countries. It was really an experience of a lifetime, as you can imagine. I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that we’ve done that. Now that we’ve done that, if I feel like this film will get out.There is no denying that these operations ever happened [anymore]. It’s been seen on the global scale.”

In some ways, it can be easy to ignore the truth of what took place over 60 years simply due to the amount of time that has taken place between now and then. However, he also believes that such callous thinking would ignore the fact that this sort of tragedy could very easily happen again (and, in fact, may already be happening).

“I hate to say it but, when I look at the media today, it is happening again,” Boyko warns. “It’s happening in the same way that it has happened in the past. You get some people who are loud enough making enough noise and saying, ‘Look at what’s wrong. Look at who the other is. The other is wrong’ because they don’t understand them. I think we as citizens, not just of Canada, but as the citizens of the world need to stand up and take the uncomfortable stand where we see things that are wrong happening in the world when we hear alternative facts. We need to stand up and say, ‘No. This is what is right and this is what could happen if we do things wrong.’ This documentary shows what happens after a hundred years of having family separated and being taken away and how it still affects people today.”

Asked what it will take to own the sins of our past, he believes that it will require a great deal of courage to view our history with objectivity and truth.

“I think it takes honesty, openness, communication and truth [to own the shame of our past],” Boyko argues. “I hope people will watch this film and come away having a conversation. This isn’t the ‘be all and end all’ film about Internment Operations in Canada. In fact, I think this is just the beginning of the opening of a door to the subject that others may not be aware of. I’m hoping that it creates the snowball effect with those conversations, whether we’re talking about residential schools, women’s rights, or human rights. This is just simply a guide to show what we have done when we have done wrong and I think that that opens up a conversation to what can we do right.”

As a result, he also hopes that these conversations lead people to rediscover pieces of their own history as well.

“I’m hoping that the film is evocative and that it creates questions and conversation,” Boyko stresses. “[I hope] that it opens the doors for people may be are members of the community, whether it’s first generation, second generation or even… maybe somebody from the past was here during that time. Maybe it will open a door for them to start doing some research on their own and figuring out more about the family. Even if it doesn’t take them to the stories that their family was affected by the Internment operations, it might have been into some other realm and something else that they need to know about their families. I just think that it has the possibility to do for individuals something far beyond what we could even comprehend.”

For full audio of our conversation with Ryan Boyko, click here.

That Never Happened is in theatres now.

Filed Under: Film, Interviews, Podcast Tagged With: Canada, Ryan Boyko, That Never Happened, WWI, WWII

Genius Ep. 7 – The Damage of Sin, Visualized   

June 8, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

Albert Einstein wasn’t in the greatest mood at the end of the sixth episode of Genius (Nat Geo; Tuesdays 9 PM/ 8 CT).  After seeing his life’s work on general relativity almost discredited due to an error on his part and his wife moving to Zurich with the kids, it’s easy to see why this might be the case. The question was a simple one: how would Albert react?

If you’ve watched the series thus far, the answer is a simple one: Albert simply plowed himself more and more into his work on the theory. He even went so far as to say, “General relativity is everything to me now . . . once I’ve solved it, the rest of life can rush in.” But he receives a surprise when he discovers a mathematician named David Hilbert (Adrian Edmondson) is trying to complete it first and claim credit for himself. Thus begins a rush to complete the computations . . . and Einstein loses the race.  However, Hilbert makes a mistake, allowing Einstein to correctly finish the theory.  There is even word a Nobel Prize could be in Albert’s future . . .

But director James Hawes reveals there are three other issues Einstein has to deal with.  One involves the other members of the Prussian Academy, who are asked by the German Army to sign a war manifesto committing them to helping the cause (see photo above). Everyone signs it . . . except Einstein. This becomes as issue when Fritz Haber (Richard Topol) creates a method to take out opposing forces using poison gas.  Einstein can’t justify Haber’s change of heart and has a falling out with him.  So does Haber’s wife, who kills herself.  Max Planck (Ralph Brown) lamented signing the manifesto when he discovers his son died on the battlefield.

The second issue involves Mileva.  It’s easy to see that Albert cares more about the kids more than her, but he still wants the divorce so he can finally be with his cousin Elsa. Mileva is incredibly stubborn, but she’s still trying to make ends meet for the kids by teaching piano (even though Albert is paying her monthly). Unfortunately, her health issues have caused Albert to visit—but the war is exacting its toll by closing the borders and denying Albert the visit.  Eduard is expecting his dad, but he never comes.

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

A few years later, we see the long-awaited transformation of the characters to their older counterparts—Johnny Flynn gives way to Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Rush (Albert); Gwendolyn Ellis is replaced by Emily Watson (Elsa), and Samantha Colley’s fantastic portrayal of Mileva moves to Sally Dexter.  It gives Genius the feel that the events of the past have aged the main characters significantly (even if it feels jarring to the viewer).

Albert is finally able to get Mileva to agree to the divorce, but as he tells Elsa, “it comes at a high price.”  That price isn’t just in the form of money (including the significant sum earned if Albert was to win the Nobel Prize), but a permanent loss of seeing his kids.

Finally, Einstein’s theory is proven, but he has to deal with his own league of scientists, including Dr. Lennard, who, in the name of nationalism, attempt to discredit his work.  In a hilarious sequence, a major lecturer beats up on Einstein, not knowing Einstein is in the audience.  What the scientists will do next is for the final three episodes, but somehow Hitler will be involved . . .

One of the biggest takeaways of the episode involves the damages sin can cause.  The scientists’ decision to support the war effort resulted in significant loss of life—especially with Haber’s poison gas cloud.  Justifying that it saved lives still doesn’t diminish the fact that people were killed to make it happen. Haber lost his marriage (and his wife) in the process. Einstein also lost his marriage–and a whole lot more than he bargained for–as a result of his escapades. Even his cousin Elsa had to endure the humiliation and stigma of being singled out during the divorce proceedings by the judge. Sin can be hidden only for so long, but it will eventually be exposed (see Joshua 7 regarding Achan).  And the consequences can be significant.  It is best, as James 5:16 notes, to confess our sins to God (and others) so we can be restored.  After all, Jesus came to die and forgive us of all our transgressions to the Lord and others.  It doesn’t mean there won’t be aftereffects to deal with, but at least one’s consciousness can be cleansed for the future.

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Achan, Divorce, Einstein, Elsa Einstein, Emily Watson, Fritz Haber, Genius, Geoffrey Rush, Gwendolyn Ellis, James, Johnny Flynn, Max Planck, Mileva Maric, National Geographic, Philip Lennard, Price of Sin, Relativity, Richard Topol, Samantha Colley, Science, sin, WWI

Origins Ep. 5 – The Blood of War

April 3, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

(photo credit: National Geographic)

Conflict is something that most people find unenjoyable.  In many cases, we do our absolute best to avoid it at all costs.  But at some point in our lives, we will all have to deal with some aspect of conflict, whether it’s against another person, an aspect of society, or even ourselves.  Yet no matter how we feel about conflict in our lives, most of these situations do not involve going to war. However, war has done more to shape the history of the world than one might be willing to consider. In tonight’s fifth episode of Origins (NatGeo, 9 PM/8 CT), the topic involves fighting (and killing) other people (it’s a bit gory, so be advised, parents).  The episode starts off a little slow, but picks up in the middle, providing a challenging look at our past—and a hope for our future that, sadly, will not come to pass.

Tribal groups grew crops and killed animals for food.  But when food was difficult to find, fear took over and the people resorted to taking it from other tribes by any means necessary.  Stealing was one option, but eventually people found it more effective to just beat up and kill members of the other group. It seems war is a symptom of our humanity, showcasing our worst attributes.  But it has also given rise to civilizations, such as Genghis Khan’s massive Mongolian empire in the 13th century (aided by an important military item known as the stirrup). As a result, people became loyal to beliefs (such as the Crusades) and nationalistic creeds—and yet fighting continued over large and small issues.

(photo credit: National Geographic)

More changes came with modern warfare, as World War I proved. As part of the terms of peace, boundaries were created in the Middle East, creating countries that had never seen a specific form of government before.  This led to anarchy within those areas and gave rise to something called terrorism, seen in the US in 1993 when the World Trade Center was bombed and eight years later when it was destroyed by two airplanes. One commentator in the episode likened it to David versus Goliath in that ‘David’ is willing to do anything to keep himself alive in the eyes of the general public.  Think about it: do we still talk about terrorism today? Are we a bit fearful of what could eventually happen if terrorists go unchecked?  If so, ‘David’ has done his job.

Host Jason Silva introduces the concept of cyber warfare at the end of the show, noting that people have the ability of using 0s and 1s to take down physical objects, thus controlling society through their monitors.  If the power goes out with no way to turn it on in a city, what would happen?  No ATMs, no shopping, no internet (once the batteries on the smartphone are dead), and no ability to perform daily tasks that people take from granted.  It wouldn’t be pretty.

Of course, humanity can do lots of good, but we also have the propensity to be quite evil.  In the Bible, Cain didn’t like that God rejected his sacrifice but accepted the one his brother Abel gave.  His way of resolving the situation involved killing his brother, then having to deal with the consequences of his actions (see Genesis 4:1-16). War is simply an example of humanity not getting along with each other for reasons such as fear, power, money. I was struck that Silva asked, at the end of the episode, “Can we find the will to destroy war?” We’ve tried to give peace numerous times in the past, but eventually, something happens and the killing begins anew (sorry, John Lennon).  The Bible says specifically that war isn’t going to go away, as man becomes more corrupt and power-hungry leaders seek to impose their will on the whole world (you know, the whole mark of the beast thing in Revelation 13). But in the end, God’s plan is to bring peace back—not through the doings of humanity, but through Jesus, who’s already battled death and won. Only then will war truly be over.

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Abel, Cain, Crusades, Cyberwarfare, David, Genghis Khan, Goliath, Jason Silva, Jesus, Mark of the Beast, Mongolian, National Geographic Channel, Origins, war, WWI

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