TVO Sets Week-Long, Identity-Themed Lineup

 TORONTO: From March 22 to 29, TVO in Canada will be presenting a slate of documentaries, dramas and current-affairs programs that explore the themes of culture and identity in society with Belong or Bust: Where Do I Fit In?

The programming kicks off on March 22 at 9 p.m. with My New Home, about what it’s like to start a new life in a country far from home. Immediately following the first part of My New Home, Your Voice—on TVO’s web service for parents, tvparents.com—will explore the immigrant experience in Ontario. The same evening, White Girl, about the daughter of a white working-class woman finds sanctuary in Islam, will make its North American premiere. 

The following evening at 8 p.m., The Agenda with Steve Paikin begins its special five-night run. TVO’s flagship current-affairs show will feature guests discussing and debating various aspects of fitting in, such as peer groups, ethnicity, culture, religion and nationality. Also starting on March 23, airing again on March 39 and April 6, Meet the Immigrants is a six-part documentary that follows the stories of immigrants living and working in Britain. 

An encore presentation of Linda and Ali: Two Worlds within Four Walls will air on March 24 at 10 p.m. The fly-on-the-wall doc looks in on a woman who has traded her middle-class American life for the Shiite Muslim faith and traditions of her husband. On Thursday, March 26, House of Hristina explores the challenges faced by a young Bulgarian cleaning woman in Amsterdam who feels she is invisible to the outside world. 

Anita and Me, airing on March 27 at 9 p.m., is a coming-of-age comedy set in an early ’70s mining village, centered on young girls who form an unlikely bond. Later that evening, Allan Gregg in Conversation will feature M.G. Vassanji sharing how being a Canadian born in Africa of Indian heritage has influenced him and his work. 

Saturday Night at the Movies looks at films that try to capture the experience of the new immigrant. Examined Life, looking at philosophy’s power to transform the world around us, will make its world broadcast premiere on March 29 at 9 p.m.