News Releases
April 24, 1998
CBC Television Salutes Veterans with Remembering Canada at War Series, Beginning May 9th
Ottawa —- CBC Television marks the anniversaries of VE-Day (May 8) and D-Day (June 6) with REMEMBERING CANADA AT WAR, a slate of special programming that pays tribute to the heroic efforts of Canada's war veterans.
"Thousands of men and women made huge sacrifices for Canada during the war years. As public broadcasters, we believe their contributions should continually be recognized. We remember them and honor their brave legacy with this special tribute," states Slawko Klymkiw, Executive Director of Network Programming.
Drawing on CBC's rich collection of archival material, along with selected programs from its outside production partners, REMEMBERING CANADA AT WAR includes outstanding documentaries, news specials and dramas.
VE-Day Remembered, a CBC home video of the network's news coverage of the 50th anniversary of the historic end to World War Two, launches the series on Saturday, May 9th at 4:30 p.m. Peter Mansbridge hosts this celebratory moment in history, with news coverage from Canada, Holland, England and Russia.
D-Day Plus Fifty, another CBC home video, gives an in-depth account of the invasion of Normandy by the people who were there, including an eyewitness account by CBC's Matthew Halton. Knowlton Nash hosts this historic journey back to occupied France through archival newsreels, and covers the celebrations that marked the extraordinary day 50 years later. The program airs Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m.
The NFB film Forgotten Warriors makes its television debut on Monday, June 8 at 7 p.m. This long-overdue tribute to Canada's Aboriginal soldiers is narrated by Gordon Tootoosis (North of 60).
Another major title is No Price Too High, a comprehensive six-part series that tells the story of World War Two as seen through the eyes and in the words of the young men and women who served their country. This evocative series, narrated by Arthur Kent, airs Sundays, May 17, 24, 31 and June 7 at 7 p.m., and concludes with a two-hour special, Wednesday, June 10 at 8 p.m.
Other documentary highlights includes War at Sea (Friday, May 22 at 8 p.m.) which presents the relatively unknown story of the submarine war in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, and chronicles the tremendous sacrifice of Canadian seamen during the North Atlantic convoy runs of World War Two; The Lucky Ones: Allied Airmen and Buchenwald, (Saturday, May 23 at 5 p.m.), the harrowing story of a group of Allied airmen who were shot down during World War Two and imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp; Web of War (Monday, June 15 at 8 p.m.), about the special relationship between Canadians and Polish soldiers during World War Two; Battle Diary: A Day in the Life of Charlie Martin (Monday, June 15 at 8 p.m), a personal account of the Canadian landing at Juno Beach in Normandy as told through the reminiscences of Company Sergeant Major Charlie Martin; The Killing Ground (Wednesday, June 17 at 8 p.m.), a startling document about the valor, as well as the brutality, of World War One.
Canvas of Conflict (Saturday, May 30 at 3 p.m.), first seen on Adrienne Clarkson Presents, is a fascinating look at the war artist program. Established during World War One to document the war effort and to rally patriotic support back home, it left a profound historical record of the war and helped launch the carreers of such painters as Fred Varley and Arthur Lissmer of the Group of Seven.
REMEMBERING CANADA AT WAR also includes two acclaimed CBC-TV dramas. Bernard Zukerman's Dieppe, a four-hour epic about lives that were forever changed by the raid on the Nazi-occupied French seaside town on August 19, 1942, is scheduled for Sundays May 31 and June 7 from 8-10 p.m. The War Between Us, the poignant story of two women of different cultures who become friends during the World War Two internment of Japanese-Canadians, airs Sunday, May 24 at 8 p.m.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. CBC/Radio-Canada reaches Canadians through eight national radio and television networks, its full-service Web sites, local/regional stations and affiliates, as well as the digital television channel Country Canada and the continuous music network Galaxie. In addition, CBC/Radio-Canada has forged partnerships with other broadcasters and is a partner in the satellite radio service SIRIUS Canada as well as in the specialty television services ARTV and The Documentary Channel. Through this array of activities, CBC/Radio-Canada brings diverse regional and cultural perspectives into the daily lives of Canadians in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. (2006)
For additional information, please contact:
Katherine Heath-Eves
Media Relations
CBC/Radio-Canada (Ottawa)
Tel: (613) 288-6235
heathevk@cbc.ca
www.cbc.radio-canada.ca
