OMNI Television is proud to present the world television premiere of Violent August: The 1918 Anti-Greek Riots in Toronto as part of its Language Documentary Specials series. The 60-minute documentary launches to Greek speaking audiences on OMNI.1, Saturday, April 17th at 10:00 p.m. ET.
The English language version of Violent August: The 1918 Anti-Greek Riots in Toronto airs the following day on OMNI.1, Sunday, April 18th at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Produced, written and directed by John Burry of Burgeoning Communications, Inc., Violent August explains how a seemingly insignificant incident — a drunken WWI veteran is thrown out of a small Greek-owned restaurant – exploded into five days and nights of rioting, almost $1 million in damages (in today’s currency) and an international incident ultimately involving the Canadian, Greek and British governments.
“This documentary reveals how the violence of 1918 has been largely forgotten,” says Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President of OMNI Television. “By recalling past injustices and looking forward to how they impact multiculturalism in Canada today, Violence August offers an insight to how our future builds on our past.”
In addition to interviewing the relatives of those from the Greek community whose properties were demolished, Violent August includes expert commentary from three respected historians, along with archival photos, newsreel footage and actual newspaper reports to explore the historical context of the riots and their present day significance.
“The Toronto portrayed in Violent August is very different from the accepting, multicultural city we recognize today,” says John Burry. “The dark days of August, 1918 nonetheless speak to the sort of issues facing many Canadians of diverse heritage, even today, and we are grateful to OMNI Television for helping us share this important message.”
Violent August: The 1918 Anti-Greek Riots in Toronto was exclusively funded through OMNI’s Independent Producers Initiative, a $32.5 million independent production fund that to date has supported over 400 new documentary programmes. Interested producers can access funding criteria at OMNI Television’s web site www.OMNItv.ca .
