Frishta Bastan was only a kid when the U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Growing up in Canada, she heard stories about the country's rich culture and beauty from her parents. She fought back against stereotypes of the country and its people. She speaks to Colin Ellis about a side of Afghanistan we don't hear about very often, and what she's been doing to help Afghan refugees.

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An Afghan-Canadian on the beauty of Afghanistan

Join Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka for this podcast on documentaries and the stories they tell. They'll introduce you to filmmakers who give us fascinating takes on people, perspectives and what it means to be human.

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At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, carpenter Khaleel Seivwright found himself busy building shelters for unhoused people. He'd calculated that a person living in one of the structures he was making could act as a heat source. His tiny shelters would be a vital resource as winter arrived in the city and they had the potential to save lives.

But the City of Toronto took a dim view of his work. John Tory's government filed a court injunction against Seivwright and continued to criminalize those living in parks. The city's argument against the shelters was that the tiny wooden houses were unsafe, fire hazards for those who lived in them, and for the surrounding neighbourhoods. In protest, community activists organized rallies and placed signs on the small shelters stating, "Someone lives here. Please don't remove." They criticized the government for this move against unhoused people and its lack of action when it came to the housing and homelessness crisis.

The documentary "Someone Lives Here" captures Khaleel Seivwright's struggles to get the buildings certified as safe and his search for accountability from municipal politicians. The film won the Roger's Audience Award at Hot Docs. Zack Russell, the film's director, and Khaleel Seivwright, the subject of the documentary, speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the making of the documentary, how the tiny house project started, how the tiny shelters were made, and the public response to the initiative.
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The carpenter who helped the unhoused survive winter

Whether it's in New York or Toronto, Chinatowns are being attacked by the forces of gentrification, development pressure, and much more. But communities are resisting this pressure to retain their intangible cultural heritage forged by the bonds of a shared history - often tied together by the historical racist policies of their new homes. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka talk with director Karen Cho and community organizer Rick Wong about how Cho's new documentary, "Big Fight in Little Chinatown," shows how people are mobilizing to save these places.
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Why are Chinatowns disappearing?

The Satanic Panic - a phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s - was a terrifying rollercoaster for all involved. Accusations of child sacrifice ruined lives as the public sought answers for why everyone suddenly seemed to have been victims of Satanists and Satanic rituals. Amplified by the Catholic Church, law enforcement and daytime TV, rumours of these cults made their way through fearful communities, creating a witch hunt for anyone believed to be part of alleged Satanic worship groups.

At the centre of this conspiracy was a book called "Michelle Remembers," a memoir published in 1980 by Canadian psychiatrist Larry Pazder and his patient Michelle Smith in which Smith's recounted false memories where she was abducted and tortured by a satanic cult in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The new documentary, "Satan Wants You," describes the experiences of the satanic panic, how the memoir (,Michelle Remembers,) sparked it, and exposes how a lie from a Canadian patient and doctor became an enduring myth. The film was featured at HotDocs and SXSW, and its filmmakers Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the chilling story and production behind "Satan Wants You," and the satanic panic phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s.
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The Satanic Panic was Built on Lies

Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka celebrate On Docs' 100th episode with Jane Jankovic, TVO's executive producer for documentaries, in a wide-ranging discussion about the evolution of the documentary genre.
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Celebrating On Docs' 100th episode with Jane Jankovic

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be a spectacle, but in the spotlight is the country's use of migrant labour to build everything from stadiums to highways. Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka are joined by Michael Page, Human Rights Watch's deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa, to talk about the sacrifices made for football.
Canada Soccer has released a statement stating that, "Canada Soccer supports the ongoing pursuit of further progress regarding workers' rights and inclusivity as Qatar prepares to host the world."
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An Afghan-Canadian on the beauty of Afghanistan

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