Village Gamer

TVO is pleased to announce the launch of the TVO Doc Studio Screening Series, a showcase of exceptional documentary programming sponsored exclusively by Toronto Life. The inaugural screening on Wednesday November 21 at 6:15 pm at Toronto’s Bloor Hot Docs Cinema features a pre-broadcast presentation of Give Us the Money, an inside look at the politics of poverty and the cult of celebrity. TVO’s Ian Brown, host of the evening, moderates a panel discussion on celebrity activism following the film. The $10 tickets to this fundraising event are available online.

From Swedish director Bosse Lindquist, Give Us the Money goes behind the scenes of global campaigns like Live Aid, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History that helped popularize the fight against poverty. By examining the combined efforts of rock stars Bob Geldof and U2’s Bono, leftist revolutionaries and conservative Congressmen, the film questions how effective celebrity-led activism really is.

Give Us the Money is one of the marquee films in TVO’s multi-platform Why Poverty? campaign. Why Poverty? is a cross-media initiative involving 70 broadcasters worldwide aimed at generating conversation about poverty in the 21^st century. Along with Give Us the Money, the screening includes a double bill of TVO-commissioned, Ontario-made short films exploring local poverty.

“TVO is all about informing and engaging Ontarians on important issues, and one of the many ways we do this is with documentaries that challenge the way we think,” says Lisa de Wilde, TVO’s Chief Executive Officer. “The TVO Doc Studio Screening Series is a new platform for us to bring our documentaries to the public while raising awareness that donor support plays a critical role in helping us deliver great documentary programming to Ontarians.”

Proceeds from the event will help TVO, Ontario’s public media organization and a registered charity, nurture and support documentary filmmakers.

“Toronto Life is proud to partner with TVO in the TVO Doc Studio Screening series,” says publisher David Hamilton. “As the go-to source for navigating culture and life in Toronto, Toronto Life is committed to supporting events that enable Torontonians to better understand and engage in the life of their city.”

TVO champions documentaries year-round on air and through Doc Studio. Doc Studio is an online showcase for documentary filmmakers and their work and serves as a learning community supporting point-of-view filmmaking.