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The fruits of four years of hard work were reaped with the premiere of the documentary "The Mennonites of Manitoba." It has been a labor of love to take the idea of profiling this important religious and ethnic group through fundraising, filming, editing, and finally to the television screen, but writer/producer George Siamandas thinks it has been worth it. "Mennonites are such an important part of the culture and the economy of Manitoba," says Siamandas, "and, yet, many Manitobans have not known about the history and dimensions of Mennonite culture." "The Mennonites of Manitoba" will tell that story. It is the story of a modest, peaceful, religious people. A people who have fled from Holland to Poland, from Poland to Ukraine, and from Ukraine to Manitoba, where they have held on to their distinctive culture and common history for 125 years. The film explores that history and culture and also looks at the dual character of a Mennonite. Mennonite denotes a religious group based on common beliefs, but it also indicates a certain ethnicity. Siamandas feels the scenes with Mennonite women are some of the film's most engaging. "They were so expressive," he says. "They tell us what they think and feel, while the men talk of history and business." "This is an important story," producer Siamandas says. "I'm delighted that, once again, Prairie Public is providing the opportunity to tell another interesting story about Manitoba." Siamandas is a Manitoban whom Prairie Public called on to tell Canadian stories in the past through the film "Pyramids On the Prairie." |
