Running Time: 58 & 47 mins
Year: 2008

synopsis

Radical Dreamer: The Passionate Journey of Graham Spry explores the fascinating life of the “Father of Public Broadcasting”. A lifelong advocate of a distinct Canadian society and culture, Spry knew in his bones that public broadcasting could unite Canada and put her on a world stage.

Many of the key events of the 20th Century can be told through his eyes: the Winnipeg General Strike, two world wars, the Great Depression, the beginning of socialized medicine, the power of American ‘culture’, the collapse of the Raj, and much more. Though he was well-connected, Spry was always an outsider.

Considered too radical to be employable in Canada during his most productive years, he lived in exile in London, influencing events at home from afar. He was also a renaissance man – wartime correspondent, oil executive, adventurer, writer, politician and publisher. His message is as important in our global age as it was during Canada’s adolescence in the 1920s.

Radical Dreamer: The Passionate Journey of Graham Spry weaves rare archival material with contemporary voices to unravel the secrets of this nation-builder who faced many of the same challenges that confound policy makers today.

Credits

A film by Peter Raymont and Bruce Steele
Produced by White Pine Pictures & Soundings Steele Inc.
in association with SCN, TVO, Knowledge Network, CLT, with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, with the assistance of Canada Council for the Arts, Star Choice Communications Inc.,
The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, The Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit,
with the participation of the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit