Soft Landing

Seven beautifully crafted one-minute films about the impact newcomers had on Canada and the impact Canada had on them.

A drawing of brown-skinned hands holding a map of Nunavut with a red arrow pointing to Iqaluit.

From Jamaica, Stephanie builds connections between people of African descent and Northern Inuit communities. 
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A drawing of a woman in business attire holding a briefcase, walking away from us down the sidewalk in a big city, past a hotdog vendor.

From Ghana, Margaret created and manages more than 14 personal care homes.
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A drawing. A Black man faces us, while angry white people, some purple-faced, bark at him.

From Liberia, Leo founded Empowerment Squared to help young newcomers to integrate.
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Each one of these individuals has capitalized on something about Canada. They came with a dream and have exceeded their own expectations of what their migration story could be.
—Ian Keteku, Producer

A black and white line drawing of a woman looking down. She has long black hair and wears a t-shirt.

From Vietnam, Thy Anne works as a project coordinator with Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.
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A bird’s eye view of a man in glasses, a green shirt and tie, holding a briefcase. He looks up to the sky, perhaps determined, perhaps scared.

From Egypt, Dr. Zak created BC Hydro’s Power Smart program to promote energy efficiency.
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On an orange background, a drawing of a boy, seen from behind. He has no right arm emerging from his t-shirt.

From Peru, Daniel advocates for people living with disabilities.
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A drawing of a woman in a long purple coat holding a book, alone on the subway platform at Toronto’s Dundas Station. A subway is whipping past her.

From Iran, Bänoo founded Toronto’s most diverse poetry reading/ open mic series.
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Soft Landing is a project curated by Ian Keteku which showcases the words and stories of prominent living Canadians who’ve immigrated from another country. These individuals have contributed to Canadian society in meaningful ways. They’ve excelled in areas of entrepreneurship, environmentalism, science, and community activism.

The project is funded by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21