The Italian community in Canada: Past and present migration in film, 1960–present

From the end of the 19th century until the 1970s, Italian immigration to Canada was one of the most significant in Italy's history. Many documentaries and docu‐films were created to bear witness to the history of the Italian community in Canada, which mainly settled in large urban areas like Toronto and Montreal. This paper examines some of these productions in an attempt to trace the history of Italian immigration to Canada, particularly the province of Quebec, as well as to highlight its geographical legacy. Evidence from documentary and docu‐films productions dating back to the early 1960s shows a tight‐knit community that was strongly cohesive around its values. Over the years, the older community has become more open and spread across the Canadian territory, reflected in geographic trends among recent Italian immigrants.