Discover the brick sweat and tears that built Toronto’s Don Valley Brick Works and how, in one year, it was re-born as an ecological oasis in OMNI Television’s original documentary, Brick by Brick. Combining the powerful stories of nature and industry, Brick by Brick explores one man’s drive and dream to build a 21st-century cathedral to the environment. This inspiring doc premieres in English on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 9pm ET on OMNI.2 and on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 9pm MT/PT on OMNI AB and OMNI BC.
Follow Toronto environmentalist Geoff Cape as he transforms a 125-year-old former industrial site – Toronto’s Don Valley Brick Works – into a $54 million cutting-edge ecological centre – the first of its kind in the world. More than just a film about a factory facelift, Brick by Brick is the story of one man’s passion to save the planet. Integrating verité footage with beautifully composed evocative shots, stock footage, archival photography, and CGI animation, Brick by Brick chronicles the history of the heritage site’s evolution for the first time on television. It goes back to the beginning when many members of ethnocultural communities such as Italian and Portuguese were employed by the Brick Works as skilled bricklayers.
“What we often forget, is that global change can begin at a local level,” commented Madeline Ziniak, national vice-president, OMNI Television. “Brick by Brick is an important reminder of the power we possess as individuals to enact that change, regardless of where you’re from.”
Located in the Don Valley, The Brick Works is an internationally significant natural and cultural heritage site located within the Don River watershed. The 16.5 square foot (40.7 acre) site is open for public use, education and enjoyment. The lower Don has held an important role in the region’s history as a place of settlement, agriculture and industry. It became a productive industrial area, valuable for its employment and the goods and services created there. By the late 1800s, improved transportation and abundant resources such as water and clay had attracted manufacturers of paper, bricks and beer. Today, the buildings on site represent several different time periods in the history of the Brick Works. The site comprises of industrial buildings, the Quarry Garden, surrounding parkland and special geological features unique to the area.
Brick by Brick is a Hungry Eyes Film & Television Production, directed by Catherine Annau and produced by Jennifer Holness.
