Film screening: The Paradox of Seabrook Farms. Shattered Dreams. Restored Hopes

Join VEMU for a film screening in honour of the 80th Anniversary of the Great Escape of 1944, and meet with the director Helga Merits.

Tickets will be on sale on September 3rd ($20/$10 students) here.

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“The Paradox of Seabrook Farms. Shattered Dreams. Restored Hopes” (Merits Productions, 2024, in English, 85 min)

The history of the Seabrook family who created Seabrook Farms is similar to a Greek tragedy of betrayal — of creating and destroying possibilities — where behind the scenes, each with their own heart-breaking story, a diverse community of refugees and immigrants lived and worked.

‍In the 1950s Seabrook Farms was the biggest frozen food processing plant in the US and it needed farm and factory labour. The largest group of workers consisted of over 2,000 Japanese Americans who had been interned during the first years of the Second World War and had been looking for a new place to live. After the war refugees from many countries in Europe came to Sea-brook Farms, amongst them were some 900 Estonians and 200 Latvians.

‍They all had lost their homes and had to start again. Working at Seabrook farms meant seven day weeks with ever changing shifts, work that was both physically and mentally draining. Amongst all the hardships they still found ways to keep up their cultural traditions and create new possibilities for their children.
At the same time jealousy and distrust drove the Seabrook family apart. Instead of creating a future for his sons, Mr Seabrook took it away from them.

The film sheds light on the puzzling history of the Seabrook family and their factory workers; people of different countries and cultural backgrounds who had no other place to go to.

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Event in partnership with the Chair of Estonian Studies at U of T

Major Funder: Estonian Foundation of Canada

Sponsors: Estonian Central Council in Canada, Integration Foundation (Estonia)