Capitalisms: Documentary Series

Each season of Capitalisms will focus on the excesses of a contemporary deregulated or under regulated industry in Canada. Capitalism is a powerful engine for prosperity but like any engine it needs to be monitored and maintained to make sure it runs sustainably. Since capitalism is the economic system in which we live and democracy is the political system in which we decide, the only way to monitor and maintain that engine is to spotlight its excesses so that everyone can see and feel the pain for themselves. This series aims to do that.

Director's Note:   

I grew up in a regular working-class family. My father was a farm manager and my mom an ECG Technician at our local hospital. We did not have a lot of money, but we made do. I finished high school and worked in a series of different industries through my twenties and thirties; from farm hand, to construction labourer, to factory worker to grocery clerk. Throughout that time, I learned how the system is designed. Local neighbourhood crime, like theft or assault, is handled harshly as it should be. It is painful and traumatizing for its victims. Above a certain socio-economic tier however the rules change. Why is it that a person who robs a bank and steals a few thousand dollars can easily end up in jail for a decade or two while someone who robs millions from retirees can be let off with a fine and go home to a comfortable condo after a few stressful days in court? This series, more than anything, is about exploring that disparity; the rules for the 1% and the rules for the rest of us; the Capitalisms that divide us.