Author Description

This screenplay of the recent film Il duce Canadese, originally aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, tells the story of the particularly dark period in Canadian history that followed Italy's entrance into World War II through the eyes of Mario, the teenage son of an Italian-Canadian family living in Montreal. In June of 1940, shortly after Mussolini declared war against the Allied Powers, Canadian authorities launched a series of raids across the country against people of Italian descent, arresting several hundreds who were suspected of being dangers to national security. The drastic effect the subsequent internment had on the remaining Italian-Canadian community is touchingly portrayed in this script.