Join filmmaker Max Fraser, author Mark Zuehlke and special guests for a one-time-only event this fall to honour Canadian veterans of WW2 and help reclaim lost history. Both the film and the book deal with Operation Husky, the 1943 invasion of Sicily, and the emotional 70th anniversary pilgrimage that took place in July 2013. OpHusky2013 was a project led by Montreal businessman Steve Gregory, with the support and involvement of numerous people in the community, across the country and in Sicily. Filmmaker Fraser is the son of a WW2 veteran who served in Sicily and Italy, a largely-forgotten campaign where Canadian soldiers waged their first major battles, earning a formidable reputation. Fraser's new one-hour documentary is called "Bond of Strangers - The Operation Husky Story." It's the emotional story of ten Canadians who literally went the distance for remembrance, walking 300km over 20 days in Sicily in 2013 on the 70th anniversary of the invasion. They form a special bond through their journey together, and with the local people whose memories of that dark time run deep. Author Mark Zuehlke recently was honoured by the Governor General with the Pierre Berton Award for popular history for his Canadian Battle Series. He is one of the ten marchers in OpHusky2013 and his new book is based on that gruelling experience. "Through Blood and Sweat, A Remembrance Trek Across Sicily's World War Two Battlegrounds" is a contemplative look at the culture of remembrance and the experience of war. DVDs and books will be on sale following the author's slide show and talk and the Quebec premiere of the new documentary film.
