In its last 2022 presentation, Reel Monday Movie Nights screens Peace by Chocolate, a film based on the true story of one of Canada’s quintessential immigrant families.
After the bombing of the Hadhad family’s chocolate factory in Syria, the family takes refuge in Lebanon where they spend three years in a refugee camp before immigrating to Canada.
In this generational story, a charming young man Tareq (Ayham Abou Ammar) arrives at a small town in Nova Scotia during a blustery Canadian winter. His dream is to be a doctor and he struggles to settle into the new foreign, small-town life. Tareq is caught between following his dream and joining his father, Issam (Hatem Ali) in preserving the family legacy by rebuilding a chocolatier’s dream business.
Despite the tragedy that initially happens to the family, Peace by Chocolate is filled with comedic moments as the Hadhad family attempts to surf a new culture and its strange customs.
The 90-minute movie was screened at film festivals across the world and was released in Canada exclusively at Cineplex in May 2022.
“The reviews from Toronto were very good. This is a feel-good movie and we thought it was right for December,” said Valerie Spink, Reel Monday presenter. “Canada welcomes a lot of immigrants, and this is a story of how immigrants settled and were embraced by the community.”
Peace by Chocolate screens at the Arden Theatre on Monday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. Single tickets are $15 and are available at the door or by calling the Arden box office at 780-459-1542 or online at tickets.stalbert.ca.
