Mixed-race kids the future of Canada

"Mixed-race Kids Our Future In Canada" claimed a leading Vancouver publication. And metropolitan Canadian cities of Toronto, Montreal and Greater Vancouver are making this prediction a reality because of the following salient factors in the said cities: More international couples; less residential segregation; smaller income gap between white and non-whites; more tolerant, friendly and accommodating attitudes toward new immigrants; integrated residents who are less likely to see their ethnicity as important to their identity. It is a sad fact though that many Filipinos in Vancouver and Toronto are still trapped in their Pinoy mentality and ethnicity, and finally, residents of all races, mixed or not intermingle socially and culturally without grave difficulty.

Statistics showed that more than one in eight young couples in Vancouver are made up of people of two different races. It has truly become a Eurasian city. It has been said that it is difficult to find another example of a place like Vancouver that has radically shifted from a largely white city to a truly integrated one in less than 40 years. Another city cited after Vancouver that has been racially reshaped is London, England.

Popular and well-known Vancouver duo concert pianists Dorothy Uytengsu and Victoria Padilla recently left for Europe for a series of concerts for Philippine Embassies in Madrid, Paris and The Hague. The duo’s cultural performances will coincide with the Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Europe.

The two talented Filipina pianists are both outstanding graduates of UST. They will be hosted in Madrid by Ambassador Joseph Delano Bernardo, in Paris by Ambassador Hector K. Villaroel and in The Hague by Ambassador Romeo A. Arguelles.

Living in Vancouver means living close to Seattle, a more progressive and more cultural city. It is so easy to drive to Seattle, to enjoy the Seattle International Film Festival (May 20 — June 13).

The cine event turns 30 this year and is really the biggest international filmfest in the US and also the longest, with a clientele of over 170,000 serious moviegoers. This festival is not the shopping mall crowd. You won’t find Troy, Shrek 2 and Kill Bill in the program. For us, it is cheaper than going to Cannes, a festival that has deteriorated, gone Hollywood and political and Asian in its desperate attempt to be different to recapture the glow of its golden years.

What to expect in Seattle? Surprises! From the five I managed to see, here’s a sampling of some:

• Imelda — A well-made 84-minute documentary on the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos by Ramona S. Diaz. Mrs. Marcos goes under the microscope in this candid, often hilarious yet open-minded portrait that goes beyond the shoe collection world image. Mrs. Marcos talked and talked about her "inner beauty" concept and the audience howled with laughter.

• Anatomy of Hell — A European film that is now a landmark exploration of desire and sexual politics, starring real Italian porno star Rocco Siffredi. It’s about the relationship between women and men, and the way that both sexes highlight and make liberal the power each group wields over the other. "Hell" redefines the battlefield of desire in cinema today.

• Carandiru — A long film (148 minutes) which marks the return of Argentinian/Brazilian director Hector Babenco (Pixote, Kiss of the Spider Woman) after a long struggle with cancer. When Babenco recovered from cancer, he decided to film Carandiru, a stunning, violent prison epic and a well-meaning metaphor for contemporary Brazilian society.

• Harry and Max — An independent American film that will surely stir controversy. It is about two brothers, both teen music idols. They share an incestuous attraction for each other. It is a relationship that ignores all social norms. H&M deals with subjects that we still don’t talk about loud but these subjects were dealt without judgment or sensationalism.

Canada in general, and Vancouver and British Columbia, in particular, ranked among the most cost-competitive areas in which to conduct business, according to an international study of 121 cities in 11 countries.