My new documentary, Anna Kaljas: The Untold Story, premiering at the Princess Cinema Sept. 21, salutes one of Kitchener’s most outstanding citizens. But the late Anna Kaljas was not famous for extreme wealth or family status or political zingers or movie star looks.
If she sought the limelight, it was to call a journalist like Frank Etherington to give him an earful about the region’s marginalized citizens.
If she nudged the community’s movers and shakers, it was not to wheedle her way into social circles – in fact she had to borrow clothes for her trip to Ottawa to receive the prestigious Order of Canada. Instead, it was to press those at the top to do more for those at the bottom.
If she stuck her finger in bureaucrats’ eyes, it was not as an idle troublemaker but as an uncompromising force for justice.
My documentary, Anna Kaljas: The Untold Story, captures all of this plus that other Anna: the woman who was a teacher and mentor during the Second World War; the woman who led a courageous escape from Russian oppressors; the woman who was beloved by family and friends.
The woman whose mission to help others started young – and lasted a lifetime.
Anna Kaljas: The Unknown Story debuts Thursday, Sept. 21, 7:00 p.m. at the Princess Twin Cinemas, 46 King St. N., Waterloo. On opening night, $10 of each ticket sold will be donated to a grassroots housing initiative, A Better Tent City.
Visually Speaking 