Rudy Buttignol has come a long way since 1955 when he and his mother were fresh off the boat from Pordenone, Italy. At the time Buttignol was only four and didn't speak a word of English. They disembarked at Pier 21 in Halifax and joined his father who had already emigrated to Canada. Soon thereafter he became, he says, "an immigrant Italian kid fending off WASP bullies in 1950s Toronto."

But those days are gone. Now Buttignol [BFA'82] calls the shots as creative head of documentaries, drama and network at TVOntario, commissioning editor of TVO's documentary series, "The View from Here", featuring independent Canadian docs, and executive producer of "Human Edge". Buttignol is also an eight-time Gemini Award winner with his own independent productions as writer, producer and director.

Since joining TVO in 1993 he's stepped back from the camera lens to nurture budding Canadian talent, he says. Now York film students hear him speak on panels, see him win prizes in TVO's annual Telefest competition and seek him out for creative direction.

But his proudest moment has nothing to do with his own 18 years as an independent documentary filmmaker. Nor does it have anything to do with his cultural leadership as founding member of the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival.

No, his proudest moment came 45 years later after stepping off that boat. Wanting to honour the immigrant experience, Buttignol tapped into Toronto's Italian community for funds to help transform the area in Halifax where many immigrants ­ including his parents ­ first set foot on Canadian soil into an immigration heritage centre. He had his parents' names inscribed on a plaque on the centre's wall of honour and arranged their flight to Halifax for the official opening ­ Canada Day, 2000.

It was a defining moment in his life, he says. "I realized my parents' move to Canada had allowed me to achieve things that would have been impossible in class-bound Europe."

photo: Nadia Molinari