'This is a place that has welcomed us.' Atom Egoyan on becoming Canadian
'When we came to Canada, for the first time, we had a piece of paper that said we were citizens.'
In anticipation of Canada: The Story of Us, we asked influential Canadians to share their own family histories.
For Atom Egoyan and his family, Canada is a special place – it was the first country to grant them citizenship.
"My grandparents never were citizens in Turkey, certainly, and my parents never had proper citizenship in Egypt," the filmmaker, director and producer says. "But when we came to Canada, you know, for the first time, we had a piece of paper that said we were citizens."
We all understand that it is this rare opportunity. It's not going to be easy but the reward of it all is so rich.
And that's not something the Egyptian-born Toronto resident takes for granted. "This is a place that has welcomed us and allowed us to thrive and we want to extend that to other people."
"We all understand that it is this rare opportunity. It's not going to be easy, but the reward of it all is so rich."