Celebrated Stories

Richmond Hill recognizes that it is the stories of our community that are among our greatest cultural assets. To celebrate these stories an initiative called Celebrated Stories was developed. The purpose of this initiative is to collect and share the stories that express Richmond Hill's unique identity and sense of place.

Celebrated Stories Projects

Richmond Hill Cultural Icons (2017)

Richmond Hill: Cultural Icons is a series of three short films that premiered at the 2017 Richmond Hill Cultural Summit. Directed by local filmmaker Sean Cisterna, each film explores the life of a Richmond Hill Cultural Icon and their relationship to their City.

Richmond Hill Digital Storytelling Project (2016)

The Richmond Hill Storytelling Workshop brought together six community members for a week of participatory workshops on storytelling, audio and video editing, and community building. Participants  gained valuable skills as they worked with trained facilitators from the North York Community House who assisted them in recording and presenting stories about their own lives. The workshop guided the participants to share their experiences as world citizens, newcomers to Canada, and Richmond Hill residents.

Richmond Hill Cultural Icons (2015)

Richmond Hill: Cultural Icons is a series of three short films that premiered at the 2015  Richmond Hill Cultural Summit. Directed by local filmmaker Sean Cisterna, each film explores the life of a Richmond Hill Cultural Icon and their relationship to their City.

Richmond Hill: Past, Present, Future (2014)

This five part short-film series entitled Richmond Hill: Past, Present and Future tells the story of Richmond Hill's history and culture from 9000 B.C. to the present day. The series was filmed by local film maker, Sean Cisterna, and premiered at the Richmond Hill Cultural Summit on March 26, 2014.  

Richmond Hill: Memories in Time (2014)   

Based on interviews conducted from 2011-2013, Richmond Hill: Memories in Time is a short film series that focuses on some of Richmond Hill's current and former residents who share their early memories of the City. This series was first screened in December 2013 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the annual Seniors' Christmas Celebration.

#RHNextGen (2014) 

#RHNextGen was a photo campaign designed to showcase the vibrant cultural life of Richmond Hill through the eyes of residents aged 13-22. Participants were asked to snap a picture that provides a glimpse into everyday life in Richmond Hill. A grand prize of a $100 Hillcrest Mall gift card was awarded to the fan-favourite photo in February 2015. 

Check out the top 5 photos: