The filmmaker Melanie Wood previews her upcoming documentary on the life and times of Foncie Pulice, the famed Vancouver street photographer, Foncie’s Corner, with Joseph Planta. The film airs BC Day, Monday, 05 August 2013 on the Knowledge Network.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Foncie Pulice was a fixture on the streets of this town from the mid-1930s through to the late 1970s. I hadn’t been born yet when he retired in 1979, but he’s one of those wonderful people whose life’s work not only chronicled this city and its times, but also a lot of the people in the process. He’d stand on a street corner in Downtown Vancouver, and with his camera, snap photos of passerby. You’d get a ticket and call on him the next day, look at the proofs and see which ones you wanted. You’d pay for it, and it would be available later on for pick up or sent to you. This was all in the day when owning a camera was rare, and certain before cellphones. Even now, how many of us have photos printed? Pulice took some 15 million photos and was known as the ‘Karsh of Concrete.’ A new documentary that airs on the Knowledge Network on BC Day, Monday, 05 August 2013, looks at the life and work of Foncie Pulice. Its producers and director Melanie Wood joins me now to preview the film, Foncie’s Corner, and talk about this remarkable life. Ms. Wood is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker, who’s made many documentaries for various networks, including the award winning School of Secrets, which aired on CBC Newsworld. There’s also an exhibit on Foncie Pulice at the Museum of Vancouver. That runs until January. Visit the great website at www.fonciescorner.knowledge.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in studio today, Melanie Wood; Ms. Wood, good morning.

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