How Much of Our Peace by Chocolate Film Is True?

Numerous friends and admirers have asked me to clarify how much of the Peace by Chocolate movie—which is based on our family's immigration to Canada—was true and how much of it was blatantly added drama.

Congratulations to all who viewed the film! You will understand what I'm referring to. The movie is actually based on real events to a degree of about 60% to 70%, with the remaining 30% or so being created for dramatic effect.

To begin with, the purpose of the film was not to create a documentary about our family because we had already written a best-selling book about the struggles our family through before moving to Canada in 2015 or 2016. The intention was actually to tell a larger story with more complexities, in addition to make it more a cinema friendly with lows and highs.

The reason behind the added tensions between the family members, especially between “Isam” and “Tareq” in the film, is because the larger percentage of immigrant families have a generational differences and different goals and approaches. Tareq and Isam in real life didn’t have fights, nor did they have extremely heated conversations inside the house, in fact, all family conversations is built on respect and faith in making the right decisions for the family.

The major drama creation in the film is Kelly, who runs another chocolate shop in town and tries to shut down the Peace by Chocolate business. This was entirely a fictional character and it added the voice of anti immigrants and those who fear on their jobs when they see lots of immigrants knocking on their doors.

I would really like to thank everyone on the movie team. From the moment I saw your auditions, I knew that you were the perfect fit for our story. Your talent, dedication, and passion brought my family's journey to life in a way that I never could have imagined. I was truly moved by the depth of emotion and authenticity that you brought to your roles, and I am so proud to have been a part of this project with you. To Hatem Ali, the legend who will never be matched, thank you. May your soul be resting in peace! Thank you for dedicating the time you spent on this planet to make the world a better place.