Seven siblings revisit memories of "the best truck stop in town" in acclaimed doc

Watch El Toro on Saturday, October 7 at 8 p.m. CT on CBC Manitoba or stream free on CBC Gemnow.

Known as the "best truck stop in town" by its loyal customers, El Toro was a favourite in the Saint-Boniface industrial neighbourhood in the 1960s.

Located on Dawson Road, near a meat packing plant and a tannery, the family-run diner welcomed blue-collar workers from the area and truckers passing through. The siblings who worked in the restaurant remember most of the customers as regulars. They knew many of them either by name, or by their order, and say they were "ordinary, good people."

Memories like that are all that's left of El Toro today, and they are the essence of the documentary, El Toro, by Danielle Sturk airing as part of CBC's Absolutely Manitoba series on Saturday, July 10 at 7:00 p.m.

Sturk the granddaughter of the late El Toro owners wrote, directed and produced the documentary, which has garnered awards and accolades from film festivals like Hot Docs, Gimli Film Festival, and Yorkton Film Festival.

She says stories of the diner often came up at family dinners and events, and inspired her to dig deeper into its history. The result is an inventive and distinct film that breaks typical documentary conventions. Sturk pairs video re-enactments, drawings, stop animation, old photos, and audio interviews with the owners' kids who lived through El Toro's best years.

The documentary covers the storied past of El Toro, including bankruptcies, marriages, and death. But at its heart, the film is about the importance of family and community.

Watch El Toro on Saturday, October 7 at 8 p.m. CT on CBC Manitoba or stream free on CBC Gemnow.

Absolutely Manitoba is a one-hour series showcasing the best in regional documentary and performance from across the province. Each locally-produced program highlights diverse stories and dynamic musical acts, straight from Manitoban communities.