TPFF Presents Nai Barghouti in Concert
Sep
27
8:00 PM20:00
Music/Theatre, 2024

TPFF Presents Nai Barghouti in Concert

Nai Barghouti makes her Canadian debut at the 17th Toronto Palestine Film Festival. Renowned for her powerful voice and deeply emotive performances, Nai Barghouti is a celebrated Palestinian singer, composer, and flautist. Her performance, dedicated to the people of Gaza, celebrates the resilience and richness of Palestinian culture.

Secure your tickets now for an unforgettable night with Nai Barghouti.

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Film Works for Palestine: 3 Days of Cinema + Solidarity
Sep
5
to Sep 7

Film Works for Palestine: 3 Days of Cinema + Solidarity

  • Innis Town Hall, U of T (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Film Works for Palestine is a three-day parallel program providing dedicated space to film workers and film lovers committed to the global struggle for Palestinian liberation.
Presented by Filmworkers for Palestine, Toronto Palestine Film Festival, Palestine Film Institute, and Film Students 4 Palestine.

Thursday, September 5, 7pm (doors 6:30)

Gaza Lives: Honouring Palestinian Artists and Writers
Please join TPFF and special guests on September 5th for a re-staging of Gaza Lives: Honouring Palestinian Artists & Writers. Our special guests from Toronto’s diverse arts community will help us share a selection of works from Palestinian artists we’ve lost - we will be reading their words, admiring their paintings and listening to music that may have inspired them. We will carry forward their aspirations to tell the stories of Gaza through their works.

Presenters include: Sofia Bogdanowicz, Deragh Campbell, Kaz Radwanzki, Helen Lee, Ibrahim Abusitta, Roula Said, Serene Husni, Amar Wala, Robyn Maynard, Emma Seligman

Click here to register (seats first come first served)

Saturday, September 7, 7pm

Searching For Solidarity (Screening)
Program

‘I Signed the Petition’ (Mahdi Fleifel, 2018) 11min

A conversation between two friends about the effectiveness and implications of publicly supporting the cultural boycott of Israel. One friend is wracked with worry having signed a petition asking Radiohead not to play Tel Aviv, the other is more sanguine. Their conversation offers a glimpse of what it is to be a Palestinian in today's world.

CR: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8150762/

‘Kings and Extras: Digging for the Palestinian Image’ (Azza El-Hassan, 2004) 64 min

The films of the PLO Media Unit were supposed to show a self-determined image of Palestinian reality – and they went missing during the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982. In a “road-movie” from Palestine to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the director Azza El-Hassan follows the contradicting and confusing clues as to the whereabouts of the lost archive. The increasingly absurd search finally leads her to a martyr’s graveyard, where the films are said to be buried and where, for obvious reasons, no one is willing to dig. While Azza’s search for lost images leads her down various dead ends, she is confronted with new clues and starts to construct her own story. The film reflects the situation in the Middle East – a failed revolution, the problematic relationship with the Arab neighbours, the question of a Palestinian identity today. Azza El-Hassan shows myths, life stories and life lies, the personal effects of defeat and loss. She even brings some humour to the tragedy of the situation – to which she simultaneously feels a sense of belonging and opposition.

CR: https://www.palestinefilminstitute.org/en/pfp/archive/kings-and-extras

Click here to register (first come first serve)

Sunday, September 8, 3pm

Palestinian Film Institute Project Showcase + Mixer and 'Development to Distribution' Panel
3pm: An industry showcase of seven works-in-progress Palestinian films, allowing Palestinian filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their feature-length documentary projects to decision-makers, festival programmers, co-producers and potential collaborators, and general audiences, providing a platform for directors and producers to engage with the global film community, attend industry events and in the long term get their films made, and seen.

4:30pm Social hour + Mixer

5:30pm [Panel] Palestinian Cinema, From Development to Distribution, with Munir Atalla (Watermelon Pictures), Hamza Ali (Watermelon Pictures), Salma Abu Ayyash (Palestine Film Institute), Razi Jafri (Independent FIlmmaker), moderated by Devika Girish. 

Click here to register

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Aug
9
6:00 PM18:00

TPFF 2024: Outdoor Screening and Souq

We’re super excited to see you at TPFF’s annual Outdoor Screening & Souq! Join us Friday, August 9 at 6:00 p.m. to browse and shop our souq vendors before the film screening at sunset. 

Here’s your ultimate guide for the screening:

Where is the screening?

Christie Pits Park is located at 750 Bloor St. W. next to the Christie TTC subway station. From Bloor Street, walk down the hill and follow the Arabic music. We are set up at the bottom of the hill next to the pavilion.

Do I need tickets?

Nope, it's free! So bring your friends and family too! Donations are greatly appreciated.

Where do I sit?

Audience members will be sitting on the hill. Bring a blanket to sit on and get cozy. If you prefer to sit on a chair, bring your own folding chair and put it at the top or bottom of the hill.

What time does the movie start?

We will start the screening around 8:30 pm when the sun has set. Come early to enjoy some food, music, our local vendors and to hang out with friends. This is a popular event so the grass will get full.

Will there be food?

Of course! Alijandro's Food Truck will be serving up delicious Mexi-Pali fusion and Kanafani Sweets and Coffee is our dessert vendor.  

What will happen before the screening?

Check out a wide selection of vendors selling a range of cool products and a kid's table that will inspire our young creatives. And there will be Arabic beats of course by DJ Sarah!

What about the weather?

It may rain in the morning, so make sure to bring a blanket if the grass is wet. Please check our social media pages for any weather alerts but we expect the event to go on as planned. Don’t let a few clouds keep you away.  

What should I wear?

Get comfy! Bring a jacket or blanket because it can be chilly at night. Feel free to wear your kuffiyehs, your tatreez or your Palestinian tees! We will have lots of those for sale!

Is the film appropriate for children?

There are some scenes with violence (not-graphic) and mild sexual content (no nudity). If you don't think your child will enjoy the drama on screen, join us for the entertainment before the film. The park also has a nice playground and there will be a kids program.

What time does the event end?

The film should wrap up around 11:00 pm. Please help us clear the park quickly by disposing of any trash you may have in the garbage cans in the park.

✨ ALSO HAPPENING AT THE OUTDOOR SCREENING….

Unveiling TPFF 2024 film program!

We will be unveiling our 2024 festival program for the first time! Get ready to hear about the incredible lineup of films and events we've planned for our 17th festival, which will run from September 25 to October 2. 

TPFF 2024 new merchandise for sale

Come on down and visit the TPFF table where you can purchase a selection of our official TPFF 2024 merchandise at a special price!  We will have our new t-shirts, tank tops, tote bags, hats and pins for sale. Many designs, colours and sizes - something for everyone. 

Back again - TPFF’s super popular 6-Tix Film Card 

TPFF’s 6-Tix Film Card was snatched up at last year’s outdoor screening - so we’re bringing this awesome deal back!  The 6-Tix Film Card provides the cardholder with six film tickets at half the price.  The six film tickets can be used at any film, in any quantity.  Note: this card is only available for purchase in person - so pick up yours at the TPFF table at the outdoor screening. 

$45.00: Early Bird price up to September 14.

$54.00: Regular price after September 14

🎬 ABOUT THE FILM: ALAM/THE FLAG 

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De1OZ7PJ5Eg] 

Alam, the Flag is a skillful examination of the fraught political awakening young Palestinians are forced to undergo growing up in 48 Palestine. TPFF 2023’s opening night film is a striking debut feature film from Firas Khoury that weaves conversations around nationalism and iconography with the universal themes of youth coming of age.

Content advisory: some non-graphic violence

🎶 Outdoor Screening Discount Code for NAI BARGHOUTI Concert

[​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G5Gkwb98lk]

Tickets to Nai Barghouti’s Canadian debut are selling super fast! Don’t miss one of Palestine’s most celebrated musical talents make her Canadian debut at TPFF 2024. This enthralling concert experience celebrates resilience, identity, and the richness of Palestinian culture. 

To celebrate our outdoor screening and the launch of the TPFF 2024 film program, TPFF is offering a special discount code for 10% off tickets - this weekend only!

DISCOUNT CODE

🗓️ Date: Friday, September 27, 2024

🕕 Time: 8:00 PM

📍 Location: Meridian Arts Centre, Toronto

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76 Years of Nakba: Then & Now
May
10
6:00 PM18:00

76 Years of Nakba: Then & Now

TPFF marks the 76th year of the Nakba with an evening of art and reflection. Marking the 7th month of the genocide, the evening’s program will reflect on the Nabka of the present and its ties to the Nakba of 1947/8.

TPFF’s commemoration event commences at 6pm with a reception in the lobby, which is then followed by artistic programming in cinema. We are then pleased to host a discussion with Dr. Ardi Imseis, one of the foremost legal experts on Palestine who will help us understand the structure of the Nakba and its impacts on generations of Palestinians. Stay tuned for complete programming details.

Register (free): https://TPFFNakba76.eventbrite.ca (first come first serve)

EVENT DETAILS: 

6:00pm: Reception (light refreshments) and collective art project

6:30pm: Program starts

PROGRAM DETAILS:

 Nakba Then & Now: Short Films Program

The Last Days of April by Laurence Buelens, Jean Forest (2021)

In the 5000-year-old Palestinian village of Battir, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, it is said that every stone contains a story. In April 1949, after a string of battles and massacres, the Israeli army reached the gates of Battir. A handful of villagers decide to use trickery to protect their home from the fate of their neighbours. 

Layl (Night) by Ahmad Saleh (2021)

The dust of war keeps the eyes sleepless. Night brings peace and sleep to all the people in the broken town. Only the eyes of the mother of the missing child stay resilient. Night must trick her into sleeping to save her soul.

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Ardi Imseis
76 years of Nakba: a structure, not an event

From 1947 to today,  Prof. Ardi Imseis will outline the legal and political structures used to perpetrate and challenge the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine. 

About the Speaker

Dr. Ardi Imseis is a leading international law scholar on Palestine. He currently is a professor at the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University. Last year, Dr. Imseis published a landmark book “The United Nations and the Question of Palestine”, which critically examines the gulf between international law and United Nations’ action. He is also a member of the legal team that represented Palestine in February before the International Court of Justice hearings into the legal consequences of the continuing Israeli occupation. Dr. Imseis frequently appears as a legal expert in the media including Al Jazeera English and CBC.

Between 2002 and 2014, he served in senior legal and policy capacities with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (in Gaza and Jerusalem), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He has provided expert testimony before various high-level bodies, including the UN Security Council and to members of the House of Lords in the UK and the French Senate. Between 2019-2021, Dr. Imseis was appointed by the United Nations to serve on a commission of inquiry on human rights violations in Yemen. Between 2008-2019, he served as editor-in-chief of the Palestine Yearbook of International Law and his scholarship has appeared in a wide array of international journals.

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TPFF 2021 FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING
Aug
13
6:30 PM18:30
Outdoor Screening

TPFF 2021 FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING | AUGUST 13 | DOORS 7 PM | @FORT YORK

PRESENTED BY TORONTO PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL
WITH TORONTO OUTDOOR PICTURE SHOW AS PART OF TOPS & FRIENDS

Over the course of Summer 2021, Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (TOPS) proudly presents TOPS & Friends, a multi-week programme of film screenings celebrating community and cinema in the great outdoors. After successfully presenting Toronto’s first in-person festival of 2020, safely and memorably, TOPS & Friends is returning once again to the walls of Fort York National Historic Site. TPFF is thrilled to guest curate the screening on August 13th with the award-winning film, Between Heaven and Earth - a fan favourite!

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH
NAJWA NAJJA
PALESTINE,LUXEMBOURG,ICELAND - 2019

Inspired by several historical events, Najwa Najjar’s third film is a modern-day road-trip drama. Nazareth –born Salma and Tamer, the son of a revolutionary killed in Beirut, have decided to divorce after five years of marriage in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. For the first time, Tamer is given a three day permit to cross the Israeli checkpoint to file for divorce in the courts of Nazareth. However, things do not go as planned when the court’s clerk refused to process the divorce after he confronts them with a secret about Tamer's father's past - an affair with an Iraqi Jewish woman in the 1950s. With only 72 hours to find the father's lover to get the documents needed to finalize the divorces before Tamer's permit expires, the couple sets out on journey that takes them between the present and the past.

 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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TPFF Instagram Live "Keep Talking About Palestine"
May
30
4:30 PM16:30
IG Live

TPFF Instagram Live "Keep Talking About Palestine"

On May 30th TPFF hosted a Live Instagram Takeover. A discussion with Palestinian activist and artist Rana Nazzal (@rananazzalh) about the ongoing struggle for freedom from the occupation in Palestine and the solidarity work being done in Canada. She will be joined by musician Maysa Daw (@maysadaw) in Haifa, Jerusalemite writer Jalal Abukhater (@jalalak_jojo), writer Yara Hawari (@yarahawari) in Ramallah, and Mohammed El-Kurd (@mohammedelkurd) from Sheikh Jarrah. In collaboration with @kuvrd and @palestinianyouthmovement.

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TPFF Instagram Live "Live From Palestine"
May
17
4:30 PM16:30
IG Live

TPFF Instagram Live "Live From Palestine"

On May 17th,2021 TPFF hosted an Instagram Takeover with @palestinianyouthmovement and @cdnarabinstitute for a discussion moderated by journalist and activist @dalya_masri, updating us on the uprisings in Palestine, refugee camps and the Canadian diaspora in response to the ongoing Nakba. She will be joined by @nouralsaqa in Gaza, writer @rabeea.eid in Haifa, Palestine & @cdnarabinstitute’s Executive Director @saltibutsweet in Toronto.

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Virtual Pals Holiday Edition: OPEN BETHLEHEM
Dec
19
to Dec 20
Virtual Pals

Virtual Pals Holiday Edition: OPEN BETHLEHEM

  • Google Calendar ICS

As we approach another holiday under lockdown, we are excited to present Virtual Pals: Holiday Edition with a special weekend-long screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary OPEN BETHLEHEM, accompanied by a live thought-provoking discussion with Leila Sansour (film director) and Mirna Barham (Director, Bethlehem Cultural Festival).

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VIRTUAL PALS: Chef Sami Tamimi
May
29
5:00 PM17:00
Virtual Pals, All Year

VIRTUAL PALS: Chef Sami Tamimi

We're celebrating the release of Chef Sami Tamimi's brand new cookbook Falastin with an exclusive cooking demonstration by Chef Tamimi in his London kitchen! Watch him demonstrate how to prepare his delicious Chicken Musakhan recipe featured in his latest cookbook. Falastin is a soulful tour of Palestinian cuisine from Ottolenghi's Executive Chef Sami Tamimi, with 120 traditional recipes contextualized by his personal narrative of the Palestine he grew up in. Order it online now at https://tinyurl.com/ya6heuc7

Follow Chef Sami Tamimi online:

Instagram: @sami_tamimi @appetite_randomhouse

Twitter: @Samitamimi@PenguinRandomCA

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NAKBA 2020: Q&A with 'TAHA' Actor-Writer Amer Hlehel
May
17
4:00 PM16:00
nakba, streaming, All Year

NAKBA 2020: Q&A with 'TAHA' Actor-Writer Amer Hlehel

TAHA - The play, written by and starring Palestinian artist Amer Hlehel عامر حليحل based on the story of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali. His poetry tells of the experience of Palestinian refugees; his story parallels the story of the Palestinians who remained in their homeland after 1948. This internationally acclaimed play is not about the tragedy of a poet, but rather about the triumph of his life.

TAHA on Facebook

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NAKBA 2020: Q&A with '1948: Creation & Catastrophe' Documentary Filmmakers Ahlam Muhtaseb & Andy Trimlett
May
15
5:30 PM17:30
nakba, streaming, All Year

NAKBA 2020: Q&A with '1948: Creation & Catastrophe' Documentary Filmmakers Ahlam Muhtaseb & Andy Trimlett

Documentary film 1948: Creation & Catastrophe followed by a Q&A with directors Ahlam Muhtaseb and Andy Trimlett. The documentary tells the story of the establishment of Israel as seen through the eyes of the people who lived it with archival footage and moving personal recollections of both Palestinians and Israelis.

1948 on Facebook

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Q&A with "3000 Night Film" and multi-award-winning Palestinian director Mai Masri
May
10
4:00 PM16:00
streaming, Virtual Pals, All Year

Q&A with "3000 Night Film" and multi-award-winning Palestinian director Mai Masri

3000 Nights Film Screening, followed by Q&A with director Mai Masri. We've partnered with our friends at Cinema Politica to provide you with an exclusive free livestream of the internationally-acclaimed film 3000 Nights. The film will stream directly on the TPFF website on Sunday at 4:00 PM sharp, followed by a Q&A with director Mai Masri. The film will be subsequently available for streaming, at any time, on Cinema Politica On Demand - a platform for social progressive films.

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