UNSILENCED: Anti-Palestinian Racism Shorts+
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

The Silence They Taught Us
Screening with: Other Unsilenced films

Director: Paula Sahyoun Genre: Documentary Short Year: 2025
Country: Canada Languages: English, Arabic

TPFF is proud to present three original works created by local Palestinian filmmakers. The films were developed, workshopped, filmed and produced through the 2025 TPFF Film Residency. After an exciting year-long process, TPFF presents the world premieres of these incredible films. Two of the films were produced with the financial support of the Canadian government and the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association in partnership with TPFF to explore the themes of anti-Palestinian racism. The film Exception was added to this collection to round out the understanding of the manifestation of APR, which impacts so many in our community.

Description:
The Silence They Taught Us is an autobiographical documentary short following Paula, a Palestinian-Canadian professional in Toronto, as she confronts the cost of silence in the face of anti-Palestinian racism.

Raised by a father born after the Nakba, exiled to Lebanon and Egypt before coming to Canada, Paula inherited a legacy shaped by displacement, resilience, and caution. She grew up believing that safety lay in education, professionalism, and keeping her Palestinianness private—a strategy born of survival, but one that has distanced Palestinians in the diaspora from each other and from their struggle.

The film explores the systematic suppression and backlash faced by Palestinians and their allies in Canada, revealing how an environment of fear has been cultivated to silence voices, particularly in professional spaces, with the threat of lost livelihoods weaponized against Palestinians in exchange for silence and compliance.

As violence against Palestinians escalates, Paula begins to unlearn the protectionist logic she was raised with, embracing the necessity of being loudly, visibly, and proudly Palestinian—especially in professional environments where silence has long been the norm. Both personal and political, The Silence They Taught Us is a reflection on generational protectionism and a call to action: that reclaiming voice and visibility can strengthen and unite the community in the fight for liberation.

More Info: The Young Won’t Forget