Another Story Bookshop, 315 Ave Roncesvalles, Toronto

Join The Breach’s Desmond Cole for a conversation with article contributors Sonya Fatah and Pacinthe Mattar about the new book When Genocide Wasn’t News: How Canadian media covered up the destruction of Gaza.

The sharp and searing anthology lays bare the Canadian establishment media’s complicity in the destruction of Gaza.

Published by The Breach, an award-winning independent media outlet, the collection brings together urgent investigations and analysis by leading independent journalists and advocates who set the record straight.

Date: Monday, September 29, 2025
Venue: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON
Time: 7:00 PM (Doors 6pm)

For more info about the book, visit our website: https://breachmedia.ca/when-genocide-wasnt-news/

Books will be available for purchase for $25.
This event is in partnership with Another Story Bookshop and The Breach.

Speaker bios:

Desmond Cole is an independent journalist and a senior writer with The Breach based in Toronto. His numerous works include print media, podcasts, live radio, documentary film, and his bestselling non-fiction book, The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power.

Sonya Fatah is an associate professor at the School of Journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she teaches media criticism, live journalism, and international journalism. She is the co-lead of the Canada Press Freedom Project, which documents incidents of press freedom violations in Canada and produces qualitative reports, tools, and guides on issues that impact media workers’ capacity to do their job. She has previously covered India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan for publications in the U.S. and Canada, including Global Post, The Globe and Mail, and Toronto Star.

Pacinthe Mattar is an independent journalist, writer, and producer. Born in Egypt and raised between Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E, she spent a decade at the CBC producing for national radio and television programmes. She received a National Magazine Award in 2021 for her feature essay "Objectivity Is A Privilege Afforded to White Journalists.” She was the 2022 Martin Wise Goodman Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

More Info: https://breachmedia.ca/when-genocide-wasnt-news/

Gallery, TIFF Lightbox

Before the closing screening of the festival, please gather with us in the gallery in the lobby to mark two years of genocide and 77 years of the ongoing Nakba. 

Since the start of the genocide on Gaza, more than 274 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed. TPFF will host a vigil to honour the martyred journalists of Gaza, the truth-tellers who courageously broadcasted to the world Israel’s atrocities committed against their people. Their courage, love for Gaza, and refusal to be silenced remind us that storytelling is an act of resistance. Together, we will remember them, mourn their loss, and carry their voices forward.

We honour the steadfast humanity of Palestinians in Gaza who teach life amidst the carnage, and we re-commit ourselves to continue advocating for justice for Palestinians.   

Full program will be announced shortly.

Gallery, TIFF Lightbox

From the olive tree to the key of return, Palestinian symbols carry powerful stories of identity, memory, and resistance. Co-hosted with Learn Palestine, participants in this interactive workshop for youth, will explore the meanings behind some of the most important Palestinian cultural symbols through conversation, games, art-making.

The workshop kicks off with a gallery walk, where youth will follow clues to match each symbol with its history and meaning. Together, we’ll go over the answers and dive deeper into the stories behind them. Then, we’ll test everyone’s knowledge with a lively round of a trivia game that makes learning fun and collaborative.

Finally, youth get creative by designing their own symbols that they can personalize and turn into something fun that they can wear on their clothes or hang in their room—a unique connection to Palestinian culture and identity.

Recommended ages 8+

Please message tpff.submissions@gmail.com if fees are not unaffordable. 

Petra Restaurant, Mississauga

Petra Restaurant
1100 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Mississauga

Sahtain! Take a culinary trip through Palestine's traditional breakfast cuisine and enjoy a wide array of delicious dishes with our very welcoming TPFF community. Join us on Sunday, September 28 11:00 am for our always popular Sahtain! Brunch at Petra Restaurant. Worth the trip to Mississauga! Tickets are expected to sell fast! Get your tickets as soon as possible to guarantee admission. Vegetarian friendly. Sahtain! Brunch is generously sponsored by Petra Restaurant!

Gallery, TIFF Lightbox

United in Action: Lessons for Collective Change

Campus organizing has always played a critical role in the gains achieved by broader social justice movements - in the case of Palestine, campuses have been the primary space of Palestine organizing. Last year, one student encampment at Columbia university sparked hundreds globally including in Canada that pressured complicit universities to divest from apartheid Israel. The results varied from campus to campus - but greater than that was the solidarity both on and off campus and between campus that was formed and clear message of no business as usual in a genocide. These sites were hubs of strategic organizing and community building.

This panel with share reflections from recent student organizing to explore how movements, on campuses and beyond, thrive when diverse capacities come together. From student organizing to labour solidarity, and political and media engagement, the panellists will share their experiences in their unique role, the practical limitations of their work, and how these roles intersect to amplify campaigns and sustain momentum across contexts.

The discussion will explore:

• How students, workers, and academics can collaborate effectively across spaces.

• Practical strategies for organizing, communicating, and maintaining movement momentum.

• Lessons learned from challenges, successes, and cross-sector collaboration.

By centering both the strengths and limits of each role, this panel highlights how collective action relies on networks of power and solidarity.

Panellists:

• Sara Rasikh, PhD student at U of T, community organizer

• Marianna Reis, PhD, President CUPE 3902

• D2, Student Workers of Columbia (SWC) - UAW 2710 member

• Mohammed Yassin, U of T student organizer, PYM

• Joshua Sealy-Harrington, Chair in Palestinian Human Rights in Canada, Windsor Law

Copresented with: Occupy Toronto, Tkaraonto Student Solidarity with Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement

Sara Rasikh (she/her) is a community organizer and PhD student based in Tkaronto. She was a spokesperson and organizer for the People’s Circle encampment at U of T. She has over seven years of experience in gender justice and Palestine solidarity organizing and her research at the University of Toronto focuses on anti-colonial social justice movements and transnational feminist theories.

Joshua Sealy-Harrington is an Associate Professor, Chair in Palestinian Human Rights in Canada and the Chair of Equality Law at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. Before joining Windsor Law, Joshua supported TMU Law students who were attacked for a letter in support of Palestine. Joshua also was a Law Clerk at the Federal Court and Supreme Court of Canada, as well as an Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, where he was awarded “Professor of the Year” by the student body and “Person of the Year” by the faculty association for his steadfast defence of academic and Palestinian freedom. Joshua’s research (as a doctoral student at Columbia Law School) and advocacy (as Counsel at Power Law) apply critical legal theory to questions of socio-legal identity and justice, with a particular focus on Black and Palestinian solidarity/resistance.

Marianna Reis is an organizer, researcher, and educator living in Toronto. Her doctoral research examined urban planning, infrastructure, and the materialities of settler colonialism for ‘48 Palestinians. She is the current president of CUPE 3902, which represents more than 10,000 contract academic workers at the University of Toronto.

D2, Student Workers of Columbia (SWC) - UAW 2710 member (identifying information not included for their protection)

Mohammad Yassin is an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement and an alumnus of the University of Toronto. As a student, he worked to push UofT to divest from and cut ties with institutions that propagate the genocidal Israeli regime. During OccupyUofT's encampment at the People's Circle for Palestine, he took on the role of media spokesperson and was a member of the negotiation team that met with the university's administration.

Gallery, TIFF Lightbox

This workshop co-hosted with Learn Palestine invites youth to learn about the Nakba through stories, games, and creative activities and grow their knowledge of Palestine.

The workshop begins with a gallery walk where participants explore Nakba stories around the room, followed by a lively round of trivia games to test and share knowledge. Together, we’ll draw connections between Palestine and Turtle Island, and watch a short story video clips to deepen our understanding of the impacts of settler-colonialism.

Afterwards, in small groups, participants will be assigned a Palestinian city or village and will collaborate on an interactive poster that brings its story to life. These posters will be scanned and shared so everyone has a copy to take home.

The workshop closes with a conversation on why it’s important to speak about the Nakba today, linking it to anti-Palestinian racism, human rights, and ongoing struggles for justice. Through learning, reflection, and creativity, youth will walk away with new knowledge and tools to carry these stories forward.  

Recommended ages 10+

Email tpff.submissions@gmail.com if fees are unaffordable. 

TIFF Lightbox
350 King St W, Toronto,
Gallery (Lobby)

Palestinian artist Jude Abu Zaineh and researcher at Sufra Archive Salma Serry will explore the intersections of culture, displacement, and belonging through interdisciplinary practices. Abu Zaineh will discuss how she used art, food, and technology to examine diaspora and home, while Serry will share insights from her West Asian food archive and research on power infrastructures within food systems, highlighting shared themes of cultural preservation and identity.

Abu Zaineh will tour her exhibition “The Stones Know Our Names” at TIFF Lightbox and Serry will display rare documents from her treasured archive. Join us Saturday the 27th at 12:30-2:30pm for an exciting and educational afternoon with two powerhouses. Walk-ins welcome

Bios:

Jude Abu Zaineh is a Palestinian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist-curator working across art, food, science, and technology studies. Her work develops counter-archive practices and investigates themes of culture, displacement, storytelling, diaspora, and belonging, through de-colonial and feminist perspectives. She examines ideals of home and community influenced by her childhood and upbringing in Southwest Asia. 

Abu Zaineh is the recipient of several awards including, the 2020 William and Meredith Saunderson Prizes for Emerging Artists, and was one of the first selected artists to participate in a collaborative residency with the Ontario Science Centre and MOCA Toronto (Canada). She has presented her works at Ireland Glass Biennale; Malta Society of Arts, Valletta, Malta; Cultivamos Cultura, São Luis, Portugal; Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia, Lisbon, Portugal; Centro de Cultura Digital, Mexico City, Mexico; SVA, NYC, USA; Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, USA; Forest City Gallery, London, Canada; Art Gallery of Windsor, Canada; Centre Culturel Canadien, Paris, France; Museum London, Canada; Museum of Glass, Washington, USA, and more.

Salma Serry is a doctoral researcher and cultural worker specialized in the history of food in West Asia and Egypt. She is also the curator of @Sufra_Archive, a digital archive project and social media platform dedicated to West Asian and North African food history and culture. Currently, Salma is working on a PhD in History in the University of Toronto with a specialization in Food Studies at the Culinaria Research Center. Her research projects revolve broadly around infrastructures of power and food systems. Her PhD project was recently awarded the distinguished SSHRC Doctoral Award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada, while her art projects have received the Research on the Arts grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and the Arab Council for Social Sciences (ACSS). Her research and public programming projects have been exhibited at Art Jameel (Dubai), Hayy Jameel (Jeddah), the Arab Council for Social Sciences (Beirut), the Islamic Biennial (Jeddah), and Cairo Design Week, focusing on the intersection of food history, culture, and the art.

Lee’s Palace

Textile Museum of Canada
55 Centre Ave, Toronto, ON

Discover the rich heritage of Palestinian embroidery through an exclusive collection of traditional toubs at the Textile Museum. Experience centuries-old craftsmanship, intricate tatreez patterns, and vibrant cultural stories woven into these iconic garments. Join us for an immersive journey celebrating Palestinian textile artistry and preserving cultural memory through thread.

Tour Time Slots (30 min):

• 5:00-5:30pm

• 5:45- 6:15pm

• 6:30- 7:00pm

• 7:15 - 7:45pm

Gallery, TIFF Lightbox

TWO EVENT TIMES: 6:00PM and 8:15PM

TPFF and Another Story Bookshop are thrilled to host the launch of Saeed Teebi's new book You Will Not Kill Our Imagination: A Memoir of Palestine and Writing in Dark Times on September 25, in advance of the Sept 30 publication date.

The discussion moderated by award winning author Noor Naga (If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English.)

Due to overwhelming demand - second book event with Saeed Teebi has been added! Almost all the reserved seating has been claimed for the 6pm event.  To accommodate everyone interested in joining Saeed Teebi for his book launch, TPFF along with our partners, are hosting a second event on Sept 25 at 8:15pm to ensure that everyone can join us for this special night!  Please register for the second event via our registration form.

Registration is free. Purchase an advance copy of Saeed Teebi's book at a 20% discount! Only a limited number of regular priced books available at the TIFF store during store hours.

Book signing will take place after the discussion and 30 mins before the event when doors open.

This event is in partnership with Another Story Bookshop and Simon & Shuster Canada.

SYNOPSIS
A vital, fearless memoir explores what it means to be a Palestinian in this moment, the effects of the genocide on Palestinian art and imagination, and that to even claim a belonging to the land from a country thousands of miles away is an act of subversion—a book that Omar El Akkad says “so perfectly contextualizes and humanizes so much of what has led us to this awful moment, and one that will be remembered long after.”

Imagination is a more powerful force than hope.

Acclaimed author Saeed Teebi was at work on his first novel when the attacks on Gaza began in late 2023. The violence and cruelty of the attacks, accompanied by the assent and silence of international governments, stunned many across the globe, like Teebi, into a new state of permanent horror.

What does it mean to be of the Palestinian diaspora in such a moment? What does it mean to be of a people who have sustained such a large-scale assault not only on their homeland, but their entire identity? What is the role of art, of language—of imagination—in asserting one’s identity, when that very assertion is read as an act of subversion?

In this incisive work, Teebi explores, with searing, razor-sharp prose, the effects of genocide on the bodies, minds, and imaginations—of Palestinians especially, and humanity in general.

This is at once a memoir of one family’s displacement, a scathing indictment of global complicity in the face of brutality, and a profound rumination on art and imagination as a means of defiance. It is an astonishing work of resistance by a major intellect, and it is both urgent and timeless.

SAEED TEEBI
Saeed Teebi is an award-winning writer and lawyer. His debut short story collection, Her First Palestinian, was a finalist for several awards, including the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Prize. His nonfiction has appeared in The Globe and Mail and The New Quarterly. Born in Kuwait, he resettled in the United States, then Canada. He now lives in Toronto.

NOOR NAGA

Noor Naga is an Alexandrian writer. Her verse-novel Washes, Prays (2020) won the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Arab American Book Award. Her novel If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English (2022) won the Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize, the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Arab American Book Award. She currently teaches at the University of Toronto.