TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
English
A young man from a refugee camp embarks on a perilous journey in order to fulfill his little brother’s wish: To throw his milk tooth into the sea.
Featured Cast
Wisam Al-Jafari, Raeda Ghazaleh, Yasmin Shalaldeh, Jacir Abedrabou
Canadian premiere
Awards
Cannes Film Festival, France (World Premiere)
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
82 minutes
Lina Soualem
Documentary
2023
France, Belgium, Qatar, Palestine
French, Arabic, English
Leaving her village to follow her dream of becoming an actress, Hiam Abbass also left behind her mother, grandmother and seven sisters. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to journey through the vanished places among the scattered memories of four generations of daring Palestinian women.
Featured Cast
Hiam Abbass, Um Ali, Nemat Abbass
Awards
Venice Film Festival – Giornate degli Autori 2023, 2023 Toronto Film Festival (North American Premiere) 2023 BFI London Film Festival (UK Premiere)
CREDIT: HAFEZ OMAR, HABBAR PRINTS RAMALLAH
Four days after TPFF 2023 wrapped up, the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza was launched. Over these 12 months we have witnessed unprecedented live-streamed atrocities. We have also witnessed incredible acts of resilience, heroism, innovation, compassion and solidarity. Over these 12 months, cities across the West Bank have been subjected to devastating attacks by the Israeli army and its settlers, land thefts and property damage, and mass detentions. We have also seen the people in Lebanon driven from their homes, killed and terrorized.
Before the closing screening of the festival, please gather with us in the art exhibition space to mark 1 year of genocide, 76 years of the ongoing Nakba. Through music and poetry, we will commemorate our martyrs and their legacies, 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.
All Eyes on Palestine, All Eyes on Lebanon
Performances by:
Roula Said, poet, singer, musician
Maryam Shak’a, oud player, singer
and more…
Note: Therapists will be in attendance to provide support
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
16 minutes
Rehab Nazzal
Documentary
2023
Canada, Palestine
English
"Vibrations from Gaza" is a short documentary that offers a glimpse into the resilience of Palestinian Deaf children in Gaza, who are enduring Israel’s siege and frequent military onslaught.
Toronto Premiere
Awards
San Sebastián Human Rights Film Festival, Spain, 2024, Saguenay International Short Film Festival, 2024, Numéro Zéro Film Festival, France, 2024
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
93 minutes
Mohamed Jabaly
Documentary
2023
Norway, Palestine
English
The young Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly is visiting a film festival in Tromsø in 2014, when the borders to Gaza close. He finds himself stuck in the arctic winter. Little does he know that it will be seven years before he can see his family again.While waiting for the situation to change, Mohamed’s friends back home tell him to seek asylum or get married to stay in Norway. But Mohamed refuses to give up his Palestinian identity and insists on being recognized for his work. After being denied a work permit after several appeals, despite his film Ambulance gaining international success, he decides to take his case to court backed by a growing group of supporters. As this unfolds, Mohamed lives a parallel life online, staying connected with family in Gaza. They provide solace, but when Gaza is attacked again, Mohamed experiences the pain of being separated from his loved ones and is faced with an impossible choice: if he goes back to Gaza, he may never be able to leave again and continue his work as an acclaimed film director, sharing his stories with the world.Life is Beautiful is a story of overcoming a life put on hold by international politics and rigid bureaucracy, told from the inside by a director who uses all his creativity to connect with the world and forge a way forward.
Awards
Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize in Creative Documentary, FIFDH Genève 2024 The National Lottery Audience Award, Docville 2024 Best film, international competition, One World International Human Rights Film Festival, Prague, 2024
Co-Presented by:
There has always been a longstanding exception when it come to freedom of expression and Palestine. This exception has intensified over the past year where the suppression of all forms of expression related to Palestine has played out in all settings. This panel will bring together experts to discuss the manifestation of this suppression, and their responses in the arts, activism, academia and the workplace.
Panellists:
Jackie Esmonde, partner at Cavalluzzo, is a social justice lawyer who has been representing workers facing anti-Palestinian racism in the workplace, as well as one of the lead lawyers representing University of Toronto student in the encampment injunction case. Jackie has over 20 years of experience in public interest litigation, including supporting Indigenous land defense, employment and labour rights and pay equity.
Arash Ghiassi, associate at Savard Foy LLP, is a criminal defence lawyer who is representing numerous protesters facing criminal charges over their activism. Arash is dedicated to representing people who face criminal charges at all levels of court with an anti-oppression lens, understanding that the legal system can be a place of great injustice. He has also worked at well-regarded civil liberties organizations on both sides of the US-Canada border.
Esmat Elhalaby is an Assistant Professor of Transnational History. He works principally on the intellectual history of West and South Asia. Esmat also sits on the steering committee of Hearing Palestine Initiative at the University of Toronto that supports academic freedom on campus and challenging the university’s institutional anti-Palestinian racism.
Luis Jacobis a Peruvian-born Toronto-based artist and curator whose work destabilizes conventions of viewing and invites a collision of meanings. He is also Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Toronto. He, along with other artists, have challenged the Art Gallery of Ontario’s removal of their Indigenous curator, Wanda Nanibush, for expressing support for Palestinians.
Moderator:
Leila Pourtavaf, assistant professor York University, holds a PhD from the Department of History at the University of Toronto, and was most recently a visiting assistant professor at NYU's Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Her research stands at the intersection of gender, modernity, and Middle Eastern history with a focus on Qajar Iran. Leila’s work on Palestine intersects the fields of arts, activism and academia.
Copresented: by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
53 minutes
Abdel Salam Shehada
Documentary
2008
Palestine, Gaza
To My Father is Abdel Salam Shehadah's poetic and mesmerizing homage to the studio photographers of the 1950's - 70's. Set partly in a refugee camp in Rafah, this is a remarkable look back at fifty years of Palestinian and Arab history, through photographs, reportage and the voices of photographers. A photo here is not just a photo: it brings history to life.
The film, which premiered at the second TPFF in 2009, is a deeply personal and moving film that spotlights the talent of Gaza-born director Shahadah, who has worked all over the world as a director, cameraman and journalist, and filmmaker. Shehada has been directing and producing films and programming for over 30 years - including more than 20 documentary films, which have been nominated and won awards. Shehada also worked for NHK Japan TV.
Following the screening, TPFF is honoured to host an in-person conversation with Director Shahadah, recently exiled from Gaza, about his reflections as a filmmaker from Gaza.
Director Statement by Abdal Salam Shehada
(English translation, Arabic follows)
Welcome to this special screening of our documentary film, which reflects a moving and profound journey from childhood memories through the era of war to hope for a brighter tomorrow. We are here today to witness a story that is not only told through words but experienced and felt in every detail.
In this film, we dive into the depths of childhood memories that paint us pure and clear images of innocence and hope. We explore how those beautiful moments were shaped amidst challenging circumstances and how childhood can be a refuge and inspiration in times of adversity.
We also face together the scenes of war that have altered many lives, moments interspersed with crises and difficulties. Through these narratives, we seek to see through the eyes that have witnessed the ravages of conflict and draw strength and inspiration from their resilience and hope.
However, we cannot speak of the past without keeping in mind the hope for a brighter tomorrow. This film is not just a recounting of memories and experiences; it is a powerful message about the possibility of overcoming challenges and holding on to hope. Each story told here opens a window to the potential of rebuilding and living in a better world.
We hope that you find in this film a reflection of what it means to be human in times of challenge and that hope continues to be a guiding light in our hearts, no matter the circumstances.
Thank you all for your presence and ongoing support. We hope that our film leaves a mark on your hearts, just as your stories have left a mark on this work.
With sincere appreciation,
Abdal Salam Shehada
خطاب افتتاحي
أعزائي الحضور،
أهلاً وسهلاً بكم في هذا العرض الخاص لفيلمنا الوثائقي الذي يعكس رحلة مؤثرة وعميقة من ذكريات الطفولة إلى زمن الحرب والأمل في غد مشرق. نحن هنا اليوم لنشهد قصة لا تُروى بالكلمات فقط، بل تُعاش وتُشعر بكل تفاصيلها.
في هذا الفيلم، نغوص في أعماق الذكريات الطفولية التي ترسم لنا صورًا صافية ونقية من البراءة والأمل. نكتشف كيف تشكلت تلك اللحظات الجميلة في ظل الظروف الصعبة، وكيف أن الطفولة يمكن أن تكون ملاذًا وملهمة في أوقات الشدة.
كما نواجه معًا مشاهد الحرب التي غيرت حياة الكثيرين، تلك اللحظات التي تخللتها أزمات وصعوبات. من خلال هذه الروايات، نحاول أن نرى من خلال العيون التي شهدت ويلات الصراع، ونستمد من قوتهم وأملهم إلهامًا ودرسًا عن الصمود والتحدي.
ومع ذلك، لا يمكننا الحديث عن الماضي دون أن نضع نصب أعيننا الأمل في غد مشرق. هذا الفيلم ليس مجرد سرد للذكريات والتجارب، بل هو رسالة قوية عن إمكانية التغلب على الصعاب والتمسك بالأمل. إن كل قصة تُروى هنا تفتح أمامنا نافذة على إمكانية إعادة البناء والعيش في عالم أفضل.
نأمل أن تجدوا في هذا الفيلم انعكاسًا لما يعنيه أن تكون إنسانًا في أوقات التحدي، وألا يتوقف الأمل عن كونه شعلة مضيئة في قلوبنا، مهما كانت الظروف.
شكرًا لكم جميعًا على حضوركم ودعمكم المتواصل. نتمنى أن يترك فيلمنا بصمة في قلوبكم، كما تركت قصصكم بصمة في هذا العمل.
مع خالص التقدير، ,
Co-Presented by:
Health Workers Alliance for Palestine
THIS WORKSHOP IS SOLD OUT: You can stop by session to see if there are any available spots from no-shows.
Tatreez is the art of Palestinian cross-stitch passed down through generations. It is a beautiful art form and a means of preservation of tradition. Designs vary from town to town and evolve over time. In this workshop, participants will learn the meaning of tatreez and the basics of cross-stitching symbolic motifs onto a bookmark. TPFF is proud to collaborate with Learn Palestine who will be leading the workshop. (Children under 10 years, should be accompanied by a parent).
About Learn Palestine
Learn Palestine was founded by two Palestinian teachers from Ontario to raise awareness about Palestine through interactive workshops for all ages. Learn Palestine has given workshops across Ontario and participated in educational and cultural events. Follow them: @learn_palestine
Join artist Ibrahim Abusitta for an artist talk on his work, including a tour of this exhibition at TPFF.
Biography:
Ibrahim Abusitta (he/him) is a Toronto-based visual artist with a diverse background in both photography and painting. His works intricately blend elements of colour, texture, memory, and time, inviting viewers into a contemplative space. Graduating with a BFA from OCAD University in 2013, he has since exhibited his art in space such as The Next Contemporary (Toronto, ON), Sovern (Los Angeles, CA), and Smoke the Moon (Santa Fe, NM). Notably, his contributions extend beyond the canvas; in 2020, Abusitta offered insights into BIPOC representation in commercial galleries through his writing for Canadian Art magazine. Recently, his painting ‘Head Space 33’ was chosen as the cover art for The Malahat Review, a Canadian quarterly literary magazine.
Artist Statement:
In his work, Ibrahim Abusitta explores the rich tapestry of Palestinian history and present realities. Blending personal imagery, ancestral narratives, and depictions of momentous events, he offers a multifaceted exploration of the Palestinian experience.
Central to his work is the motif of a house, symbolizing his grandparents’ home destroyed in the recent Gaza assault. This motif serves as both frame and outline, grounding viewers in the concept of home and its significance in Palestinian narratives.
Inspired by vivid hues of memory and dream-like collective consciousness, his paintings traverse past, present, and imagined futures. Through an interplay of colours and contrasting scenes, he invites viewers on a visual journey where history converges with contemporary struggles, and personal stories intertwine with broader narratives of resistance and resilience.
Amid media imagery depicting war atrocities, the artist aims to offer a nuanced perspective acknowledging complex historical layers and the enduring spirit of people seeking liberation. By highlighting significant moments recognizable to those familiar with the Palestinian cause, he strives to foster empathy, understanding, and deeper engagement with the ongoing struggle for justice and freedom.
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
14 minutes
Hayat Laban
Documentary
2023
Palestine
English
The documentary talks about the memory of photojournalist “Mahfouz Abu Turk” and the archive through which he documented the events he experienced in the city of Jerusalem and the West Bank from the first intifada in 1987 and the events that followed until the end of the nineties.
Canadian Premiere
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
88 minutes
Mohanad Yaqubi
Experimental Documentary
2022
Palestine, Belgium, Qatar
Documenting an overlooked movement of anti-imperialism between Japan and Palestine, the Tokyo Reels are collection of 20 16mm films. They were safeguarded in Tokyo by the Japanese solidarity movement with Palestine between the 1960s and 1980s. Into this stunning archive comes a reflection on the movement, known as Reel 21 – an undelivered solidarity letter written by a Japanese activist that was lost on its way to a Palestinian filmmaker. Fragments of the letter are found throughout the collection and compiled into an imagined structure that reveals itself during this powerful, meditative film.
Toronto Premiere
Learn More: R21 aka Restoring Solidarity
Co-Presented by:
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 29 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!
We are pleased to have Palestinian musician and oud player Mariam Shakaa join us for a special oud performance at the brunch. Mariam is an emerging talent who recently arrived to Toronto from Nablus to continue her studies at the University of Toronto. She has won several awards for her music including the second place in the Palestine Youth Competition of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in 2021; and the winner of the Marcel Khalifa Prize in the International Oud Competition in Lebanon 2022. Follow her at @shakaa_mariam
110 minutes
22 Directors from Gaza
Short film compilation
2024
Palestine, France, Jordan, Qatar
Arabic with English Subtitles
Launched by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, “From Ground Zero”, initiative set out to give artists and filmmakers in Gaza the opportunity to articulate their daily life under genocide through short films (fictional/ documentary/ experimental). Working closely with Gazan filmmakers, Arab and international filmmakers facilitated the development of ideas and provided artistic guidance to the filmmakers from Gaza that resulted in a compilation of 22 short films. Together, the powerful and creative short films, each 3-5 minutes long, create a work of memory to fight against oblivion and leave a trace of the ongoing war against the people of Gaza.
Canadian Premiere
Co-Presented by:
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
14 minutes
Firas Shehade
Short Experimental
2023
Austria
English
In RPGs (role-playing game), one could say that real life can be rehearsed in a superstitious manner, with supernatural beings and worlds. Since the emergence of computer processing power and video games, the third world was a source for worldbuilding and space to apply game operations. Those games are not isolated from the socio-cultural and political environment that they are developed in. On the other hand, third-world gamers, developers, streamers, and hackers managed to modify those games and apply their own hyperreality in order to rehearse their world. This project explores how Palestinian players, GTA mods, and servers are simulating real life under colonial rule. Like An Event In A Dream Dreamt By Another - Rehearsal examines Los Santos as a corollary to Palestine.
Learn More: Like An Event In A Dream Dreamt By Another - Rehearsal
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
78 minutes
Kamal Aljafari
Experimental
2024
Palestine, Germany, Qatar, Brazil, France
SCREENING WITH: Like An Event In A Dream Dreamt By Another - Rehearsal
English
Reel B75-92 shows scenes of orange-picking in Qalandia in 1957, which, according to the Hebrew description, are images of “terrorists”… They come from a collection of films and photos that were kept at the Palestine Research Centre in Beirut, until it was looted by the Israeli army during the invasion of Southern Lebanon in 1982, and transferred to the archives of the Hebrew state's army and Ministry of Defense. It was only in the 2010s that academic circles - in Tel Aviv, in particular - began to question the aims of this systematic plundering of the entire Palestinian visual memory, which became war booty in part renamed for ideological reasons: the occupying power de facto ensuring control of the captured material. In A Fidai Film, Kamal Aljafari(An Unusual Summer, VdR 2020) turns this primordial plundering against those who perpetrated it. By revitalizing these lost images through his vibrant editing process, he unleashes the subversive power of a counter-narrative that has been erased over the decades, portraying life in Palestine before and after 1948 - particularly during the British mandate of the 1920s-1930s, when the tangible signs of future spoliation, humiliation and violence were already apparent. The Palestinian filmmaker thus meditates with a unique space-time depth of field on the fate of images produced by a people doubly dispossessed, both of its land, and of its history.
Awards
Jury Prize in the Burning Lights Competition Visions du Réel
GNCR/CINÉ+ Distribution Support Prize / Renaud Victor Prize FID Marseille
Premio del Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici Italiani (SNCCI) / Menzione d’onore Giuria Giovani Pesaro Film Festival
Co-Presented by:
In-person: 5:00 PM at The Gallery, main floor of Lightbox, 350 King St. W. Toronto
Join us for a poetry reading, discussion, and musical interpretation of Khalaf Tuffaha's poetry by musician Roula Said.
Book description: It’s nearly impossible to write poetry that holds the human desire for joy and the insistent agitations of protest at the same time, but Lena Khalaf Tuffaha’s gorgeous and wide-ranging new collection Something About Living does just that.
Her poems interweave Palestine’s historic suffering, the challenges of living in this world full of violence and ill will, and the gentle delights we embrace to survive that violence. Khalaf Tuffaha’s elegant poems sing the fractured songs of Diaspora while remaining clear-eyed to the cause of the fracturing: the multinational hubris of colonialism and greed.
This collection is her witness to our collective unraveling, vowel by vowel, syllable by syllable. “Let the plural be a return of us” the speaker of “On the Thirtieth Friday We Consider Plurals” says and this plurality is our tenuous humanity and the deep need to hang on to kindness in our communities.
In these poems Khalaf Tuffaha reminds us that love isn’t an idea; it is a radical act. Especially for those who, like this poet, travel through the world vigilantly, but steadfastly remain heart first.—Adrian Matejka, author of Somebody Else Sold the World.
Lena will be signing her books after her talk. Order your book in advance via the registration at a discount $21 (tax included); or pick it up at the TIFF shop for $23.10 (plus tax).
About Lena Khalaf Tuffaha Lena Khalaf Tuffaha is a poet, essayist and translator. She is the author of Water & Salt (Red Hen), which won the 2018 Washington State Book Award, Kaan & Her Sisters (Trio House Press) finalist for the Firecracker Award, and Something About Living (UAkron, 2024), winner of the 2022 Akron Prize for Poetry. Her writing has been published in journals including Los Angeles Review of Books, the Nation, Poets.org, Protean, and Prairie Schooner; and in anthologies including The Long Devotion and We Call to the Eye and the Night. She was the translator and curator of the 2022 series “Poems from Palestine” at the Baffler magazine. She is currently curating a series on Palestinian writers for Words Without Borders entitled Against Silence.
Learn More about Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
Copresented by: Another Story Bookshop, Writers Against the War on Gaza - TO, Poetry for Palestine Toronto and Hearing Palestine Initiative U of T
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
English
Haunted by her mother’s death and recurring attacks by Israeli forces on her city, a young girl becomes obsessed with death. To distract her, her father makes a stop-motion film. However, his attempts fail and the girl finds nothing other than imagination to escape from reality.
Featured Cast
Ziad Bakri and Lana Abu Srour
Canadian Premiere
Awards
Best Short Fiction Award, Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
90 minutes
Matt Peterson and Malek Rasamny
Documentary
2019
United States
English
Profiling the American Indian reservation alongside the Palestinian refugee camp, Spaces of Exception was filmed from 2014 to 2017 in Arizona, New Mexico, New York and South Dakota as well as Lebanon and the West Bank. It is an attempt to understand the significance of the land—its memory and divisions—and the conditions for life, community and sovereignty.
Toronto Premiere
Learn More: Spaces of Exception
Co-Presented by:
SECOND SESSION ADDED AT 7PM.
From protests to weddings, dabke plays an important role in Palestinian and Arab culture - and often spontaneously breaks out at TPFF events. TPFF’s workshop, led by Leila Al-Khatib, gives aspiring dancers an opportunity to learn this traditional dance with fellow beginners. Parents are encouraged to join their kids.
More about Leila:
Leila Al-Khatib shares her passion of Palestinian culture by practicing dabkeh and tatreez. She has been practicing dabkeh for 7 years and has been part of several dabkeh groups throughout the years. She learned tatreez right here at TPFF 3 years ago and has been hooked since. Her goal in her work is to humanize Palestinians by sharing the beauty of our culture.
TPFF invites our young fans to join Malak Mattar, a world reknown artist from Gaza, for a reading of her picture book Sitti’s Bird: A Gaza Story followed by a book-making activity with graphic novellist Nadia Shammas (Squire). All children welcome (best suited for ages 12 and under).
Location: The Gallery, Lightbox (lobby)
Gaza artist Malak Mattar join us for TPFF's children program. In addition to being an internationally celebrated artist, Malak is also a children's book author: Sitti's Bird is a sensitive and heart warming story of how a little girl in Gaza finds strength and hope through her painting.
For our young TPFF fans, Malak will do a reading of Sitti's Bird and engage in discussion with the children. Following the reading, we will do a crafting project together. Malak will also be signing copies of her book - reserve an advance copy via the online registration form.
Malak is a little girl who lives in Gaza with her parents. She goes to school, plays in the ocean, and visits Sitti’s house on Fridays. One day while she is in school, bombings begin. She spends the next 50 days at home with her parents worrying and feeling scared, until one day she picks up her paintbrush .... Sitti’s Bird: A Gaza Story is a unique children’s picture book, written and illustrated by Palestinian artist, Malak Mattar. Reflecting her experiences of childhood in occupied Palestine, Malak’s story brings warmth and wonder to children as it tells of her rebirth as an artist during the 2014 airstrikes on Gaza. It is the story of a young girl whose love for her family and discovery of art help her channel her fears and overcome traumas that few of us can imagine—traumas shared by countless children in Gaza and around the world.
For Adult fans…
TPFF is proud to be hosting an art exhibition featuring Malak Mattar’s 2024 mural entitled No Words. The exhibition is in the lobby in the Lightbox, alongside the art works of Ibrahim Abusitta.
On Thursday, Sept 26 at 6:45 pm, Malak will be doing an Artist Salon with Afikra to explore her body of artworks, and the inspiration behind her world renown works.
Biography
Malak Mattar (b. 1999) is an artist from Gaza, Palestine. Self-taught, she paints expressionist faces, figures and semi-abstract designs. Malak started painting at the age of thirteen. During the 51-day Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2014 that forced her to stay inside her house, she felt a compelling need to release all her pent-up emotions. That opened up a world of self-expression for her. Mattar has produced well over 300 paintings.
Unable to leave Gaza due to the blockade, Mattar shared her colourful and bold works with the world via social media--Instagram and Facebook. On her fourteenth birthday, she was selling her work to buyers around the world. Her artwork garnered interest from galleries beyond Palestine as she has held many solo and group exhibitions in Jerusalem, France, Spain, Turkey, Costa Rica, India, England, United States.
While developing her artistic talent, Malak Mattar also excelled academically, achieving the highest GPA in the Gaza strip in 2017 in her senior year of high school and the second-highest GPA in Palestine in the year earlier. Malak recently completed an artist residency in London with An Effort, and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins in London.
Mattar has seen three aggressions on Gaza in her childhood and has been deeply touched by these tragic events. She has authored a children’s book: Sitti's bird - a story from Gaza inspired by her life story.
Malak Mattar paints in acrylic and oil on canvas. Until recently, her works featured bright colours and patterns often depicting a female subject. The motifs of those paintings range from profound feelings to dream visions and abstract concepts. Presently, Mattar’s works depict scenes and stories coming out of the genocide - the images are painted or sketched in greytones - and capture the devastation of the ongoing bombardment and impacts for forced displacement. Her latest and most ambitious work, No Words, completed February 2024, is featured at TPFF 2024 art exhibition.
TIFF Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
10 minutes
Hadi Moussally
Documentary
2023
France, Jordan, Lebanon
English
Sultana of New York is a Palestinian drag queen, performer, and artist. "Sultana’s Reign" opens with a conversation with Sultana, as she is being painted by Jordanian artist, RIDIKKULUZ. Reflecting on her journey from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, to then New York, Sultana tells of the challenges of performing drag in conservative societies, her nostalgia for the glory days and the glamour of Egyptian cinema icons, and her struggle to prove her existence and her self-expression as a performer and artist. She also shares her love of celebration and her everlasting commitment to be true to herself.
YouTube
Awards
Queer Porto - International Queer Film Festival 2024, GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival 2024, FIRE!!, Barcelona LBGT Film Festival 2024
Co-presented by:
TIFF Bell Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
English, translated Hebrew & Arabic
Letter to My Tribe started with a question: Why don’t more Jews and Israelis speak out about Palestine? Over many years my mother, who represents a more messianic perspective, and I have had numerous arguments, some recorded, some not. These form the backbone of this video essay in which Israelis and Jews, journalists, activists and a rabbi are interviewed, and in which documentation of actions on the ground, in the West Bank, are woven with more personal family histories and journeys to Iraq and to Poland.
World Premiere
Post-Screening Discussion: Reflections on Solidarity
After the screening the film’s director Yael, will joined by Mohammad Yassin (Occupy U of T) for a short discussion on solidarity with Palestinians - and will reflect on their own work as activists and they have worked to build solidary and lessons learned from their activism.
bh Yael is a Toronto based filmmaker, video and installation artist. She is Professor of Integrated Media at OCAD University, past Chair of Senate and past Assistant Dean. Yael’s films and installations have dealt with the many intersections of identity and family; it has focused on activist initiatives in Palestine/Israel, as well as apocalypse, geopolitical and environmental urgencies.
Mohammad Yassin is a Palestinian organizer with family in Gaza and a recent graduate from 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.
Learn More: Letter to My Tribe
Copresented by:
Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
Independent Jewish Voice Toronto
OCADU Arts and Social Change
This has been a very difficult time for our community as we bear witness to a live-streamed genocide and experience anti-Palestinian racism. TPFF recognizes the toll the past year has taken on our audience. We also recognize the importance of taking time to care for our long-term well-being in order to continue to support Palestinians.
TPFF in partnership with Jasmine Counseling & Psychotherapy (Palestinian-led/owned) are offering a series of mental health sessions for Arab community members. Allies may join if spaces are available. Walk-ins welcome if spaces available.
Please read the descriptions and register for the following sessions by selecting the corresponding date and time:
1. Sept 28, 12:00-12:30: Vicarious Trauma (psychoeducational workshop)
2. Sept 28, 1:00-3:00: Survivor’s Guilt + Psychological First Aid group (support session)
3. Sept 29, 3:00-3:30: Grief and Loss (psychoeducational workshop)
4. Sept 29, 4:00-6:00: Decolonizing Self-Care & Maintaining Hope (support session)
Location: Lightbox, 2nd Floor Greenroom
Additional Information regarding Group Sessions:
The first ½ hour of the group support session is allocated to mingling + ice-breaker activity. Group members are encouraged to share their feelings and experiences. The facilitators will assist attendees in delving deeper into the topic being covered.
READ THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMER BEFORE REGISTERING:
By completing this registration form, I hereby acknowledge that the group support sessions and psychoeducational workshops are purely informational, and not a replacement for mental health therapy by a licensed professional.
By completing this registration from, I agree that I understand the above information and am fully aware that if I am experiencing any mental health issues or concerns (including a mental health crisis) it is best to contact a physician or clinician who may better be able to connect me to personalized therapeutic services.
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Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge Street (North York)
Date: September 27, 2024
Time: Doors 7pm; Show 8:00 pm SHARP
Location: Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St, North York
Join us for an electrifying evening of music with the sensational Nai Barghouti 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 music seamlessly blends traditional Arabic melodies with contemporary influences, creating a captivating and unique sound that transcends borders and stirs souls.
Accompanied by her highly-acclaimed band, Nai Barghouti’s Canadian debut promises to be an enthralling experience that celebrates resilience, identity, and the richness of Palestinian culture. Entitled Unheard: an evening of grief, hope and joy, Nai’s tour is dedicated to the people of Gaza. The performance pays tribute to the beautiful souls lost, honours those who continue to dream, and expresses our collective solidarity for justice, dignity and freedom for Palestinians.
This extraordinary concert can’t be missed. Secure your tickets now for an unforgettable night with Nai Barghouti at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival.
About Nai Barghouti
Nai Barghouti is an award-winning Palestinian singer, composer, and flautist who has taken the music world by storm. Since her first concerts in Ramallah and Cairo at age 14, Nai has mesmerised audiences across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. Hailing from Jerusalem, this extraordinary artist has been celebrated as a "classical diva" and an "exceptional virtuosa," leaving an indelible mark on the global music scene.
Nai’s vocals have been described as evoking the qualities of the Arab legends, such as Umm Kulthoum and Fairouz, that have inspired Nai early in her music education. Nai’s love of the blues and jazz, classical Indian music, and Brazilian music also influence her music style and vocal techniques. In 2022, Nai debuted her critically acclaimed first album, Nai 1, a genre-defying, contemporary showcase of her musicality and vocal prowess. In 2023, she collaborated with the grammy-winning EDM artist Skrillex on their hit Xena, an electronic remix of a Palestinian folk song, which received rave reviews in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, among others.
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
22 minutes
Nour Ben Salem and Julien Menanteau
Short fiction
2023
Palestine, France
Arabic with English Subtitles
Maha, 12, is part of the last generation of Palestinian refugees from the Balata camp. Following a fainting by her blind grandfather, she imagines a crazy project: to make him believe that the wall of separation has fallen and that a return to his native land is possible. With the help of her friends from the camp, the young girl imagines a fun trip for him...
Featured Cast
Sama Idreesi, Kamel El Basha, Leen Saleh, Toleen Al Risheq, Mohammad Idreesi
Canadian Debut
Awards
Unifrance Short Film Award
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
79 minutes
Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland
Sci-Fi Documentary
2023
Palestine, United Kingdom, United States
The film Lyd (the Arabic name of Lod, a city now in Israel) is about a 5,000-year-old bustling Palestinian town that was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948, and the film Lyd is the story of that city’s rise and fall. An exploration of what it once was, and what it is now, in the context of the continuing conflicts and the war in Gaza, Lyd’s excavation of one community’s complex history offers us not only lessons but possible futures. As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion, while vivid animations envision an alternate reality where the same characters live free from the trauma of the past and the violence of the present. Using never-before-seen archival footage of the Israeli soldiers who carried out the massacre and expulsion, the personified city explains that these events were so devastating that they fractured reality, and now there are two Lyds — one occupied and one free. As the film cuts between fantastical and documentary realities, it ultimately leaves the viewer questioning what future should prevail.
Awards
Jury Award for Arab Feature-Length Documentary and FIPRESCI Award from the Film Critics Association, Amman International Film Festival 2023; Melbourne Science Fiction Film Festival 2024
Co-Presented by
TPFF and Afikra are pleased to present an artist salon featuring world reknown artist from Gaza, Malak Mattar in conversation with Khaled Malas.
Join us for a special afikra | عفكرة Salon at TPFF featuring Palestinian artist from Gaza, Malak Mattar. Malak will be joined in conversation with Khaled Malas from afikra | عفكرة. Malak will be presenting her artistic journey and sharing with the audience her inspirations and her process in creating her many works including her most recent collection in response to the genocide.
TPFF is proud to be hosting an art exhibition featuring Malak Mattar’s 2024 mural entitled No Words. The exhibition is in the lobby in the Lightbox, alongside the art works of Ibrahim Abusitta.
On Saturday, Sept 28 at 1pm, Malak will be doing a children’s program that will include her reading her picture book: Sitti's bird - a story from Gaza inspired by her life story. The books will be sold at TPFF.
Biography
Malak Mattar (b. 1999) is an artist from Gaza, Palestine. Self-taught, she paints expressionist faces, figures and semi-abstract designs. Malak started painting at the age of thirteen. During the 51-day Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2014 that forced her to stay inside her house, she felt a compelling need to release all her pent-up emotions. That opened up a world of self-expression for her. Mattar has produced well over 300 paintings.
Unable to leave Gaza due to the blockade, Mattar shared her colourful and bold works with the world via social media--Instagram and Facebook. On her fourteenth birthday, she was selling her work to buyers around the world. Her artwork garnered interest from galleries beyond Palestine as she has held many solo and group exhibitions in Jerusalem, France, Spain, Turkey, Costa Rica, India, England, United States.
While developing her artistic talent, Malak Mattar also excelled academically, achieving the highest GPA in the Gaza strip in 2017 in her senior year of high school and the second-highest GPA in Palestine in the year earlier. Malak recently completed an artist residency in London with An Effort, and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins in London.
Mattar has seen three aggressions on Gaza in her childhood and has been deeply touched by these tragic events. She has authored a children’s book: Sitti's bird - a story from Gaza inspired by her life story.
Malak Mattar paints in acrylic and oil on canvas. Until recently, her works featured bright colours and patterns often depicting a female subject. The motifs of those paintings range from profound feelings to dream visions and abstract concepts. Presently, Mattar’s works depict scenes and stories coming out of the genocide - the images are painted or sketched in greytones - and capture the devastation of the ongoing bombardment and impacts for forced displacement. Her latest and most ambitious work, No Words, completed February 2024, is featured at TPFF 2024 art exhibition.
In partnership with:
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
18 minutes
Rimah Jabr
Short Fiction
2023
Canada
English
In present-day Nablus, amidst the confines of a home masking an ant nest within its walls, Aya, a
depressed young woman, is faced with a life-changing scholarship offer to study abroad and caught
between the enticement of her dreams and the weight of potentially abandoning her lonely mother. As the discussions about the persistent acts unfold, long-suppressed emotions start to surface. Through the lens of these seemingly insignificant creatures, Aya and Lamia find a channel to express their true feelings, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of each other’s struggles and desires. “De-Clutter is a poignant exploration of the complexities of familial love, sacrifice, and the unspoken burdens we carry.
Rimah Jabr is a theatre director, playwright, screenwriter, and Ph.D. candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies at York University. She holds a master’s degree in theatre-making from RITCS in Brussels. Rimah has written and directed several plays produced in Belgium, Canada, and Palestine. She frequently collaborates with visual artists to create performances and has co-written feature films and shorts. Her short film De-Clutter (2023), developed with the support of Cinephilia Productions and produced during a residency at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF), marks her debut as a filmmaker. The film has won three awards and has been selected for various short film festivals.
Featured Cast
Amani Ibrahim & Roula Said
Canadian Premiere
Awards
Cambridge Short Film Festival 2024 (Selected) (Online festival) Edinburgh Film Awards 2024 (Winner) Brussels World Film Festival 2024 (Winner) Independent Shorts Awards February 2024 (Winner)
Co-presented by:
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
Arabic with English Subtitles
The Poem We Sang is a 20-minute, colour and black and white, experimental documentary that meditates on love and longing - the love of one's family and the longing for one's home, contemplated through overcoming the trauma of loss of family home and of forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.
Annie Sakkab, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian, is an independent filmmaker and photojournalist. She seeks long-form narrative with a focus on women’s issues, identity, and social justice. Her first short documentary Hollie’s Dress had its World Premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2020 and was created in collaboration with The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Her second short experimental documentary, The Poem We Sang examines Intergenerational trauma and post-memory in the context of Palestine.
Co-presented by:
Lightbox 350 King St W, Toronto, Cinema 2
Arabic with English Subtitles
When news breaks out that wedding dresses are banned from entering Palestine, Kareem's world is shaken up. His spunky niece, Hind, convinces him to go on a mission to disguise and smuggle the wedding dresses as conspicuous packing wrapping for shishas (hookah) into Palestine.
Their plan takes a poignant turn when a news update reveals that the trade embargo was the start of another war, leaving Kareem to rebuild not just his shop but also his sense of joy and community. With a mix of humour, cultural nuance, and a touch of bittersweet reality, this short film explores the beautiful power of human connection and the resilience of the Palestinian spirit.
Deena Alsaweer is a Fulbright Scholar with an M.A. in Film/TV from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Since leaving her career in International Logistics a decade ago, Deena has gone on to win several best screenplay awards and has worked with a range of production companies on TV, digital projects, and films for broadcasters such as TVOKids, CBC, Unis TV, Hallmark, and Bell Fibe TV1. What drives her art is being a passionate champion for underrepresented voices.
Featured Cast
Sam Awwad Marianne Laver Ivana Khadaj Hussain Dawwas
Canadian Premiere
Co-presented by:
