Toronto Palestine Film Festival 2024: Screenings and performances not to miss

The annual event was first held in 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba

Lyd, directed by Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland, will screen on Thursday at the festival. Photo: Mad Distribution Films

The Toronto Palestine Film Festival returns on Wednesday with feature films, documentaries, shorts and musical performances. The festival began in the Canadian city in 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba. Since then, it has become a celebration of Palestinian culture and identity. Here’s what's in store this year.

Nai Barghouti concert

The Palestinian singer, composer and flute player has been performing since the age of 14, earning comparisons to greats of Arabic music such as Umm Kulthum and Fairouz. A graduate of classical flute performance at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine, Barghouti is set to perform at the Meridian Arts Centre on Sunday, marking her Canadian debut.

Accompanied by her band, guests can look forward to renditions of her popular songs such as Xena and Ah Ya Helu, which promises to be a celebration of Palestinian resilience and the richness of its culture.

Art exhibition by Ibrahim Abusitta and Malak Mattar

Works by Palestinian artists Ibrahim Abusitta and Malak Mattar, both of whom have roots in Gaza, will be showcased at the exhibition space of the Lightbox in Toronto. The works on display will address the current war in Gaza, offering personal reflections by the artists, both of whom will be present to discuss their art.

Abusitta is a Palestinian-Canadian visual artist living in Toronto while Mattar is a painter, illustrator and author of children's books from Gaza. The exhibition will run until Sunday, with talks by the artists scheduled on Friday and Sunday.

Sumoud support sessions

Two counselling and psychotherapy sessions will be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Lightbox. The series hopes to offer a series of mental health sessions for Arab community members.

The sessions will be led by Palestinian-owned Jasmine Counseling and Psychotherapy and will feature workshops and sessions titled Vicarious Trauma, Survivor’s Guilt and Psychological First Aid group, Grief and Loss and Decolonising Self-Care and Maintaining Hope.

Tatreez embroidery workshop

Palestinian embroidery style tatreez has become a symbol of cultural preservation as well as resilience. At the festival, visitors can take part in a two-hour workshop, which will teach the art of Palestinian cross-stitch passed down through generations.

After learning the basics, participants will attempt to make bookmarks. The workshop will be led by Learn Palestine, a collective started by two Palestinian teachers from Ontario to raise awareness about Palestine through interactive workshops for all ages.

Film screenings

The opening film, set to screen on Wednesday, will be Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher. The British-Palestinian filmmaker’s debut feature tackles sharply poignant themes, from parental grief and guilt to finding love after loss. The film tells the story of a Palestinian schoolteacher who forms a profound connection with one of his students, Adam, as the two bond while in the throes of their individual tragedies.

The Teacher screened at this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival and won Best Narrative Feature. It also won Best International Film at Ireland’s Galway Film Fleadh.

Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland’s science fiction documentary, Lyd, will screen on Thursday. The film, which envisions an alternate reality for Lyd and Palestine, one untainted by the horrors of the Nakba, had its world premiere at last year's Amman International Film Festival, where it won Best Feature Length Arab Documentary.

Screening on Saturday will be Palestine’s entry for next year's Best International Feature at the Oscars, From Ground Zero. The film is a collection of short films produced by Gazan filmmakers as they depict the horrors endured over the past year.

The festival’s closing film, on Sunday, will be Lina Soualem's Bye Bye Tiberias. The documentary tells the story of four generations of women in Soualem’s family, including the story of her mother, the actress Hiam Abbass. The film won the London Film Festival's Best Documentary last year. It also won at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival and the Marrakech International Film Festival.