Toronto Arab Film Festival Programme Book

With thanks to our:

Festival funder:

Shabaka Funder:

Festival Sponsor:

land acknowledgement

The Toronto Arab Film Festival acknowledges that we live and work on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and that it is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.

We are forever grateful to be able to live and work on this land. We invite you to reflect more on this by evaluating your relationship with and contribution to the land we are on today and its peoples.

Learn more on the land you are on by visiting native-land.ca

toronto arab film board

Majd Khnouf

Cayley James

Jordan De Biasi

Connell

Mostafa Abd El Meguid

Anthony Youssef Moe Rai

toronto arab film team

Rolla Tahir Co-founder, Artistic Director

Rand Abu Fakhr Year-round Programmer

Aly Shahin Administrative Assistant

Mason Hatahet Co-founder, Executive Director

Muriel Kahwagi Year-round Programmer

Hiba Sleiman Media Coordinator

Ahmad Alhaj Festival Programmer

Azza Abbaro Web & Graphic Designer

Zeinah Kalati Festival Programmer

Karen Habib Marketing & Development

Katie

A MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Welcome to the 5th annual Toronto Arab Film Festival!

This year marks a milestone in TAF’s young but significant history — our fifth year anniversary. Since the beginning, we have been united by our love of cinema and energized by the power and bright, beautiful potential of Arab film. With each passing year, we witness the concurrent expansion of Arab cinema. Our mission to showcase Arab film becomes easier and more challenging in equal measure. Our team strives to present programming that reflects the richness of the Arab world and how it is reflected, augmented, celebrated and questioned in film.

Over the years, we have been deeply heartened to have had the opportunity to program films from countries with limited filmmaking infrastructure. We are now seeing the emergence of a cinematic landscape on the heels of those films, in some cases organically and in other cases, systematically. We continue to see a significant number of films from countries struggling in the face of injustice and economic strife, which speaks to the resilience and imagination of Arab filmmakers.

As much as we are interested in showcasing the best of Arab cinema, our team has been working to nurture local talent over the past five years. We have been lucky to witness the steady increase in ArabCanadian film submissions to the festival. All of this, as well as your support, affirm what we do. And for that, we are grateful to be able to do this meaningful work.

Thank you to our ardent supporters and communities for keeping us company on this journey of discovery and celebrating with us every year. See you at the festival!

Rolla Tahir Artistic Director Toronto Arab Film

A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Thank you so much for joining us for the 5th annual edition of the Toronto Arab Film Festival!

Dear valued audiences,

I have had the privileged position to sit on TAF’s Board of Directors since 2020. It feels like yesterday our best laid plans for our first in-person festival were thwarted by COVID-19. Despite that rocky first year Rolla Tahir and fellow co-founder Mason Hatahet, assisted by their dedicated group of volunteers, have persevered to establish a festival that is committed to nurturing a community of curious, adventurous audiences and the next generation of Arab Canadian filmmakers.

Toronto has a busy festival eco-system and TAF has managed to thrive in this rich cultural landscape. This year’s programming is a testament to their unique curatorial and community minded vision. As Toronto’s only Pan-Arab film festival TAF occupies a unique position. At once able to champion the specific and the universal with a program that consists of 41 films from 17 countries.

Whether you are able to join us in-person or will be tuning in to the online festival, on behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for joining us and for supporting TAF!

Sincerely,

Cayley James Vice-Chair Toronto Arab Film

A WELCOME MESSAGE FROM TELEFILM

Showcasing and celebrating the works of Canadian creators is at the heart of what we do at Telefilm.That is why we are proud to partner with the Toronto Arab Film Festival, to further boost our support for Canadian creatives at home and around the world.

At Telefilm, we are uniquely positioned to finance and support every stage of a film’s career, from development and production, all the way to film festivals. In this ever-evolving audiovisual landscape, we are thankful to partner with engaging festivals such as with the Toronto Arab Film Festival to bring audiences compelling stories made and told by Canadians. The diversity of our storytelling is one that puts Canada in the forefront of a global stage and is what sets us apart.

Festivals continue to play an important role in the film industry, growing the talent pool as well as promoting a communal experience for audiences to celebrate and connect with distinctive Canadian films and the talent behind them.

We encourage you to keep supporting Canadian talent in theatres and on digital platforms!

Julie Roy Executive Director and CEO Telefilm Canada

HOW TO FESTIVAL

Please visit arabfilm.ca for tickets, along with the most up-to-date schedule of screenings and events. This year, films are available in person and online. Join us in one of two ways:

attend in person

VENUES: Please refer to your ticket for your screening or event’s date, time, and location.

ALL FILM SCREENINGS: June 20 - 30

Innis Town Hall - University of Toronto

2 Sussex Avenue

TAFF 2024 OPENING SOCIAL: June 21

Pamenar Bar and Cafe

307 Augusta Avenue

PRODUCER ACCELERATOR: June 23

Center for Social Innovation

720 Bathurst Street

AWARDS + CLOSING FESTIVAL EVENT: June 30

The Royal Lounge

720 Spadina Avenue

watch online

Tickets at: arabfilm.ca

Films are available on demand fromThursday, June 20 @6PM until Sunday, June 30 @11:59 PM

Due to geoblocking, virtual films are only made available in Ontario. Before purchasing tickets for virtual screenings, please check the location restrictions for the film you would like to see.

2024 festival schedule

All film screenings at Innis Town Hall - U of T 2 Sussex Avenue, M5S 1J5

THURSDAY, JUNE 20

7 PM - FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: Better (screened with the short doc, First Sky)

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

7 PM - FEATURE: Goodbye Julia

9 PM @ Pamenar: Toronto Arab Film Festival Social

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

7 PM - SHORTS PROGRAMME 1 “Conditional Desires” Conditional Desire I Never Promised You A Jasmine Garden The Old Days The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry VHS Tape Replaced Sixty Egyptian Pounds

SUNDAY, JUNE 23

7 PM - FEATURE: Valley of Exile J

THURSDAY, JUNE 27

7 PM - SHORTS PROGRAMME 2 “At Any Cost” A Beautiful Excuse for a Deadly Sin Bottles No Key Ahmed Anxiety

FRIDAY, JUNE 28

7 PM - FEATURE: Six Feet Over

SATURDAY, JUNE 29

1 PM - FEATURE: A Toi Jeddi

4 PM - FEATURE: The Tedious Tour of Mr M

SUNDAY, JUNE 30

7 PM - FEATURE: Mandoob

9 PM @ The Royal : Awards Announcement and Closing Festival Event

VIRTUAL FILMS: Available online in Canada June 20-30 arabfilm.ca

Virual Feature Films

All Roads Lead to More Light Upon Light Mora is Here Tadur Take My Breath

The Factory

The Last Queen

The Soil And the Sea

Virutal Shorts And if Not Now When I Never Promised You A Jasmine Garden

“De-liberation” Shorts Programme Beneath a Mother’s Feet What Else Grows On The Palm Of Your Hand?

A Dog, A Stone On the Sidelines

“Reframing” Shorts Programme Six Months

Suspended at Dawn The Poem We Sang Locus Cordis

The Battle of Empty Stomachs

TAF WORKSHOP: Details at arabfilm.ca and on page 26

PRODUCER ACCELERATOR

Sunday June 23, 10AM @ Center for Social Innovation

BETTER

dir. Kamal Ourahou

France, Morocco (92 mins) Documentary

Thursday, June 20 - 7 PM @ Innis Town Hall

Between 2009 and 2011, I filmed and edited Nassim Lachhab’s very first skateboarding videos in Rabat, Morocco. In 2020, after having lived in France and Spain, Nassim became the first Moroccan and African professional skater in history. Ever since then, I kept wondering: What had it been like for Nassim to rise to the forefront of the international skate scene, all the while wrestling with the challenges of immigration? In what way did his groundbreaking trajectory resonate with the current state of Morocco’s skateboarding scene? - Kamal Ourahou

*Will be screened with the documentary short “First Sky”

FIRST SKY

dir. Lena Naassana

Egypt (19 mins) Social

A young skater from Alexandria receives a Super 8 camera from his older brother who has recently emigrated. Over the course of a long summer by the sea, he begins to use the camera in the hopes of reconnecting with his brother. Meanwhile, he finds himself compelled to assert his relationship to the skate community.

in-person feature

GOODBYE JULIA

dir. Mohamed Kordofani

Sudan (116 mins) Drama

Friday, June 21 - 7 PM @ Innis Town Hall

Wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, Mona — a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage — tries to make amends by taking in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow, Julia, and her son, Daniel, into her home. Unable to confess her transgressions to Julia, Mona decides to leave the past behind and adjust to a new status quo, unaware that the country’s turmoil may find its way into her home and put her face to face with her sins.

in-person feature

VALLEY OF EXILE

dir. Anna Fahr

Canada (107 mins) Drama, Social, Political Sunday, June 23, 7 PM @ Innis Town Hall

Set in the early years of the Syrian war, Valley of Exile chronicles the journey of Rima and Nour, two sisters who find unexpected refuge in a makeshift settlement in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley after fleeing war-torn Damascus. Older sister Rima, who is eight months pregnant, is set on reuniting with her husband and rebuilding their lives in Lebanon, while younger sister Nour is determined to find their missing brother and eventually returns home to Syria. In the camp, the sisters forge alliances with other women who are similarly forced to live without the support of family they’ve lost to the war. This propels them onto separate paths. But as days in the camp turn to weeks, Rima and Nour begin to realize that their exile is not only a struggle for survival, but ultimately a test of loyalty to their country, their family and each other.

in-person feature

SIX FEET OVER

dir. Karim Bensalah

France, Algeria (96 mins) Drama, Fiction

Friday, June 28, 7 PM @ Innis Town Hall

Sofiane, the son of a former Algerian diplomat, has travelled a lot. Having moved to Lyon for his studies, he is the victim of an administrative decision and lives under constant threat of deportation. In the hope of regularising his situation, he agrees to work for a Muslim funeral parlour. Between parties, encounters and his job, Sofiane finds himself on a journey of initiation that will lead him to build his own identity and gradually move towards adulthood.

in-person feature

A TOI JEDDI

dir. Sara Ben-saud

Canada (61mins) Documentary

Saturday, June 29, 1 PM @ Innis Town Hall

After discovering the memoirs of her Libyan grandfather, Sara decides to

THE TEDIOUS TOUR OF MR. M

dir. Hend Bakr

Egypt (79 mins) Documentary

Saturday, June 29, 4 PM @ Innis Town Hall

A peanut street vendor who became a star of Egyptian literature in the 60s comes back to his hometown and cocoons for thirty years.

in-person feature

MANDOOB

dir. Ali Kalthami

Saudi Arabia (110 mins) Drama, Fiction

Sunday, June 30, 7 PM @ Innis Town Hall

An overworked delivery app driver in Riyadh tries to branch out into bootlegging, in Ali Kalthami’s dark comedic feature debut set in the rarely seen, ultra-modern world of Saudi nightlife.

in-person shorts 1: “conditional desires”

Saturday, June 22 @ Innis Town Hall, 7-9 PM

CONDITIONAL DESIRE

dir. Houcem Slouli

Tunisia (15 mins) Social

In a conformist society, Ahmed and Salma, marry for convenience to pursue their passions with secret lovers. “Conditional Desire” delves into identity, love, and authenticity amid societal constraints.

I NEVER PROMISED YOU

A JASMINE GARDEN

dir. Teyama Alkamli

Canada (20 mins) Drama, Queer

Tara, a queer Palestinian woman in her late 20s, attempts to suppress her internal emotional turbulence during a phone call with her best friend Sarab, with whom she is in love.

THE OLD DAYS

dir. Hassib Hani

Canada (7 mins) Drama, Romance

Hadi finds himself an unexpected guest at Adam’s engagement party decades since they last spoke, and at last come face-to-face with the events that tore them apart.

THE RED SEA MAKES ME WANNA CRY

dir. Faris Alrjoob

Jordan (21 mins) Fiction, Drama

A haunted woman named Ida journeys from Germany to Jordan, to an eerie and deserted port town on the Red Sea where her partner, Ismail, recently disappeared. Wandering through desolate bars, hotels, and offices, Ida attempts to feel Ismail’s presence one last time and to say goodbye.

VHS TAPE REPLACED

dir. Maha Al-Saati

Saudi Arabia (17 mins) Documentary

In 1987, a young Saudi man tries to impress the girl of his dreams by recording a tape of himself mimicking her favorite pop artist.

SIXTY EGYPTIAN POUNDS

dir. Amr Salama

Egypt (18 mins) Thriller

Aspiring rapper Ziad and his family have long suffered at the hands of his abusive father. However, when tensions reach a boiling point, Ziad takes it upon himself to end his family’s suffering once and for all.

in-person shorts 2: “at any cost”

Thursday, June 27 @ Innis Town Hall, 7-9 PM

A BEAUTIFUL EXCUSE FOR A DEADLY SIN

dir. Hashim Sharaf

Bahrain (16 mins) Drama, Comedy

A young man tries to escalate a horse up the narrow stairs of the building to live with him in his apartment, but the building residents object to his path.

BOTTLES

dir. Yassine EL Idrissi

Morocco, Italy (18 mins) Fiction, Social

In the old Medina of Rabat, 13 year old Said finds keeping the dog he rescued conflicts with his family, friends and religious tradition.

NO KEY

dir. Walid Messnaoui

Lebanon (22 mins) Thriller, Immigration

In his desperate hunt for a way out of his gloomy existence on the rough streets of Casablanca, a young burglar named Amine discovers a sealed jewelry box that represents his ticket to a brighter future in Europe. However, when other gangs find out what’s in his possession, he must brave their treacherous terrain and face his own demons to keep his dream alive.

AHMED

dir. Rame Ibrahim

Canada (8 mins) Drama, Immigration

Two immigrant parents meet at their son’s Ahmed school to discuss his misbehaviour with the principal just to find out that they are inviting them to talk about their journey from their home countries.

ANXIETY

dir. Alshafee Abby

Germany (22 mins) Drama, Refugees

A young refugee struggles with learning German while at the mercy of an inhumane bureaucratic system. After receiving an overwhelming communications from the German authorities it triggers fears and terrible memories of war. Reality an imagination plug, raising questions of what is “real” and what is “fiction” in his everyday life.

virtual features

Available Thursday, June 20, 7PM - Sunday June 30, 11:59PM

(arabfilm.ca - In Ontario only)

ALL ROADS LEAD TO MORE

dir. Afraa Batous

Germany (78 mins) Documentary, Immigration

To cope with the daily trauma of a lost home, Syrian filmmaker Afraa Batous films her friends as they plan to embark on their first road trip ever. Rahaf, Sara, Rawa and Afraa know the feeling of losing ground beneath one’s feet well; it’s been eight years since their homes in Syria were blown into pieces. Afraa invites them to join her for a trip through Europe, determined to document their experiences. To fight back against how life has unfolded for them, she focuses her attention on their happiness, dreams and fears.

LIGHT UPON LIGHT

dir. Christian Suhr

Egypt (78 mins) Social, Documentary

A philosophical field trip that journeys from Cairo, along the Nile and into the desert in search for what light means as a religious concept in postrevolutionary Egypt.

virtual features

Available Thursday, June 20, 7PM - Sunday June 30, 11:59PM

(arabfilm.ca - In Ontario only)

MORA IS HERE

dir. Khalid Zairi

Morocco (87 mins) Documentary, History

Since the 1950s, the management of Charbonnages de France has called on Félix Mora, a recruiter and former Indigenous Affairs officer in the French army based in Morocco. For twenty years, Mora brought more than 70,000 people from southern Morocco to France to work in the mines of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Mora is Here shows the stories of former Moroccan miners and explores their little-known history. The film highlights poignant stories of the fight against discrimination, physical dangers and socio-economic precarity. Painting a complex picture of the resilience and courage of the miners in the face of the intense challenges they experienced.

TADUR

dir. Jad Andari

Lebanon (50 mins) Experimental

A young farmer on the outskirts of a mountain village wastes away with gangsters and prostitutes who lurk in the forest.

virtual features

Available Thursday, June 20, 7PM - Sunday June 30, 11:59PM

(arabfilm.ca - In Ontario only)

TAKE MY BREATH

dir. Nada Mezni Hafaiedh

Tunisia (95 mins) Drama, Identity, Queer

When Shams’ intersex identity is exposed, the young seamstress’ tranquil life unravels. Engaged in a steamy love triangle and targeted by an obsessive attacker, they escape to the capital city. Taking refuge with their lover’s mystic cousin, they grapple with their complex sense of self. This evocative tale explores the clash between desire and identity.

THE FACTORY

dir. Yanal Mansour

Syria (46 mins) Social, Political, Documentary

The Factory is a feature documentary that explores events experienced by the firefighter Captain Maher. Who volunteers in schools and teaches a subject he simply calls “public safety.” His lessons offer his young students insight into how to survive the mistakes caused by war and environmental disasters.

virtual features

Available Thursday, June 20, 7PM - Sunday June 30, 11:59PM

(arabfilm.ca - In Ontario only)

THE LAST QUEEN

dir. Damien Ounouri, Adila Bendimerad

Algeria (110 mins) Thriller, Drama

Legend has it that in 1516, the king of Algiers had a wife named Zaphira. When the pirate Aroudj Barbarossa arrives to liberate the city from the Spaniards, he is determined to conquer Zaphira as well as the kingdom itself. But is Zaphira willing to let him, or is she plotting for herself?

THE SOIL AND THE SEA

dir. Daniele Rugo

Lebanon (74 mins) Documentary, Political

In Lebanon there are more than 100 untouched mass graves dating back to the Civil War. Thousands of families await the return of their missing relatives in the hopes of being able to lay them to rest. The Soil and the Sea unveils the violence lying beneath a garden, a school, a cafe, a hotel, and other unremarkable landscapes. As the camera interrogates these everyday spaces, voices fill them with erased stories.

AND IF NOT NOW WHEN

dir. Guy De Troyer

Belgium, Morocco (28 mins) Documentary In 1940 Marrakech was home to 25, 000 Jews. But today only about 100 remain. This essay film takes an intimate journey into the world of Paulette, one of the last remaining Jews who decided to stay and asks the universal question: where do you feel at home?

virutal shorts1: “de-liberaion”

Available Thursday, June 20, 7PM - Sunday June 30, 11:59PM (arabfilm.ca - In Ontario only)

BENEATH A MOTHER’S FEET

dir. Elias Suhail

U.K. (15 mins) Drama, Experimental

In a quiet coastal town in southern Morocco, Wedad, a young mother burdened by the weight of motherhood and family duty, moves through her days with quiet resilience yearning for something beyond the confines of her existence.

WHAT ELSE GROWS ON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND

dir. Dhiaa Biya

Belgium (16 mins) Experimental

In a poetic unfolding, the routines of two women fuse together as their similar gestures get repeated over time. Eventually, the bond between them unravels the motherly love that unites them.

A DOG, A STONE

dir. Asma Laajimi

Tunisia (13 mins) Social Issues, Women-centric One night in Tunis. Mariem, a sex worker, tries to reach Dali. Her unrest grows when she fears he will break the promise to give her a double mattress.

ON THE SIDELINES

dir. Kahina Ben Amar

France (20 mins) Drama, Coming-of-age Amra recently left her family to make her professional football debut. But her grandparents who raised her aren’t young anymore, and she isn’t sure her younger sister is trustworthy. Worried, she comes back to her family for a weekend.

virtual shorts 2: “reframing”

Available Thursday, June 20, 7PM - Sunday June 30, 11:59PM

(arabfilm.ca - In Ontario only)

SIX MONTHS

dir. Robin Riad

Canada (2 mins) Experimental

A critique of alcohol within a North American cultural context through societal pressure and mass marketing. This short challenges notions of perfection in maintaining sobriety and the stigma surrounding relapse.

SUSPENDED DAWN

dir. Essa Grayeb

Palestine (19 mins) History, Archival

A poetic archeological excavation of Egypt’s golden age, this video essay is divided into chapters featuring digital manipulations overlaying footage from Chahine’s film and sounds...

THE POEM WE SANG

dir. Annie Sakkab

Palestine, Canada (20 mins)

Documentary, Experimental Meditating on love and longing, this short is at once deeply personal and fiercely nostalgic. It is a tribute to the filmmaker’s uncle Elias and family, and an ode to their lost family home in Palestine.

LOCUS CORDIS

dir. Alhasan Yousef

Syria (19 mins) Family, Political Occupied by Israel in 1967, the Syrian Golan has a military border running through it, which families “cross” by shouting to their loved ones. From his European exile, anxiety-ridden Alhasan Yousef attempts to break free from his inner isolation with this exploration of the power of sound, in an effort to reconnect with his lost country from afar.

THE BATTLE OF EMPTY STOMACHS

dir. Rame Ibrahim

Netherlands, Palestine (23 mins) Political

A group of actors from the diaspora walk toward their refuge wearing their food and culture. It’s a challenging walk full of obstacles. Exodus happens forcibly. Exodus happens near the invisible. Exodus happens when the masses migrate. Trends happen when the masses adopt an observed fashion. But what happens when the fashion walk is unattended?

shabaka

PRODUCER ACCELERATOR

Speakers and Panelists to be announced Sunday, June 23, 2024 10 AM - 6:30 PM Centre for Social Innovation - Annex, 720 Bathurst Street

Join us for a day of immersive learning and networking at the Toronto Arab Film’s exclusive industry event, tailored specifically for directors and producers. Dive into insightful panels, engage in hands-on workshops, and connect with like-minded professionals at our networking socials. Elevate your craft, expand your network, and unlock new opportunities in the vibrant world of Arab cinema in Canada and beyond.

Panels Topics: Feature Film Funding in Canada, Producer Development in Canada and Beyond & Impact Producing and the Power of Community.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Speakers include: Christina Piovesan, Shonna Foster and Sholeh Fabbri. *Full list of speakers and panelists will be announced soon.

With thanks to our:

Community Partner Venue Sponsor

ways to support + contact

There are many ways to support the festival and get involved and we are always happy to hear from anyone interested in partnering or collaborating in any way.

Become a sponsor or advertise with us. For detailed information on sponsorship and advertising opportunities, please reach out to us at: development@arabfilm.ca

Donate, volunteer or simply help us spread the word about the festival and the organization’s year round activities.

You can donate via arabfilm.ca

To volunteer, let us know at info@arabfilm.ca

By spreading the word about the festival, you play a crucial role in building awareness and fostering a wider community of film enthusiasts and supporters.

Connect with as @Torontoarabfilm across all social platforms.