What We're Watching This Weekend...

We’ll be watching films screening all throughout this weekend at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival! This year, Sitti’s excited to be co-presenting two films at the festival, “Abbas 36” and “The Silent Protest: Jerusalem 1929.” And this year, the entire festival is happening online!  

You can access the film program, movie trailers & tickets HERE. The festival will be happening between September 23-29th. Audiences around the world can enjoy this festival with films on-demand, music, poetry and dance performances, a visual art showcase, panels, exclusive merchandise and more. (We’re loving this official festival coffee mug with the beautifully designed graphic of a Palestinian Freedom Bird.)

Closing night will feature a jam session with Toronto-based singers Hala Ayyad and Murshed Khalid featuring some of our favourite Arabic songs. Hala Ayyad is a Canadian-Palestinian singer based in Toronto. She has always had a profound appreciation for Arabic music of different genres, and believes that music is truly the best form of expression no matter the dialect or genre. Murshed Khalid is a Toronto-based artist who sings mainly Sufi and Classical Arabic music among others. He’s a member of the Canadian Arabic Orchestra choir and he founded in 2019 his own music ensemble, Hikaya Project.

We’re thinking of making a weekend of it: posting up in our house, ordering some food, and snuggling on the couch with our cat as we burn through as many films and events as possible.

Here’s more about the films that Sitti will co-present:

The Silent Protest: Jerusalem 1929 tells the story of October 26, 1929 when Palestinian women launched their women's movement in Jerusalem. Approximately 300 women converged into the city from all over Palestine. They held a silent demonstration through a car convoy across the city in protest at the British High Commissioner's bias against Arabs in the Buraq uprising. 

Abbas 36 is documentary that follows the story of two Palestinian families who lived in the same home on 36 Abbas Street in Haifa. Following the Abu-Ghaida and Rafa families over a year, the film documents Nidal’s search for the house’s original owners and Dina’s efforts to return and retrieve part of her family home. This deeply personal journey examines the impacts of the Nakba and Naksa, and explores the meaning of return and belonging and the challenges of resilience and steadfastness in the homeland. 

Snag your festival tickets here.  

Also, if you’re living in the Toronto area and want to order-in for your movie night, here are some great foodie deals courtesy of the festival!