Toronto Middle Eastern and North African Film Festival
Experience riveting cinema at the Museum when our auditorium becomes the venue for the Middle Eastern and North African Film Festival, showcasing an array of eye-opening short films and documentaries.
Enjoy the red carpet and don’t miss your chance to meet the directors. The festival also includes talks, social gatherings, and a workshop — stay tuned for more details.
SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct 11, 2019
5 pm – Gathering
6 pm – Opening "Talks and Recognition"
6:40 pm – Screenings Begin
SING FOR ME: Sama Waham, Iraq, 2015, 40 minutes
A poetic documentary that contemplates belonging, heritage, and fractured diasporic identities.
Meet the Director – 15 minutes
THE TRUTH: Marcelle Aleid, Syria, 2017, 11 minutes
Secrets plague the lives of three Arab women from different backgrounds in this drama.
Meet the Director – 15 minutes
FOOLISH DECISION: Saaib Ghazi, Iraq, 2018, 25 minutes
A docu-drama exploring the decisions that have led to wars.
Meet the Director – 15 minutes
Closing – 10 minutes
Saturday, October 12, 2019
2 pm – Panel Discussion on Film and Culture, 90 minutes
4 pm – Gathering
4:30 pm – Screenings Begin
AYA: Moufida Fedhila, Tunis, 2017, 24 minutes
A film following a clever little girl and her parents as a turn in events disrupts their lives.
TOPRAK: Onur Yagiz, Turkey/France, 2017, 11 minutes
Eight-year-old Toprak translates for his parents at the hospital during his mother’s ultrasound as they find out if the twin babies are brothers or sisters.
FOG: Ali Shoorvarzi and Hosein Mahroughi, Iran, 2018, 23 minutes
A woman who washes dead bodies for a living refuses to prepare children’s bodies after the death of her own child.
SUBMARINE: Mounia Akl, Lebanon, 2016, 21 minutes
Under the imminent threat of Lebanon’s garbage crisis, one woman refuses to leave, clinging to what remains of home.
WAHDON: Fajr Yaacoub, Palestine, 2012, 15 minutes
A docu-drama about three Lebanese filmmakers during civil war.
SAFWAN MARKET: Hadi Mahood, Iraq, 2018, 25 minutes
The winner of the 2018 BBC Arabic Festival Short Documentary Award examines the fallout of a decision to demolish the city of Samawa’s largest marketplace.
TA'A MARBOUTAH: Ehab AlKhatib, Jordan, 40 minutes
“The Feminine E” is a human rights documentary exploring complications around Jordanian women’s right to give their children Jordanian nationality.