Cinema for Palestine: TPFF Film Screening

November 6

6 PM - 8 PM

Join us in the DARC Microcinema on Wednesday, November 6th at 6:00 PM for a film screening of works from the Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF).

Digital Arts Resource Centre (DARC) is excited to host a screening and artist Q&A with artists from the Toronto Palestine Film Festival. We will be screening the following three original works by TPFF Film Residency artists:

De-Clutter by Rimah Jabr

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.

Stitches by Deena Alsaweer

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.

The Poem We Sang by Annie Sakkab

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.

 


About the Artists 

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.

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.

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.


Registration for this event is not required but is encouraged to guarantee your seat. DARC’s Microcinema programming is always FREE, donations are always welcome. 

About DARC's Free Events

Digital Arts Resource Centre (formerly SAW Video) is a not-for-profit, artist-run media art centre that fosters the growth and development of artists through access to equipment, training, mentorship, and programming. Our mission is to support a diverse community of media artists empowered by technology, programming and the exchange of ideas.

Our core principles are independence of expression, affordable access to all, and paying artists for their work. Digital Arts Resource Centre values diversity and actively promotes equity for all artists regardless of race, age, class, gender, sexual orientation, language, or ability.

We acknowledge that Digital Arts Resource Centre is located on land that is part of the unceded and unsurrendered Traditional Territory of the Algonquin people. We honour the Algonquin people and elders, whose ancestors have occupied this territory since time immemorial, and whose culture has nurtured and continues to nurture this land and its people.