Syria Film Festival Returns with Stories of Hope and Resilience
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, October 31, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Second Annual Syria Film Festival launches this weekend, with a new program of cinema playing every evening 4-6 November.
Building on the support of their sold-out crowds at the first Syria Film Festival (SYFF) last year, this year’s event opens at the Isabel Bader Theatre at University of Toronto Friday night before returning to the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall Saturday and Sunday.
“This year’s films continue telling stories of the Syrian people and the refugee movement,” said Festival Director Maher Azem. “But we also have films about Syrians’ new beginnings in Canada, like SYFF’s own short film Syrian Eagles, about a Toronto soccer team made entirely of newcomers.”
The world-renowned documentary After Spring is the central screening of premiere night. Produced by Jon Stewart, filmmakers Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez will attend the festival and appear on stage after the screening for a short interview.
A returning guest is Syrian-American actor Jay Abdo, whose short film Jihad in Hollywood plays Saturday night. Forced to abandon a career as a shining star of Arabic-language film and television, after the Assad regime’s 2011 crackdown, Abdo struggled to start his career from scratch in the United States.
“One of the burdens of such a successful film festival last year was that more wonderful work was submitted this year,” said Aisha Jamal of SYFF’s programming committee and director of Syrian Eagles. “It was so much harder to pare those submissions down to our program, but it’s made this year amazing. There are worse problems, after all.”
SYFF could not happen without the support of our sponsors and partners, particularly Lifeline Syria, the United Steelworkers, and the World Association for Christian Communication.
For more details about the festival lineup and to purchase tickets, visit SYFF.ca.
Twitter: @syff
Facebook: www.facebook.com/syria.film.festival
- 30 -
Media Contacts
Adam Riggio, Public Relations & Communications: 647-909-1095 / adam@syff.ca
Maher Azem, Festival Director: 647-501-1007 / maher@syff.ca
Building on the support of their sold-out crowds at the first Syria Film Festival (SYFF) last year, this year’s event opens at the Isabel Bader Theatre at University of Toronto Friday night before returning to the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall Saturday and Sunday.
“This year’s films continue telling stories of the Syrian people and the refugee movement,” said Festival Director Maher Azem. “But we also have films about Syrians’ new beginnings in Canada, like SYFF’s own short film Syrian Eagles, about a Toronto soccer team made entirely of newcomers.”
The world-renowned documentary After Spring is the central screening of premiere night. Produced by Jon Stewart, filmmakers Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez will attend the festival and appear on stage after the screening for a short interview.
A returning guest is Syrian-American actor Jay Abdo, whose short film Jihad in Hollywood plays Saturday night. Forced to abandon a career as a shining star of Arabic-language film and television, after the Assad regime’s 2011 crackdown, Abdo struggled to start his career from scratch in the United States.
“One of the burdens of such a successful film festival last year was that more wonderful work was submitted this year,” said Aisha Jamal of SYFF’s programming committee and director of Syrian Eagles. “It was so much harder to pare those submissions down to our program, but it’s made this year amazing. There are worse problems, after all.”
SYFF could not happen without the support of our sponsors and partners, particularly Lifeline Syria, the United Steelworkers, and the World Association for Christian Communication.
For more details about the festival lineup and to purchase tickets, visit SYFF.ca.
Twitter: @syff
Facebook: www.facebook.com/syria.film.festival
- 30 -
Media Contacts
Adam Riggio, Public Relations & Communications: 647-909-1095 / adam@syff.ca
Maher Azem, Festival Director: 647-501-1007 / maher@syff.ca
Maher Azem
Syria Film Festival
6479091095
email us here