7 Days, 35 Short Films, 5 Feature Films, 931 Attendees, 10 Partners, 17 Countries, 4 Q&As, 2 Panel discussions

Our festival theme this year is “Upheaval” and like the phoenix reborn after a night ablaze, our films arise from the embers of a remembered past (Memory Ignited) to snatch your imagination with the light of a sudden recognition (The First Spark). As our ancestors and guardians before us, we tend the incipient flame (Simmer) until the kindling catches. We reach the breaking point and (Engulfed) only then does the ancient bird arise anew (Phoenix Rising) to bear us aloft on the wings of a common destiny we tend together upon this land.

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Festival Tickets

In-Person Screenings

Adult 19+
C$15
Senior 65+
C$13
Student
C$10
Accessible
C$10
Self-identifying Indigenous*
Free
Pack of 3 (20% off Regular Price)**
C$36
Pack of 5 (33% off Regular Price)**
C$50

Online Screenings (Canada)

Adult 19+
C$10
Senior 65+
C$8
Student
C$8
Accessible
C$8
Self-identifying Indigenous*
Free
Early Bird Full Online Access Pass***
C$30
Full Online Access Pass
C$45
* Indigenous guests can book up to 10 tickets per screening via phone, email or in-person. No identification required.
** Valid for all film screenings, not including Opening, Awards and Industry events.
*** Expires January 27, 2024
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Short Film Bundle
Phoenix Rising

At last, a cycle of growth has come to an end, alluding to another beginning. Such is the Phoenix’s destiny. Much like this mythical creature, our protagonists in these shorts move from shame to acceptance of their desires or way of existing.

These shorts complete a cycle of growth, in a fierce blaze of hope.

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Short Film Bundle
The First Spark

Deep within emerges the first spark. It may be an idea or a dream, but the transformation has been ignited. Imagination is required to enter this state.

This series of shorts deal with ideas of escape, the glimpse of hope that first hits you when it is time to embark on a journey toward change and when you realize there is no turning back.

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Short Film Bundle
Memory Ignited

An ember from the past reignites and soars on the winds of memory to burn into the present. So too our collection of experimental shorts investigates remembrances of things passed through the glow of the present.

Archival images, clips of masterpieces, Google Street View and autobiographical truths are part of the arsenal deployed by many of these emerging and established filmmakers.

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Short Film Bundle
Simmer

As the flames come forth, the atmosphere changes. All are alert for the first blade of fire that brings about an irresistible change.

The characters in these shorts are strong and despite having to push back against social forces which command hiding and secrecy, they prevail and accept who they are, like a simmering conviction. Old rules might have to be broken.

This series of shorts deals with representations of mental health in the MENA/SWANA region and its diaspora.

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Short Film Bundle
Engulfed

As the flames gush forth, old boundaries and familiar relationships dissolve. These shorts want to challenge our interactions and disrupt the cold routine of daily life, allowing us to step outside ourselves and take on the world.

More Info
African Violet
Iran
Drama
 | 
Feature
 | 
93
 mins
All Films
Aicha
Morocco
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
21
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
Al-Sit
Sudan
Qatar
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
20
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
Asal
Canada
Documentary
 | 
Short
 | 
12
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
Ava
Iran
Germany
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
26
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
Baba
Canada
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
15
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
Bibi Amir
United States
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
13
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Blue Veil
United States
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
5
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Composing Freedom
Palestine
Netherlands
Documentary
 | 
Short
 | 
32
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
Don't Get Too Comfortable
Yemen
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
9
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Don’t Forget the Water
Canada
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
5
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Due to
Canada
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
3
 mins
Simmer
All Films
Déraciné
Canada
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
11
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
Farewell at Silver Hill
Iran
Documentary
 | 
Short
 | 
20
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
Harem
Canada
Documentary
 | 
Short
 | 
19
 mins
All Films
Irani Bag
Singapore
United Kingdom
Iran
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
8
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Jardins Paradise
Canada
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
5
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Jasmine Road
Canada
Narrative
 | 
Feature
 | 
132
 mins
In the rural western Canadian cowboy town of Red River, Mac Bagley, a recently widowed rancher in his 60s, opens his home to a fractured Syrian refugee family.
All Films
Mariam
Netherlands
Palestine
Animation
 | 
Short
 | 
5
 mins
The First Spark
All Films
Musing in the Desert
Kuwait
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
8
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Nicki
Iran
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
19
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
No Words
Yemen
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
6
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
Origami
Iran
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
14
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
Persian Blue
Canada
Iran
Documentary
 | 
Short
 | 
12
 mins
Weaving memories of the past through the ancient craft of Persian textiles.
Simmer
All Films
Refuge
Canada
Sci-fi
 | 
Short
 | 
4
 mins
The First Spark
All Films
Revolutionary Baby
United Kingdom
Morocco
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
11
 mins
Simmer
All Films
Roads of Ithriyah
Canada
Drama
 | 
Feature
 | 
75
 mins
All Films
So What If the Goats Die
Morocco
France
Sci-fi
 | 
Short
 | 
23
 mins
The First Spark
All Films
Tallahassee
United States
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
22
 mins
Simmer
All Films
Tamouzi
Lebanon
Narrative
 | 
Short
 | 
13
 mins
The First Spark
All Films
The Day I Lost Myself
Saudi Arabia
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
11
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
The Dolls Game
Iran
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
25
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
The Forbidden Strings
Iran
Afghanistan
Qatar
Documentary
 | 
Feature
 | 
72
 mins
Akbar, Soori, Mohammed and Hakim, the children of Afghan parents who fled to Iran in the 1980s, have formed a rock band. Despite the danger they will face, they dream of performing in Afghanistan.
All Films
The Lost Pen
France
Türkiye
Drama
 | 
Short
 | 
14
 mins
Engulfed
All Films
The Sailor
United States
Experimental
 | 
Short
 | 
11
 mins
Memory Ignited
All Films
The School Bell
Iran
Animation
 | 
Short
 | 
4
 mins
Phoenix Rising
All Films
Tie Your Camel and Trust in God
Canada
Documentary
 | 
Short
 | 
12
 mins
Simmer
All Films
When I’m Done Dying
Türkiye
Drama
 | 
Feature
 | 
87
 mins
In Istanbul, an aspiring rapper falls hard for an affluent DJ and engages in a relationship that soon becomes toxic.
All Films
Ziyara
France
Morocco
Belgium
Documentary
 | 
Feature
 | 
99
 mins
In Ziyara (a term that refers to a form of pilgrimage to sacred places), Bitton returns to her homeland of Morocco and searches for the traces the Jews have left behind.
All Films

Industry + Events

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2021

 Festival Sponsors

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