TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 09/23/09 -- Toronto Palestine Film Festival -

EVENTS:       Toronto Palestine Film Festival - Opening Night

DATE:         Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 6:30

WHERE:        Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON

From September 26 to October 2, the 2nd annual Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) will showcase 34 films, including 11 Canadian and three North American premieres, with eight directors in attendance. TPFF will also host a contemporary art exhibit, a film & food brunch and several discussion forums.

TPFF opens with the Canadian premiere of the internationally acclaimed feature film and Canadian co-production Amreeka (trailer). The film's director, Cherien Dabis, will be in attendance and conducting a Q & A with the audience after the screening.

Presenting non-stereotypical cinema, TPFF celebrates film as an art form and means of expression by presenting the extraordinary narrative of a dispossessed people living in exile and under occupation.

Other TPFF Events:

SAHTAIN! Film & Food Brunch. Sept 27, 11:00-1:00 pm, 93 HARBORD, 93 Harbord St.

Traditional Palestinian brunch with demo by chef Isam Kaisi and screening two food-themed short films.

ART EXHIBIT '09 Jewels in the Machine: New Media Works at TPFF

Sept 28 - Oct 3, 12:00pm - 7:00pm, Beaver Hall Gallery, 29 McCaul St., Exhibit Curator: Reena Katz

Innovative and provocative video, audio and visual installations by Canadian and international artists.

FORUMS '09

Not Your Harem Girl: Cinema and Stereotypes (Sept 28, 4:00-6:00 pm, William Doo Aud. 45 Willcocks St)

Cinema Politica: Film and the Art of Resistance (Sept 30, 3:30-5:30pm, Beaver Hall Gallery, 29 McCaul)

Steel for the Spirit: Palestinian Cultural Production Today (Oct 2, 3:30-5:30pm Beaver Hall Gallery)

For more information on TPFF or to schedule interviews with Cherien Dabis or other directors please see TPFF 2009 Media Kit at www.tpff.ca/media.htm.