Four filmmakers challenge the rising threat of censorship and suppression
On Sunday, September 28, I had the pleasure of attending UNSILENCED: Anti-Palestinian Racism Shorts, which featured four short films at the TIFF Lightbox as part of the 18th iteration of the Toronto Palestinian Film Festival (TPFF). The series included Sara Balkis’ Between The Silence & The Noise, Paula Sahyoun’s The Silence They Taught Us, Rimah Jabr’s You’ve Seen it on TV, and Rodrigue Hammal’s Exception.
The films centre on anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism, as well as the censorship of Palestinian identity in mainstream media. While each short is a different genre, they all comment on the lived realities of Palestinians. These wonderfully crafted films left me to reflect on the impacts of media censorship, and take action to amplify Palestinian voices and media.
The screening began with Between the Silence & the Noise. It centres on Julia (Tracy Hawchar), a Lebanese-Canadian journalism student who cares for her grandfather, Antoine. Initially, Julia dismisses the shock on Antoine’s face as he watches bombings in Lebanon on the news. However, after her class on the Lebanese Civil War, she becomes more interested in uncovering her family’s history.
The film has a warm aesthetic with film grain, and comments on the treatment of journalists who fought to defend the rights of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians during the Lebanese Civil War. On April 1 2024, Israel passed a law banning foreign media in Palestine, forcing Palestinian journalists to cover the genocide themselves. The film speaks to the importance of having access to one’s history. (more...)
TPFF review: UNSILENCED: Anti-Palestinian Racism Shorts+
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