The 4th annual Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) ran from September 30th and will end this Friday on October 7th. The Film Fest ends with a special night that includes a screening of Hip Hop is Bigger Than the Occupation and a closing party to remember. Manifesto is proud to be co-presenting the documentary which dives into topics on the power of hip hop as a communicative and artistic tool, in this case, a communicative tool used by people of Palestine to express resistance. Nana Dankwa's film documents a 10-day musical journey through Palestine with acclaimed hip hop artists from the US and UK who are there to teach resistance through the arts. Staying in the heart of Balata Refugee Camp at the Yafa Cultural Center in Nablus, the group witnesses and experiences the day-to-day struggles of Palestinian life, and are the ones left inspired by the Palestinian youth they meet. The film features hip hop artists such as: Palestinian singer and MC Shadia Mansour, M1 of Dead Prez, musician, poet, playwright and political activist of English and Iraqi descent Lowkey, Mazzi of S.O.U.L. Purpose and many others.

Check out the trailer below:

The TPFF Closing Night Screening co-presented by Manifesto
When: Friday, October 7, 2011 7:00 pm
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King St. W.)
Tickets: $10/$7 Online or at the Lightbox Box Office

TPFF will close its fourth festival with a party to celebrate another successful year, recognizing our dedicated volunteers and showcasing internationally acclaimed musical talents.

The TPFF Closing Party co-hosted by Manifesto will feature performances by Shadia Mansour and Mazzi. Peep the Facebook event.
When: Friday, October 7, 2011 9:00 pm (doors)
Where: The Pilot (22 Cumberland St.)
Tickets: $10 at the door

For full program details of this year's film festival please visit their website.

For more info click Continued..

Shadia Mansour - "the First Lady of Arabic Hip Hop" represents her homeland and her people to the fullest wherever she performs. Shadia is a British born Palestinian MC renown for her natural ability to switch between rapping and singing Arabic Phrases of loss, longing, struggle and life. She is a great motivator for the youth she works with in Palestine and elsewhere, as well as the many international artists she has toured with in the US,Europe and the Middle.

Mazzi - S.O.U.L Purpose - Mazzi is a part of the hip hop group, S.O.U.L. (Sense Of Understanding Life's Purpose). He has been performing since 1995, and has performed with artists such as Eminem, G-Unit, Black Eyed Peas, Big Pun, RUN DMC, Ghostface, D12, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Faith Evans, Nina Skye, Erykah Badu and many more! In addition, Mazzi uses his musical talents and album proceeds to support many charities and social activism initiatives.

Yaseen - i-Voice - i-Voice consists of two Palestinian rappers: Yaseen and Mohammad Turk aka T.N.T. from Burj Al Barajneh refugee camp, Lebanon - only 91 km north of their unreachable homeland. i-Voice perform their very own genre: Trap (Tarab Rap), which integrates Tarab (classical Arabic music) into Hip Hop through instrumentation and choice of beats, creating an original output that naturally reflects the combination of i-Voices surrounding culture and their modern frustration.

DJ Leila P Leila P. is the co-organizer and DJ of Gayfinity Fridays, a monthly queer dance party at Naco Gallery.

Other Highlights throughout the week:
-- The TPFF Art Show features artists whose works are inspired by Palestine. Audiences can enjoy the Art Show at the AGO before and after the screenings at the theatre.
-- Director Konrad Aderer will be in attendance at his film Enemy Alien on Tuesday at 9:00pm at the AGO. The film draws parallels to the director's family experience with the Japanese internment in WW2 and the post-9/11 roundup of Muslim men in America.
-- May Shigenobu featured in the film Children of the Revolution will be in attendance on Wednesday 9:00pm at the AGO. The film is features Shigenobu's mother, who was a leader of the Japanese Red Army in the 1970s and worked with the PLO in refugee camps in Lebanon.

Please check out their final film screenings if you haven't already, and come on out for the closing, celebratory party this Friday!