Daily Star by Matthew Mosley, Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Photo: Tanya Traboulsi Antennas in the sky in Beirut, Lebanon.

BEIRUT: “We’re a growing family,” says Zeid Hamdan, describing the Lebanese underground music scene. “Audiences have been following us since the beginning and they see constant progress. They see that we’re serious about the music. Now a whole new generation of teenagers is becoming interested in what we do.”

If Hamdan gets his way, underground music will soon break into the light of mainstream media attention. One half of the defunct band Soap Kills and one third of cult rockers The New Government, Hamdan has fought to promote the alternative scene on various fronts. Now, with “The Road to Kfifane,” he is presiding over a music festival dedicated solely to Lebanese talent.

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Beirut Diaries is a documentary film by celebrated filmmaker Mai Masri.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19 20h00
Bar Populaire
6584 boul. St-Laurent
entrance: free!
(metro Beaubien)
Montreal, Quebec.

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Al Jazeera by Ahmed Habib, September 2009.

Photo: Satellites pointing to the sky in Toronto, Canada.

Moviegoers who were hoping for world class cinema at this week’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) may find themselves at the centre of a growing controversy steeped in international politics.

Considered to be one of the five most prestigious film festivals, the TIFF this year introduced the City to City programme, a new theme to its traditional programming grid, “that will explore the evolving urban experience while presenting the best documentary and fiction films from and about a selected city.”

Festival organisers say they have chosen Tel Aviv to be the focus of the inaugural edition of the programme.

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anticipating DAM’s Montreal concert we screen documentary film Slingshot Hip Hop.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th, 2009
8pm – 10pm
Off the Hook
1021 St- Catherine west
metro Peel
Montreal, Quebec

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Montreal action to call on Leonard Cohen to cancel Tel Aviv concert.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2pm
corner of St. Laurent and Marie-Anne
métro St. Laurent, bus #55
Montreal, Quebec

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Interview with Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad, by Stefan Christoff for Hour.ca

Photo: Abdel Rahman al Mozayen, “Children of the Intifada”

Celebrated Brooklyn-based Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad creates poetry remarkable for its precision and ability to cut to the heart of some of the most profound political conflicts of our time.

Her voice is shaped by Palestinian history, yet offers contemporary insights into a culture often misrepresented in the media. She builds on the work of Palestinian artists like the late Mahmoud Darwish – those who have played a key role in capturing the national voice of a Palestinian nation that remains absent from the world map, but is ubiquitous in the minds of millions around the world. Hammad’s poetry paints a full picture of the immediate conditions and historical injustices faced by the Palestinians.

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letter from The Yes Men in support of the international campaign to boycott Israel

Dear Friends at the Jerusalem Film Festival,

We regret to say that we have taken the hard decision to withdraw our film, “The Yes Men Fix the World,” from the Jerusalem Film Festival in solidarity with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (www.bdsmovement.net).

This decision does not come easily, as we realize that the festival opposes the policies of the State of Israel, and we have no wish to punish progressives who deplore the state-sponsored violence committed in their name.

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July / August 2009: screenings outside at 2035 St Laurent

Join Tadamon! for a summer film series exploring the best films of the Middle East. The Algerian revolution, the Lebanese civil war and the Palestinian struggle are the themes for this summer.

All screenings talking place at 2035 St. Laurent, near Ontario street and metro St. Laurent, all beginning at 9pm, free! Read below for the screening dates for each film. Feel free to bring your own chair or blanket! If it is raining, the film will be screened the week after at the same location.

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photo essay from Claudia Espinosa and Valerian Mazataud.

Photo: Valerian Mazataud. Opening the evening is Colin Stetson.

Excitement is building around the ongoing Artists Against Apartheid concert series, which unites ground breaking artists and musicians in Montreal in solidarity with Palestinian human rights. As part of the annual Suoni per il Popolo music festival the eighth edition of Artists Against Apartheid featured some of the most celebrated grassroots artists in Montreal.

Esmerine headlined the concert with a quartet performance that included an appearance from singer Lhasa de Sela, while saxophonist Colin Stetson opened the concert stunning the audience at La Sala Rossa with a performance that clearly outlined the reasons for the growing hype surrounding Stetson’s music. Also joining the evening was Jean the Hatchet a collaboration between violinist Sarah Neufeld of Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre, percussionist Shahzad Ismaily from New York City and Colin Stetson.

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Al Kitab (Arabic for ‘Book’), is a new book club organized by Tadamon!

Photo: James Longley. Al-Mutanabi Street in Iraq.

Al Kitab club members (six to 10 people) will meet in a comfortable place (someone’s home, a quiet café, or a room in a public library) once a month to discuss and reflect on a book.

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