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DUBAI: The Toronto Arab Film Festival returns for its sixth annual edition with a diverse lineup from June 20 to 29.

“This year, we are screening over 50 films — both features and shorts — which is our largest number to date … it’s fulfilling to watch the development of the Canadian-Arab film industry in real time,” Rolla Tahir, a Sudanese filmmaker and co-founder of TAF, said.

This year’s program reflects the growing diversity and creative evolution of Arab cinema, with some well-known filmmakers participating.

“We’re seeing a notable rise in genre films, especially horror and sci-fi. For example, there’s a horror film from Tunisia and a short program dedicated entirely to sci-fi and horror,” Tahir said.

Participants this year include Lebanese filmmaker Mira Shabib with her film “Arze’” and “Back to Alexandria” by Tamer Ruggli starring Lebanese actress Nadine Labaki.

TAF has also become a valuable platform for professional development, offering networking opportunities for both emerging and established talent.

“This year, we’re introducing an informal industry meet-and-greet — a casual networking event with no structured pitches,” Tahir explained.

The event is designed to create a relaxed environment where Arab filmmakers can connect with industry professionals, ask candid questions, and introduce their projects without the pressure of formal presentations.

The festival’s mission may seem simple — to raise awareness of Arab cinema among Canadian audiences — but achieving that impact requires a deliberate strategy.

It is one that Tahir and her co-founders have refined over the years.

“Each year, we collaborate with other festivals to co-present films and expand outreach beyond Arab audiences,” she said.

For Tahir, the appeal of Arab cinema to non-Arab audiences comes naturally, thanks to the enduring quality and resilience of the work itself.

“What stands out is perseverance. Regardless of what’s happening in our countries or personal lives, Arab filmmakers continue telling their stories.”

It is that very perseverance — expressed through everything from harrowing documentaries to satirical comedies — that gives Arab filmmakers their distinct voice.

“I want people to know we’re still making films — and that we’re making different, bold, and innovative ones,” Tahir said.

DUBAI: British Lebanese actress Razane Jammal is set to release a children’s book titled “Lulu & Blu.”

The actress, famous for her roles in Netflix series “The Sandman” and “Paranormal,” took to social media on Sunday to share the news, writing: “What started as a little story I wrote seven years ago turned into a book for your little ones. I’ve poured my (heart) into this and I’m thrilled to invite you all to our first launch in Beirut.”

The launch event is scheduled to take place on June 25 at community space Minus 1 in the Lebanese capital. The actress will perform a reading of the children’s story, which tells the tale of a “vegetarian lioness, a friendly fish and their most unusual friendship,” according to the author.

Published by Turning Point Books, the story was illustrated by Sasha Haddad, a Lebanese illustrator who graduated from Cambridge School of Arts in 2014.

In the role that arguably shot her to stardom, Jammal played Lyta Hall in 2022’s “The Sandman,” based on the legendary graphic novels.

Her character dreams of her dead husband each night, slowly realizing that he is not a figment of her imagination but is hiding out in the dream world.

It is a part that Jammal managed to play truthfully with subtlety — a subtlety for which she credited her mother in a previous interview with Arab News.

“I’ve always been extra, and my mom was far more subtle than I am. I had to fine-tune myself to vibrate on her frequency, a frequency that was very sweet and very raw, and vulnerable and nurturing. I took that from her.

“I grew up having a simple, community-based life in a place where you have 500 mothers and everyone feeds you and you feel safe — even if it’s not safe at all. At the same time we went through so many traumas, from civil wars to assassinations to losing all our money in another financial crisis.”