Motored by thethe non-profit organisation Toronto Arab Film, the inaugural Toronto Arab Film Festival (TAFF) will take place between 23 and 26 April in Toronto, Canada.

The film submissions have been closed and the festival's management is yet to announce the festival's line-up of the films that have been completed after 1 January 2018.

According to the TAFF's website, the festival will hold two competitive segments: for feature fiction and documentary Arab films; and the competition for short films, fiction, documentary, and experimental Arab films.

The awards will also include the Jury Award for Best Arab-Canadian Short Film and theAudience Choice Award for Best Short Film.

The brainchild of the Toronto Arab Film (TAF) organisation, the festival aims to shed light on the works by Arab and/or Arab-Canadian filmmakers.

The festival is an extension of the already existing activities of the TAF, which over the last few year has held numerous events showcasing Arab cinema to Toronto audiences.

Last year, the TAF launched their very first Layali El Cinema (The Nights of Cinema), an initiative that screens Arab films. The film screened during the inaugural event was Meryam Joobeur's short titled Brotherhood, a film that is shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film for the 2020 Oscars.

According to the organisers, the aim of TAF and the festival is "to encourage interconnectedness between Arab filmmakers in Toronto and foster filmmakers, which we endeavour to do through the Shabaka initiative, where we support emerging talents through hosting networking events and running filmmaking workshops throughout the year."

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