THE 4TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PEACE FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 21-25, 2022
Toronto, Canada
www.internationalpeacefestival.com
www.filmforpeace.org
The INTERNATIONAL PEACE FESTIVAL (IPF) returns to Toronto in September 2022 for its 4th edition — 5 days of diverse and innovative perspectives on peace as promoted through the arts, music, and international and Canadian cinema, special events featuring some of the biggest names in film, music, painting, sculpture, and photography and IPF’s Cultural Exchange & Industry Expo, offering IPF’s partners, sponsors, and endorsers the opportunity to showcase their products, services and communicate their key message to festival-goers.
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4th Annual Film For Peace Festival
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
All films to be screened at the
“TEXTILE MUSEUM”
55 Centre Street, Toronto
(just east of University, south of Dundas)
FINALISTS: Film For Peace, Toronto, 2022
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2022
11:00 a.m.
WOMAN UNDER THE TREE
Director: Karishma Kohli
Running time: 14:50
Country of origin: United States
A homeless woman in South Beach takes a special interest in a family living across the street from her place of shelter.
Tagline: There’s more to every life than what we can see.
# 4705
11:20 a.m.
DOROTHY NON DEVE MORIRE
Director: Andrea Simonetti
Running time: 20:00
Country of origin: Italy
Having moved on from their adventures in Oz, Dorothy’s three companions reunite when they learn that she has fallen terminally ill.
Tagline: Adventure lives forever.
# 4821
11: 45 a.m.
BUILDING BRIDGES
Director: John Nicolas
Running time: 01:22:00
Country of origin: New Zealand
In the height of the Cold War, humanitarian and civil liberties activist Bill Youren, makes a pilgrimage to China in hopes of easing the tensions and concerns that have risen in his native New Zealand.
Tagline: One person can make a difference.
# 5132
2
1:15 p.m.
RUBER.7
Tagline: The truth is our deadliest weapon.
Director: Timur Ramazanov
Running time: 9:32
Country of origin: Russian Federation
In the 23rd century, a young information processor attempts to sabotage the flow of
misinformation from her totalitarian government.
# 5120
1:30 p.m.
FIRST
Tagline: Her child. Her choice.
Director: Adam Hartwinski
Running time: 26:37
Country of origin: Poland
40-year-old Marysia must decide the fate of her genetically defective child once it’s born.
Tagline: Her child. Her choice.
# 4834
2:00 p.m.
BITTER MEMORY
Tagline: Yesterday’s decisions should not be today’s mistakes.
Director: Jalaladdin Gasimov
Running time: 14:03
Country of origin: Azerbaijan
An investigation into how one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s yearly traffic fatalities are caused by a lack
of seat belt usuage.
# 5169
2:15 p.m.
GOALKEEPER
Tagline: Winning at all costs proves to be costly.
Director: Mohammadreza Ganjkhanlou
Running time: 14:25
Country of origin: Iran
A 13 year old football enthusiast resorts to extreme and desperate measures in order to
participate in the city’s football tryouts.
# 5170
2:30 p.m.
PANEL DISCUSSION WITH FESTIVAL JUDGES
3
3:00 p.m.
EXECUTION DAY
Tagline: Control is never absolute.
Director: Jalaladdin Gasimov
Running time: 01:35:00
Country of origin: Ajerbaijan
In the USSR, a police chief investigates a string of crimes that seem directly linked to a
prisoner who is already on death row.
# 4753
4:45 p.m.
PAGES OF LOVE
Tagline: Where do you find love?
Director: Samantha Sharpe
Running time: 01:11:24
Country of origin: United States
A young woman is caught in a series of never-ending bad dates, and seeks advice from her
relationship expert mom to break out of the cycle.
# 4911
6:00 p.m.
TOXIC NEIGHBOUR
Tagline: The truth isn’t what they want you to believe.
Director: Colin Scheyen
Running time: 23 minutes
Country of origin: Canada
A sheep farmer recounts his turmoil that resulted in a decades long battle with his next door
neighbour, the world’s largest nuclear complex.
Tagline: The truth isn’t what they want you to believe.
# 5023
6:30 p.m.
THE RIBBON
Tagline: Break free.
Director: Jonathan Galland
Running time: 4:25
Country of origin: United States
A young girl enters a beautiful fantasy world, but is prevented from exploring further as the long ribbon of her dress gets caught.
# 4702
4
6:40 p.m.
FIESTA BLOOD
Tagline: Revenge has never been sweeter.
Director: Elena Fazio
Running time: 2 minutes
Country of origin: United States
A pinata makes a stand against birthday party pinata murder.
# 5167
6:45
THE INFINEIGHTS: PREQUEL
Tagline: What is our place in the cosmos?
Directors: Thida Nathalie, Diego Roa, Rheana Jackson, Igor Gontcharov
Running time: 3 minutes
Country of origin: United Kingdom
A poetic account of Earth’s past, destruction, and future rebirth.
# 5161
6:50 p.m.
WINDOWS
(Special Award: Best Student Film)
Tag Line: Dance deals doses of “happy hormones”
Director: Hongtao Guo
Running time: 14 min.
Country of origin: Canada
A ballet dancer suffers an injury. Understandably depressed, she encounters a girl who has
lost her hearing and they heal together, as friends.
Q& A with Director, Hongtao Guo
END OF DAY ONE
PROGRAMMING
5
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022
11:00 A.M.
DO OVER
Tag Line: Humanity above all else.
Director: Sharvi
Running time: 01:23:38
Country of origin: India
An old story about the existential struggle to recover from alcoholism, told in a fresh new
light. Take note of a special contribution by the actor in the rehab centre who leads the fallen
men out of their darkness toward a ‘Do Over’.
# 5155
12:30 P.M.
THE LEGEND OF PSALTER
Tag Line: Love conquers all.
Director: Tatyana Kublitskaya
Running time: 10 minutes
Country of origin: Belarus
They say the first tragedy of war is innocence! Well, this short film restores our faith in
humanity’s hope to lead through the example of love, peace and the compassion of family
values.
# 4955
12:45 p.m.
WAR VS. PEACE
Tag Line: War is never a solution.
Director: Aydya
Running time: 18:18
Country of origin: India
A sad, tragic and yet hopeful reminder that nobody wins in war! This film indicates a truth
and reconciliation to the Palestinian Crisis can only be realized from a diplomatic solution and
a two-party state!
# 5057
6
1:10 p.m.
PEACE PILGRIMS
Tag Line: Truth is the enemy of evil.
Director: John Hughes
Running time: 28:00
Country of origin: Australia
A gutsy and interesting exposition of ‘big brother’ hiding the truth from the everyday people
who rebel against the exclusion from our government!
# 5159
1:40 p.m.
OM SHANTI
Tag Line: The most important topic in this world is “peace”.
Director: Holger Klussmann
Running time: 20:00
Country of origin: Germany
A sensitive meditation and lovely cinematic message about the eternal search for love and peace!
# 5056
2:00 p.m.
THE SOUND OF IDENTITY
Tag Line: Music heals the soul.
Director: James Kicklighter
Running time: 01:29:14
Country of origin: United States
Breathtaking cinematography and musical score about the professional acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the arts and more!
# 4708
3:30 p.m.
TANDEM LOCAL
Tag Line: The Earth nourishes humanity!
Directors: Francois Legrand, Marc-Antoine Boyer, Ludovic Bollette
Running time: 01:26:07
Country of origin: Belgium
This film is truly a ‘movable feast for the eyes and stomach’ teaching us how to make local production of nutritious food possible and economical.
# 5164
7
5:00 p.m.
COLORS OF OUR HEART
Tag Line: Magic is wherever we seek it.
Director: Alexandra Meneghini
Running time: 47:46
Country of origin: France
Wow; a cinematographer’s dream and a viewer’s paradise! A beautiful journey into the soul of man and woman with all of the magic and struggle to find happiness!
# 4914
5:50 p.m.
BRIGHT LIKE THE SUN
Tag Line: The wonders of life.
Director: Thida Nathalie
Running time: 7:15
Country of origin: United Kingdom
A must see about the spiritual and mystical journey toward an ‘invisible gate’ into another world! An enchanting boy teaches us about where we came from, who we are and where we’re going!
# 5160
6:00 p.m.
COSMOSAGA
Tag Line: The search for truth can be fascinating.
Director: Hans Starlife
Running time: 30:00
Country of origin: Sweden
One of our favourites. A cute story about an enchanting boy who travels across intergalactic space to earth, searching for existential meaning and the truth about our humanity, leads him to an everlasting wisdom!
# 5204
6:30 p.m.
THE POWER OF CHILDHOOD
Tag Line: Never underestimate the wisdom of a child.
Director: Lolita Naranovich
Running time: 12:46
Country of origin: Russian Federation
A wonderful story about loyalty and duty to an unjust cause, the horrors of mob rule and the long road back towards forgiveness and redemption seen through the eyes of a son’s love for his father!
# 5003
8
6:45 p.m.
BEAUTIFUL VIOLENCE
Tag Line: Through tragedy, a father’s gift to his family.
Director: Joey Medina
Running time: 12:32
Country of origin: United States
Great story with emotional twists and turns that brings on the tears in the end.
# 4818
7:00 p.m.
PLANTING THE SEED
Tag Line: Wisdom comes in strange places.
Director: John Armstrong
Running time: 14:42
Country of origin: United Kingdom
A lively discussion about global warming and the environmental apocalypse in a pub, is given poetic justice by a phantom ogre who lurks in the shadows!
# 5144
7:15 p.m.
WAR & PEACE
Tag Line: Power corrupts. The poor suffer.
Director: Francesca Stangoni
Running time: 6:22
Country of origin: Italy
A superbly emotional photographic essay scored with wonderful dance and music! A social indictment against the indifference of the power-crazed elites that marginalize the innocent poor!
# 5100
CRITERIA
1) Principal theme must be of “Peace” – how to achieve it, lessons to be learned to keep this world in a peaceful state.
2) Production values – cinematography, sound design, musical score
3) Quality of acting & direction
Some films had great messages but lacked production values
Others had terrific production values but did not adhere to the theme.
And, of course, some scored very high in both theme and production values.
Very difficult to narrow so many wonderful films down to single winners.
As far as we are concerned, they are all winners!
I would like to thank Karim Mirshahi for initiating this festival 3 years ago.
And a huge thank you to the following judges who took a large chunk of time out of their busy lives to volunteer their talent and services for the benefit of this festival. They did a magnificent job in sorting through all entries from 32 nations around the world.
Angela Johnson
Frank Caruso
Ella Farida
Ross Munroe
T.C. Frantz
Satie Narain Simon
COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN:
Canada USA Greece Russia United Kingdom India Netherlands Israel
Spain Australia Jordan Egypt Finland Lebanon Qatar South Africa
Sweden South Korea Taiwan Germany France Iran Pakistan Chile Italy
Poland Bolivia China Macedonia Croatia Turkey
Peace and see you all in 2022 for our 4th Annual Film for Peace Festival.
Yours Truly,
Frank A. Caruso – Film for Peace, Executive Director & Head Judge
“Film for Peace” is an experiential creative initiative organized by Toronto Waterfront Magazine to address the escalation of violence. You are invited to submit a short film addressing the issue of violence that is informative, inspiring and entertaining. The key component of the festival is to raise awareness of the underlying contributing factors leading to violence, such as bullying, mental health, addictions, social isolation, poverty, rejections of minority groups, etc. Entrants will be judged on their ability to effectively communicate, through the medium of film, potential solutions to achieving sustainable peace as a community. Valuable prizes and scholarships will be available to winning entrants, as judged by the team of volunteers with art and filmmaking backgrounds.
