Toronto, ON
For Immediate Release
4th Toronto International Deaf Film & Arts Festival (TIDFAF) May 9 – 12, 2013
Inside the prestigious Randolph Theatre Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, the Toronto International Deaf Film & Arts Festival (TIDFAF) is set to take center stage for the 4th biannual international film & arts festival May 9-12, 2013.
“Beyond offering festival goers a record-breaking 20-plus shorts and feature film screenings this year, TIDFAF is particularly excited about our visual arts presentation partnerships with the Deaf Culture Centre and the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf as well as our industry workshop presentation partnership with ACTRA National and ACTRA Toronto this year,” says award-winning filmmaker Catherine MacKinnon, Festival Director & Co-Founder. “As part of our ongoing partnership with high schools locally and abroad we are proud to present this year’s High School Filmmakers Spotlight—a segment of TIDFAF that celebrates tomorrow’s Deaf filmmakers in the making by screening their youth films,” explains MacKinnon.
TIDFAF is proud to announce Mr. Daniel Durant, one of the supporting cast members of Switched at Birth, as TIDFAF’s exclusive Master of Ceremony as TIDFAF is a festival committed to the celebration of diversity, Deaf Culture & Cinema worldwide and we are thrilled to partner with Mr. Daniel Durant.
TIDFAF kicks off its Red Carpet Gala opening night (May 9) with documentary short Crossing the Divide (Cathy Heffernan, 2012, England) and the Canadian debut of director Judy Lieff’s international award-winning feature film Deaf Jam (2011, USA) (www.deafjam.org). In attendance: Cathy Heffernan, Judy Lieff and Deaf Jam featured poet Tahani.
Closing night screenings (May 11 at Randolph Theatre) will be followed by the Closing Awards Ceremony & Official After Party inside the Distillery District’s Airship 37. (www.airship37.com).
Confirmed talent attending TIDFAF 2013 includes: **Note: List updated daily. See website for current list of talent attending**
- Judy Lieff (Director) & Tahani Saleh (Poet) Deaf Jam (USA)
- Cathy Heffernan (Director) Crossing the Divide (UK)
- Taha Ghanimifard (Director) Salam-Hello (Iran)
- Jamila Guerrero-Cantor (Representative/Actress) Second Chance (USA)
- Felipe Bonifacio (Producer) and Alejandro Gallardo Enriquez (Director) El Sueño Impactante/The Impactful Dream (Mexico)
- Jason Roberts (Film Editor) Lake Windfall (USA)
- James Cooley (Director) Lonely Fish (USA)
- Chantal Deguire (Director) Alores on Danse (CDN)
- Melissa Gomez (Director) Silent Music (Antigua/USA)
For a complete schedule of 2013 films, online trailers, image stills, arts exhibits, industry events and talent available for interview visit www.TIDFAF.ca
Media Accreditation Forms Available online
www.TIDFAF.ca
Catherine MacKinnon, Festival Director
director@tidfaf.ca
Cc: Jill Andrew, Media Director
media@tidfaf.ca
Cc: Nick Watson, Media Coordinator
watson.nick@me.com