The 2022 Toronto Jewish Film Festival is back and now in its 30th edition! This year, the Festival will showcase 70 titles from 16 countries. Films will screen in person from June 9-15, 2022 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Innis Town Hall, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk and Leah Posluns Theatre, with more films available through the TJFF Virtual Cinema in Ontario from June 16–June 26, 2022. Additional in-person screenings include two free Archival Series screenings and the closing film on June 26, 2022. Box office opens May 12, 2022.

Opening Film
PLAN A, dirs. Doron Paz and Yoav Paz (Germany/Israel)
Based on Dina Porat’s book Vengeance and Retribution are Mine, a group of Holocaust survivors seek revenge and plan to kill millions of Germans by poisoning Nuremberg’s water supply. Stars Michael Aloni (Shtisel), Syliva Hoeks (Bladerunner 2049) and August Diehl (Hidden Life).
Guests in attendance: Directors Doron Paz and Yoav Paz

*Micki Moore Award Winner (Best Narrative Feature by a Female Director)
CINEMA SABAYA, dir. Orit Fouks Rotem (Israel)
Jewish, Arab, secular, and devout women in an introductory filmmaking course share their personal video footage with their classmates. In so doing, they are not only confronted with the stark differences in their circumstances, but also elements of connection. 

*David A. Stein Award Winner (Best Documentary)
Centrepiece Film – Documentary
FOUR WINTERS: A STORY OF JEWISH PARTISAN RESISTANCE AND BRAVERY, dir. Julia Mintz (United States)
Four Winters celebrates the 25,000 Jewish partisans who escaped into the forests of Eastern Europe to resist the Nazis, carrying out deadly acts of sabotage, staging ambushes and waging clandestine warfare. Featuring interviews with five of the last surviving partisans, two of whom (Faye Schulman and Sara Ginaite) raised families in Toronto.
Guest in attendance: Director Julia Mintz

Centrepiece Film – Narrative
LET IT BE MORNING (Vayehi Boker), dir. Eran Kolirin (Israel)
Winner of seven Israeli Academy Awards, Let It Be Morning highlights the absurdities of everyday life for Israeli Arabs. Kolirin’s (The Band’s Visit) film is based on Sayed Kashua’s novel about a family that gets trapped by a military blockade in a tiny Arab village in Israel.

Closing Film
NEIGHBOURS (Nachbarn), dir. Mano Khalil, (Switzerland/France)
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Mons International Film Festival, the semi-autobiographical story by director Mano Khalil highlights the plight of the Kurdish people through the eyes of a sensitive child. 
Guest in attendance: Director Mano Khalil

More on the complete programming line and tickets here.

(Photo credit: TJFF)

The 2022 JUNO Awards celebrations officially have begun in Toronto and kicking things off tonight at Massey Hall was the JUNOS Songwriters’ Circle. The event held annually brings together Canada’s top Singer/Songwriters in an intimate roundtable, delivering the stories and anecdotes behind some of their most acclaimed material. After a two-year hiatus, the event known as “The Jewel of the JUNOs” is finally back!

Split into two groups, the two-hour live broadcast featured a who’s-who of this year’s nominees as we celebrate the best in Canadian Music. While CBC personality Tom Power was to host the night originally, he had fallen ill with Covid-19 and Talia Schlanger stepped-in to moderate.

Group One: Allison Russell, Devon Portielje and Conner Molander from Half Moon Run, Serena Ryder and TOBi.

Group Two: Charlotte Day Wilson, Metric and Mustafa.

Missed it? You can watch the stream here:

Some snaps from the event:

Stay tuned as we’ll being covering the JUNOs this weekend with more sightings and snaps!

The JUNOs air Sunday, May 15, 2022 on CBC at 8 PM ET.

(Photo/video credit: CBC/Mr. Will Wong)

HELPSTERS is a Daytime Emmy-winning Kids Series and season three is coming soon on Apple TV+, with a star-studded Cast of Special Guests!

The third season features appearances by Bradley Cooper (!!!), James Monroe Iglehart, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Christian Borle, Adrienne Warren, André De Shields, Judy Gold, Jordan Carlos, Shakina Nayfack, Yasha Jackson, Krysta Rodriguez, Michael Cruz Kayne, Glo Tavarez, Jerah Milligan, Alex Song-Xia, Jo Firestone and Tessa Claire Hersh, and music from Grammy Award nominee Japanese Breakfast, Teddy Swims, Blanco Brown and Claud.

Synopsis:

“Helpsters” is a live-action pre-school series from the makers of “Sesame Street,” featuring Cody and the Helpsters, a team of vibrant monsters who love to solve problems. Whether it’s planning a day at the beach, inventing a new machine, or learning how to line-dance, the Helpsters can figure anything out — because everything starts with a plan.

Season Three of HELPSTERS arrives May 27, 2022 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

PHYSICAL is an under-appreciated gem, and we’re so thrilled that Season Two isn’t too far away. Here’s a first look, plus the new Trailer!

Synopsis:

Season two finds our hero Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) having successfully launched her first fitness video only to encounter some new and bigger obstacles on her path. She is torn between loyalty to her husband (Rory Scovel) and the values he represents, and a dangerous attraction to someone else. And since she’s no longer the only game in town, she finds herself having to outrun some fierce new competitors on the road to building a full-fledged fitness empire. 

In addition to Byrne, “Physical” stars Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci and Paul Sparks. Joining the all-star ensemble cast for season two is Critics Choice Award-winner Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”) in the new role of “Vincent ‘Vinnie’ Green,” a charismatic fitness instructor, weight-loss guru, and pioneer of the late-night infomercial. 

PHYSICAL Season Two arrives Friday, June 3, 2022 on Apple TV+.

(Photo credit: Apple TV+)

Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series is coming soon to Canada! This is the 25th season of the beloved Series!

Synopsis:

The stakes are higher than ever for Ash, Goh and Chloe as they advance toward their goals! As the Pokémon World Coronation Series tournament heats up, intensive training is in store for Ash, Pikachu and their Pokémon friends. Meanwhile, Goh embarks on a series of challenging trial missions to become a member of Project Mew. And as Chloe and Eevee learn about the different evolutionary paths that Eevee can take, will they be able to come to a decision about its future? Get ready for nonstop action, familiar faces from journeys past and more Pokémon discoveries to be made!

Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series is premiering on Saturday, May 28 at 12 p.m. ET on TELETOON and STACKTV.

(Photo/video credit: Corus)

Ed Sheeran has teamed-up with Australian R&B Newcomer Budjerah on a Remix of his track “2STEP“. Check-out the Track below!

Stream “2STEP” here.

Budjerah tours this Summer with Vance Joy, with a date in Toronto! Dates and tickets here.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)

Iconic Canadian Comedy Troupe THE KIDS IN THE HALL are back with a revival series arriving on Prime Video, around the globe! It’s time the rest of the world got to appreciate these legends. Consisting of Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson, they are known for their over-the-top antics, paired with a biting wit. Anything to get laugh really. And they prove again in this eight-episode series that they’ve still got it with some fresh jokes and a knowing nod to inclusive standards of the day. Right off the bat, we are asked the question who’s funding this reboot. We learn it’s Amazon aka “The Devil” and already we known we’re going to have a good time.

Billed as Prime Video Canada‘s first-ever original series, with TV icon Lorne Michaels serving as Executive Producer, each highly-digestible episode is action-packed, taking us through multiple whacky scenarios. And they never cease to shock, going full-frontal, and up against a Glory Hole and Stripper Pole even! Again, the intention is to make us laugh and THE KIDS IN THE HALL true to form, succeed. They haven’t lost a step after all these years, throwing chuckles since the mid-’80s.

But really, all of this is a love letter to the legacy these give men have created in Canada and abroad. Each episode has a fellow Comedian (Peter Davidson, Catherine O’Hara to name a few) playing a fictitious version of themselves, professing their love to them. In case you needed a reminder of their greatness.

THE KIDS IN THE HALL streams Friday, May 13, 2022 only on Prime Video.

We’re getting so close to the release of TOP GUN: MAVERICK at long last. To get you pumped, here are some new Character Posters from the Blockbuster!

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

DIRECTED BY

Joseph Kosinski

SCREENPLAY BY

Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie

STORY BY

Peter Craig and Justin Marks

BASED ON CHARACTERS CREATED BY

Jim Cash & Jack Epps, Jr.

PRODUCED BY

Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY

Tommy Harper, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger,

Chad Oman, Mike Stenson

STARRING

Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis with Ed Harris and Val Kilmer

See the new Posters:

TOP GUN: MAVERICK IS IN THEATRES, DOLBY CINEMA, AND IMAX MAY 27, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)

We love Adam Sandler showing his dramatic chops. Check-out this Teaser for Basketball Drama, HUSTLE coming soon to Netflix.

Synopsis:

Stanley Sugerman’s (Adam Sandler) love for basketball is unparalleled, but the travel weary Philadelphia 76ers scout who has higher ambitions of being a coach remains stuck on the road looking for the next unknown talent. His search around the world leads him to Spain, when he discovers Bo Cruz (NBA player Juancho Hernangómez), an incredible streetball player with a troubled past. Stanley and Bo connect on and off the court, with their passion for the game and as loving family men who want to prove they can win, in basketball and in life. With the support of Stanley’s wife, Teresa (Queen Latifah), can the underdogs come out on top? HUSTLE, an inspirational drama, co-stars Ben Foster, Kenny Smith, Anthony Edwards, and Tobias Harris, is directed by Jeremiah Zagar and is produced by Sandler, Allen Covert, Joe Roth, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Zack Roth, LeBron James and Maverick Carter.

HUSTLE arrives June 8, 2022 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

We can’t get enough of these swindlers, I tell you! FAKING HITLER is based on true events that caused a huge media scandal! It’s coming to Hollywood Suite on June 9, 2022 at 9pm ET and will be on-demand June 1, 2022 as well!

Synopsis:

Faking Hitler is inspired by the extraordinary true story of forged Hitler diaries and the journalist who fell
for them. Gerd Heidemann, the star journalist at Stern, one of Germany’s most prestigious publications,
stunned the world when he revealed he had unearthed Hitler’s long lost diaries. What followed was the
biggest media scandal of the twentieth century.

“Faking Hitler is a smart, energetic, new take on an almost unbelievable true story,” said Sharon
Stevens, Vice-President, Programming, Hollywood Suite. “It brings the 80s to life in sight and sound, and
tells an important story about the fight against fake news and historical revisionism.”

From the immersive design of Stern’s modernist newsroom, to the fashion and pop hits of Hamburg’s club scene, to the Cold War intrigue of a nation divided by the iron curtain, Faking Hitler transports viewers to West Germany in the early 80s. The unforgettable soundtrack includes hits by Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie and The Human League.

Faking Hitler stars Lars Eidinger (High Life; Babylon Berlin, Sense8), Moritz Bleibtreu (Run Lola Run,
Women in Gold) and Daniel Donskoy (The Crown, Victoria). Directed by Tobi Baumann and Wolfgang
Groos, the series was written by Thomas Vass and is presented with English subtitles. Faking Hitler is a
UFA Fiction production for RTL+ under the umbrella of the Bertelsmann Content Alliance. Fremantle
distributes the series internationally.