John Walker: Fahed Abdallah El Akal

Fahed Abdallah El Akal: Set during the early stages of the Lebanon War in 1982, Eran Rikliss drama stars Stephen Dorff as an Israeli pilot whose plane is shot down over Beirut and who is captured by members of the PLO. Among his captors is Fahed Abdallah El Akal , a 10-year-old Palestinian refugee who initially blames the prisoner for the recent death of his father in a bombing. Yet the two come to accept each others help in their respective efforts to get home, according to The Star. Arctic Defenders: Few Canadians living down south know the whole story of the drive for political self-determination that led to the founding of Nunavut. Veteran documentarian John Walker seeks to correct that with Arctic Defenders , a chronicle of the decades-long campaign by leaders like Tagak Curley to protect Inuit culture, language and traditions. The film begins a run at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on Jan. 17. Walker attends Q As after both weekend screenings and Zaytoun: As coveted as the adoration of TIFFs audiences may be, it doesnt guarantee a film will generate the same attention once the festival wraps. One recent example is the Israeli film Zaytoun , which makes its first return to local screens since winning third-place honours in the race for TIFFs Peoples Choice Award in 2012. Though often contrived as a drama, Zaytoun still has considerable force as a parable about the possibility of peace and reconciliation in a region whose divisions can seem insurmountable. Its easy to see why TIFF audiences responded. It may win more admirers when it plays Jan. 19 at Vaughans City Playhouse Theatre 1000 New Westminster Dr. as part of the Toronto Jewish Film Festivals monthly Chai Tea and a Movie program. Doors open for tea at 4 p.m. with the screening to follow at 5 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.