Billed as being about "Film & Culture About People from Israel & Palestine," the Voices Forward Film Festival is particularly intriguing because the area is going through a cultural renaissance right now, with writers and directors rejecting the nationalism of the previous generations to tell their own stories. The fest not only unites filmmakers from that troubled region, but it also shows Toronto audiences that, hey, it's not all bombing and hatred in the Middle......

"What's The Frequency, Campus?" highlights some of the intriguing shows and special programming happening on Toronto's campus and community radio stations. The Show: Mental Chatter The Host: Denise Benson Where and when: CKLN 88.1 FM, Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Denise Benson has been hosting Mental Chatter for an astounding 19 years. It’s an excellent Monday morning blast of musical energy—she spins everything from jazz to house to rock, as well as......

Remember when, if someone was shot on the streets of the GTA, neighbours would appear on TV saying something like "I'm shocked—you just don't expect things like this to happen here?" Those were the good old days in Kensington Market. Violent crime has always been part of the area (usually it's attributed to drugs or alcohol), but a spate of seemingly random shootings has neighbours a little freaked out. On May 15, a 24-year-old......

Yesterday, the province gave Toronto $52,000 to test recycling programs in apartment complexes as part of the goal to divert 70 per cent of waste from landfill by 2010. King Street is still closed off because of the falling marble slab. Developer Harry Stinson says that it was a bad idea using marble in the first place. Police shot a man in the chest near Kingston Rd. E. and Lawrence Ave. early this morning.......

Attention all families: are you looking for something to do for Mother's Day that doesn't involve cheesy cards or impersonal gifts? If so, gather the kids this Sunday, and take them to the brand new Union Yoga Center (242 Carlton St.) for some quality family time. Ladyfest Toronto will be hosting Celebrating Motherhood at 2 p.m., featuring a yoga warm-up and songwriting workshop for kids. Space is limited and at only $5 (or PWYC)......

March 8th marks International Women's Day each year, though it's sadly not yet a national holiday in Canada, as it is in a few countries. But official holiday or not, there are still a tonne of events happening in Toronto to mark the occasion. Here are some of Torontoist's best bets for celebrating feminism this week: Today The National Film Board and Amnesty International present a free screening of Killer's Paradise, a documentary about the......

In case you're not into any CMW bands playing this year like these guys, or you want to avoid the boozing and schmoozing music industry folks (who are desperately clinging to their jobs), you might consider checking out the Pitter Patter Festival running concurrent to CMW. Featuring more than 80 local and non-local bands playing in Toronto, Hamilton and Oshawa, this year's line-up is a competitive, if not superior alternative to Canadian Music Week. Organizer......

¡Prospero año! Perhaps the only party "weekend" that Torontonians take more seriously than Halloween weekend, New Year's starts days before the calendar ends and terminates in a hangover, often in strange settings. We have rounded up what this Torontoist considers the best parties at which to get your groove on and completely forget the year 2006. When the glitter settles, the real question will be, "Where's the afterparty?" Goodfellaz and Nocturnal Commissions present Kenya......

The big news this week involves a beloved elder statesman of cinema, whose name begins with R, that is finally reappearing after a heartbreaking absence and an uncertain future. We talk, of course, about the return of, yes… Rocky Balboa! Who can’t wait, huh? Rocky! In what is essentially Rocky VI! He’s going to like, slur incoherently, punch big bits of meat, look confused, and probably get a total doing off his opponent! Opens this......

We already mentioned it in our news round-up but we thought we’d share with you this lovely picture of the assembled filmmakers and cast of Canada’s Top Ten films of 2006. Held at the Revival nightclub on College St. (as last year) By the Toronto International Film Festival Group, the event was hosted by Sylvie Moreau and, (yes!) Dave Foley, who were actually excellent hosts that seemed to have a good understanding of the......

The answer to that groan-inducing question is the Latvian House (491 College St.) where the Downtown Urban Design Event (DUDE) show starts tonight at 6pm and runs through the weekend. Exhibitors include: socially responsible fashions from Passenger Pigeon (all their clothing is made with organically grown and ethically produced materials), our friends from the Monster Factory, pottery, jewelry, pins and more. For all of you who missed the one-of-a-kind show or found that event......

Yes, a few weeks after our initial confusion over the Toronto International Latin Film Festival at the Royal Cinema, it's confirmed: The Royal Cinema (at 608 College St.) is re-opening its doors officially on December 15th, with the exclusive Toronto engagement of Monkey Warfare. Now, although we didn't like Monkey Warfare much (if at all), this is only good news. The aim of the new Royal cinema is in line with the other Theatre D......

What do you think of Vice Magazine, readers? Do you like it or hate it? We here at Torontoist really like Vice Magazine. Sure, it might be equal parts irritating and excellent, offensive and thought-provoking, but that, if anything is what makes it good. Along those lines, they’ve got some interesting stuff in the works, not least Vice Broadcasting Systems, an internet TV channel coming sometime in early 2007. They're perhaps testing the water, but......

Our friends over at The Royal Sarcophagus Society are throwing one of their big events of the year on Friday. Join them for their fourth annual autumnal soiree Dia De Los Muertos, from 8pm to 2am at DeLeon White Gallery, 1139 College St. The night promises art, music, magic, tequila, dancing, piñatas and loads of other good stuff. There will be live performances by Kevin Quain, Mysterion the Mindreader, The Porcelain Doll, and others. It’s......

C Magazine has been around since 1984 and it’s got a new look thanks to Antonio de Luca, who happens to be the creative director of The Walrus. The quarterly, Canadian (Toronto-based) publication on international, contemporary art contains informative ARTicles that put Canadian art into an international context as well as bringing us updates on arts abroad. We've yet to see the new and revamped copy of C Magazine (the accompanying photo is the cover......

Earlier this week in the concert listings, we briefly told you of the upcoming free shows that the Toronto Public Library were holding. Now that the full details have been released, here's the low-down. To celebrate the recent acquisition of a new local music collection, the Toronto Public Library is throwing two live shows in October. The hope is that this initiative will engage young people into using library services. Judging by the diverse......

Back in the day, kids used to tell their parents that they'd be at the library studying when actually they were going to go spray paint “AC/DC Rules” on the wall of their high school or sit in a parking lot and smoke controlled substances. It’s harder to get away with that nowadays, of course, because the folks know that you can download all the misinformation in the world off the internet, so why......

Istoica, an awesome photoblogging duo, will be having their first exhibit of their work, Fragments of Everyday, at the Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College St). The opening party is tonight (September 15th, 2006) starting at 7pm and the work will be up until September 26th, 2006. This is not to be missed.......

Ok, so the city is in the grip of full-blown festival mania. Red carpets, Gala screenings, and celebrity sightings are all great, but so are poetry readings, right? Right? Anyone??? Tonight at 8pm, head north to Zemra Lounge – 778 St. Clair W. – for this month’s installment of the Diamond Cherry reading series. Stephen Humphries and former director of the Art Bar, Allan Briesmster (The Other Seasons), will be reading. It’s free, and you......

This week Torontoist presents extended literary event listings – you get till Sunday the 27th at no additional cost – as I’m out of town until the end of August. Tonight, Jerry Schaefer presents The Flash Fiction Comedy Jam, which is apparently flash fiction read by a bunch of Toronto comics. Intriguing. Additionally, there’ll be a “live writing contest” and an appearance by storyteller Mark Jenkins. It takes place at Bad Dog Theatre – 138......

A couple of Sunday night events to kick-off or end your week, depending on how you see it. Gypsy Eyes, who is all over the place this week, hosts Last Call Poets at the Cadillac Lounge – 1296 Queen W. – tonight at 8pm. Admission is $7. Depending on how long Last Call Poets runs, you may be able to make it over to the Gladstone – 1214 Queen W. – for Haunted Fishtank poetry......

The Diamond Cherry Reading Series – run by local poets and small-press publishers Devon Gallant and Julie Cameron Gray – kicks-off the week with performances by audio poet Hilary Peach (Poems Only Dogs Can Hear) and singer/songwriter/poet Nik Beat. The series takes place each month at the Zemra Lounge – 778 St. Clair West – and starts at 8pm. It’s free, too, so you have no excuse not to go. On Monday, head down to......

Unless you've been asleep for the last 24 hours you already know that Italy won the World Cup. Torontonians celebrate all over the city but the bulk of the partying centred on College St. and up on Corso Italia on St. Clair. Local shutterbugs have tons of photos check out Flickr feeds from Ren C, FTP Media, Lee Horrocks, The Big Durian. This one guy celebrates too much and drives a schoolbus into a......

So Torontoist hasn't actually read Ulysses but does that mean we can't celebrate Bloomsday? Of course not. Tomorrow is the real-life anniversary of the fictional day chronicled in Joyce's Ulysses (the book told the story of one day in the life of Leopold Bloom). Events include re-enactments of scenes from Ulysses, readings, and a singalong all along the Beach and various neigbhourhoods on Queen East. The day culminates with an event at the appropriately named......

Toronto desperately NEEDS another MEGA advertising campaign. Thanks to GO Mobile Media, our fine city can be overjoyed to have its “first mobile advertising vehicle and program exclusively designed to promote the city’s most popular tourist attractions and summer destinations.” The ‘GO TO’ campaign which began on May 1 features “a revolutionary new mobile advertising vehicle that will utilize a fully illuminated scrolling billboard system to display ads from the best events, venues and entertainment......

Before their renovations, eye magazine described the Cloak as "snug, dark and replete with some of the best microbrew available on tap...it practically taunts you into using the word 'unpretentious' to describe it." And that was before the overhaul! After the re-design, the Cloak and Dagger Pub (394 College St) is this city's coziest pub. As any veteran of cold weather knows, body warmth is the best way to keep cozy in the winter.......

You've probably seen them and may even be curious. They are the coloured dots that consistently appear along each subway platform wall. Be curious no longer! I've done a haphazard investigation into these mystical circles of colour, and this is what I've come up with: Green Dot: like all things green, this dot means go. It lines up with the 5th Car, 1st Door, otherwise known as the Designated Waiting Area Orange Dot: this......

Tonight at Revival, soulful jazz songstress Adi Braun will be performing songs off her new album The Rules of the Game, among other things. TOist interviewed her back in October when she launched the cd at three sold-out nights at the Montreal Bistro, and trust us, you don't want to miss her this time around. She performs a dynamic blend of standards and contemporary jazz pieces, including a few of her own compositions. Tonight, 8......

If you ask us, the City of Toronto's new slogan and logo looks like it's advertising a new cellphone company. But they don't pay us the big bucks to draw up these tourist-magnetizing feats of graphic wonderment, so we'll let the quirky little graphic alone. We will, however, quibble with the worthiness of taking out a two-page TO Unlimited spread in yesterday's Times, and filling it with the most awful copy one can muster up......

Is it "meet" market, or "meat" market? Either one works, though it probably doesn't matter to those who venture out every weekend with that one goal (score!) in mind. For all intents and purposes, the best places to meet someone fast (if you know what we mean) is in downtown's club district. But who cares to read about Joe Nightclub or other Night at the Roxbury type establishments for the rest of the week? Realizing......