Saeed Teebi's 'Her First Palestinian' Explores Tales of Loss, Belonging and the Palestinian Perspective

His debut collection weaves a Palestinian perspective into the narrative, offering a nuanced portrayal of characters navigating the challenging terrain of dual identities.

By Nageen Riaz

Her First Palestinian earned finalist honors in the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers's Trust Fiction Prize and secured a spot on the shortlist for the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize (Caelan Monkman/CanCulture)

Canadian immigrants and those who have experienced displacement are intimately familiar with the feelings of loss, betrayal and helplessness. For some, the struggle to feel at home between two worlds can prove to be a difficult battle, and becomes one which feels more like a purging of their old life rather than a journey to build a new one.

Over the course of his career, Toronto-based lawyer and writer Saeed Teebi has become all too familiar with these emotions. His debut short story collection, Her First Palestinian, offers readers a Palestinian-Canadian perspective for understanding the complex feelings of anxiety, pain and guilt that come with witnessing injustice in your homeland from an ocean away.

The nine stories within the pages of Her First Palestinian candidly portray the historical reality of Israeli violence, but refuse to succumb to a narrative dominated entirely by victimhood or a sense of suffering. Instead, characters are presented as doctors, professors and lawyers who live ‘full’ lives with their families and loved ones. Teebi ensures his characters do not conform to the stereotypes associated with being Palestinian and allows his stories to showcase the complex personalities that go beyond just a nationality. Characters are self-aware of their careful decision not to appear too loud, expressive or angry, as these emotions may automatically label them as the “typical Arab.” Instead, readers are invited to witness the inner workings of these characters as they recognize their own desperate helplessness through the direct and confessional first-person narration.

Still, Teebi does not turn a blind eye to the invisible string that attaches each person to their homeland. Each of the characters, who are Palestinians living in Canada, experience remorse and fear in their day-to-day lives in a variety of ways as they attempt to navigate a hostile world, often at the expense of their beliefs and duty to their Palestinian community. Moreover, by referencing recent world affairs, with some plots touching on the impact of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, Teebi creates a sense of homogenous relatability, regardless of the reader's personal proximity to the Palestinian resistance.

Her First Palestinian brilliantly reflects the Palestinian community within Canada, commenting on every emotion, action — or lack thereof — and every heartwarming interaction that truly defines its people. With each story comes new characters, new problems, new twists and new emotions, making Her First Palestinian impossible to put down. Coming in at just over 200 pages, the book keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they try to keep up with the frustrations, happiness and heartbreak that washes over them with each narrative.

In the wide world of Canadian literature, Her First Palestinian stands as a complex, intricately crafted piece of fiction — explorative, confident and struck by the harsh realities of immigrant life: A father who refuses to carry the burden of his people, a lonely college student desperate to impress his roommates, a grandfather on the hunt for his lost love, a professor realizing his identity strips him of his rights, an entrepreneur that does the unthinkable for the sake of his family. Teebi beautifully blends the line between the desire to start a new life elsewhere and finding comfort in belonging to a place where resistance and hope will always persevere.

Her First Palestinian was a finalist for the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers’s Trust Fiction Prize and shortlisted for the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize. The book is making waves in literary circles and offers a voice for the stories that often go unheard and unrepresented. Journalists adhering to CBC’s recent language guide are not permitted to refer to Palestine as a country or show a map of Palestine, but, through Teebi’s narratives of Palestinians trying to exist in a world that seems to work against them, the landscape of Canadian literature shifts to dismantle these barriers, guard towers and checkpoints. 

Readers can find a copy of Her First Palestinian at most libraries, including the Toronto Public Library and the Toronto Metropolitan University campus library. The book is also available for purchase on the House of Anansi Press website, the publication house that first released the collection in 2022.

Stay cool to stay warm: An accessory guide for this winter

Prioritizing warmth doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style, here are a few additions to add to your wardrobe in the colder months

By Surina Mehroke

With temperatures dropping, it becomes increasingly harder to look stylish in the colder months. Warmth becomes a priority as you find yourself putting on layer upon layer and your sense of style is shoved aside. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to accessorize to keep your outfits looking cool whilst still staying warm.

The winter months are hard to navigate but accessories are your best friend. Accessorizing is the perfect medium to add your own flare to an otherwise simple outfit, elevating an outfit from being worn to being styled.

Knitwear

Knitwear is a staple in every season. This gender-inclusive accessory allows a variety of textures, rich patterns and colours, ensuring you can find a piece that matches your own aesthetic. When looking for Knitwear pieces, consider coordinating with other garments and layering to achieve an elevated look.

Whilst knitwear is effective, the choices can be overwhelming. When sourcing a good quality knit, you should start by reviewing the material composition and checking that the knitwear has a high yarn content. For example, if the material description of a jumper is only 41 per cent wool then it is best to avoid it. Products that are made with 90 to 100 per cent yarn will not only look better but guarantee longevity.

Statement Belts

As seen by the strong presence in 23 F/W fashion weeks, statement belts are in revival. Whilst they might not provide extra warmth, they are a quick and simple way to elevate your winter outfits.

Belts can be used to aid any aesthetic. From silky satin and delicate chain belts to larger industrial pieces, adding a piece like thatbelt might be the cherry on top that gives your winter outfit the perfect final touch.

Beyond adding a point of interest to an outfit, a belt can also be used to alter the silhouette of a look. Using a belt to cinch in the waistline can bring back form to a bulky winter outfit and ensure that the proportions are tailored to your liking

Balaclavas

Circling back to knitwear, balaclavas specifically are the ‘it girl’ of accessories this season. Originating from the Crimea region in Europe, these headscarves have become a winter wardrobe staple for many. The balaclava is a practical winter add-on ensuring you stay as warm as possible while looking as current and fashionable as winter permits.

Think of balaclavas as an extension to the classic sweater and cable knits. Use them to form a matching set with your other knitwear to show off a complimentary look that echoes your personal style.

If you are not convinced, perhaps it’s because you have yet to find the right style. Look around this season, as the market is flooded with balaclavas of different knits, textures and patterns and you are guaranteed to find one to your liking.

Leg Warmers

Lastly, leg warmers are the ultimate addition to your winter wardrobe. The rise of the ballet aesthetic reintroduced leg warmers back into the fashion sphere this past year, but as they gained popularity, leg warmers have become a fashion phenomenon of their own.

With these accessories you are guaranteed to add interest to your winter looks and elevate outfits from last season. Use the accessories combined or individually to appear current and fashionable this Canadian winter.

Lazy Cat Cafe: The new go-to destination for every cat lover

From drinks to desserts, this cat cafe might be your new go-to destination in the GTA

By Talia Saley

Front view of Lazy Cat Cafe.

A picture taken from outside the Lazy Cat Cafe. (Talia Saley/CanCulture)

The Lazy Cat Cafe, located at 880 Ellesmere Rd. Unit 3 in Scarborough, is the new meet-up spot for all cat lovers. 

The newly opened cafe is bringing in people who haven’t had access to many cat cafes around the GTA. 

One of the couples visiting the cafe said they would often go to the TOT Cat Cafe until it closed down in 2017. 

The following year, the Meow Cat Cafe closed down as well due to an accessibility dispute.

The cat playroom area of the cafe. (Talia Saley/CanCulture)

The dine-in area of the cafe. (Talia Saley/CanCulture)

Lazy Cat Cafe’s interior is bright, clean, and minimalistic, with two divided rooms — one as a dine-in area, and the other as a playroom for cats.

The entrance fee for the cafe is 33.89 dollars per person including tax, which covers a drink of your choice with two free refills, and one dessert. The visit limit is an hour, and you must reserve your spot well in advance, as the cafe cannot guarantee slots for walk-in customers.

Menu and desserts in the cafe. (Talia Saley/CanCulture)

At first glance, the cafe has a variety of drinks and dessert options to choose from. My friend and I decided to go with the rose jasmine iced tea with a cream puff, and the iced tiramisu latte with a matcha roll cake. I truly enjoyed the tea as it was refreshing, light, and sweet, with a hint of that rose flavour. It complimented the cream puff that was airy and soft on the inside.

What’s unique about the cafe is that they have adoption initiatives set up for their cats. They regularly post on their Instagram in hopes of providing these cats with loving homes.

All of the cats were super friendly, varying from young to old, and each with their own personalities.

A cat sitting down.

A cat named Nekoya, that one customer was interested in adopting. (Talia Saley/CanCulture)

“This little guy is the most curious one. The moment we entered, he was sniffing everybody and would go from one to the other,” said a customer.

This customer seemed particularly interested in adopting Nekoya.

“I really like being with them and kind of seeing how they feel about me before going and adopting based on looks because their personality is a big deal,” she said.

Although she lives in downtown Toronto, she enthusiastically said she would visit the cafe again.

As for the others, the couple who used to visit the TOT Cat Cafe said they plan to adopt a cat once they move into a home together.

“I like how clean it is, the big space,” they said. “Even with a lot of cats, they maintain the space.”

A series of pictures were taken of the cats from the cafe. (Talia Saley/CanCulture)

Even with my cat allergies kicking in, the visit was totally worth my time, as the cafe seemed well-sustained with plenty of cats to mingle with.

I highly recommend the Lazy Cat Cafe if you’re looking for your next destination in the GTA filled with sweet treats and cuddles. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your new furry friend!

American Fiction: Jeffrey Wright gives a standout performance in Cord Jefferson’s debut feature film #TIFF23

The TIFF People’s Choice Award winner delivers uncompromising commentary on the pressures and expectations placed on Black artists while maintaining a story full of humour and heart

Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a dynamic character who is at once both cynical and filled with humanity (Courtesy of TIFF)

By Caelan Monkman

Satire is a notoriously challenging genre to execute well. It requires an intimate understanding — and often appreciation — of the subject being satirized, while simultaneously a recognition of the flaws and dissonances that exist within that very subject.

It’s here that American Fiction writer and director Cord Jefferson truly prevails. Jefferson is accomplishing a doubly challenging task, tackling satire and adapting the film’s screenplay from a book — Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure — another famously difficult feat. This accomplishment is all the more impressive given this is Jefferson’s first feature film.

The film follows Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), a struggling author who keeps finding himself pigeonholed as a “Black writer” while simultaneously being told by editors that his works “aren’t Black enough.”

Dealing with various personal and family problems, including the death of his sister and an aging mother who is succumbing to Alzheimer's, Monk is feeling the pressure to succeed as a writer to support his family. But with white editors and audiences continuously deciding on his behalf what is and isn’t “Black enough,” Monk can’t seem to catch a break.

This is until, in an act of frustration, he submits a draft to his editor titled ‘My Pafology’ — an over-the-top story filled with clichés about Black communities — under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh. To his surprise, it is loved by his editor, and he’s offered the largest book deal of his career.

What follows is a whirlwind series of events that results in Monk finding anonymous success for his work while simultaneously disagreeing with the very art he is now forcing himself to create.

In a Q&A with Jefferson following the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, he explained that he didn’t want the film to feel like a lecture. The film succeeds in doing this, managing to walk the tightrope of satirizing without spoonfeeding the audience, trusting them to understand the messaging in the film, but without pandering to them either.

Jefferson, whose writing credits include the award-winning HBO shows Watchmen and Succession, was a journalist before making the transition to writing for TV — and now film. As a Black journalist, Jefferson was often asked to cover what he calls the ‘racism beat,’ a “revolving door of misery and tragedy” that focused on stories of tragedy and racism befalling communities of colour rather than stories that uplift them.

Here, Jefferson experienced firsthand the same things Monk does in American Fiction. Grappling with the commercialization and fetishization of the “true Black experience”, the film explores how, as stated in one of the more poignant lines of the film, “White people think they want the truth, but they don’t. They just want to feel absolved.”

The resulting film is one that is both bitingly funny and depressingly real. With exceptional performances across the board, and worth mentioning a delightfully lush and jazzy score from Laura Karpman, American Fiction is a terrific start to the hopefully long list of feature films to come from Cord Jefferson.

The Boy and the Heron: Miyazaki’s triumphant (last?) film #TIFF23

Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial return presented to the audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) the auteur’s love letter to his previous works.

By John Vo

(Courtesy of TIFF)

When Studio Ghibli comes to mind, the image of the man who sought to create more than films, but the most magical and immersive worlds, is formed. We think of the countless films created since the studio first came to fruition four decades ago. Yet before he solidified himself as one of the most prolific auteurs in not solely animation, but also cinema itself, Hayao Miyazaki was once a Japanese boy who longed to bring bold artworks and imaginative concepts to life. When 2013’s The Wind Rises came out, and Miyazaki himself claimed he would be retiring (although he already said that four times prior), many, including myself, truly believed that we wouldn’t be seeing more works from the movie legend. Until he finally shared the triumphant news in 2021 that we would be getting another film from him. That film would be the now-released The Boy and the Heron (or Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka).

Very loosely based on his connection to the Japanese novel How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino, Miyazaki’s film is comprised of an original story and new characters. During the Second World War, 12-year-old Mahito loses his mother after a bombing that causes the hospital where she resides to burn down. His father soon remarries his late wife’s sister and the two move to another city in the country. As he struggles to adapt to the continuing grief of losing his mother and being in a completely new setting, Mahito meets a talking heron who tells him that his mother is still alive. Eager to discover what this strange and magical heron means, he follows him into a nearby abandoned tower and is transferred into a new world. Mahito then sets on a journey full of fantastical creatures and dangerous obstacles to find out what truly happened to his mother.

Although this synopsis sounds very straightforward, Studio Ghibli films have the innate ability to turn a simple concept and expand it beyond the scope of what anyone could’ve imagined; Miyazaki is not like any other artist. Before becoming an auteur, he was once just a boy in Japan during the bombings and remembers the brutality of war. His family and he would also face hardships, like when his mother got spinal tuberculosis. These key moments of his life are translated into the motifs in the projects he has helmed for Studio Ghibli. From his anti-war stances in The Wind Rises and Howl’s Moving Castle to how humans deal with illness and grief in films like My Neighbour Totoro, Miyazaki infuses the experiences of his youth into relatable and honest coming-of-age stories that portray adolescence as both the wondrous and arduous. The core belief that art can be used as a means of dissecting and understanding one’s emotional and personal turmoils is beliefs is ever so evident in Miyazaki’s body of work.

The Boy and the Heron is the amalgamation of everything you could imagine for a Hayao Miyazaki film and more. Cute creatures that would make adorable stuffed animals? Check. A fantastical world with its own set of physics and features? You got it. Another score produced by the mind behind the music of Ghibli, Joe Hasaishi? The closest thing one can get to an out-of-body experience. The animation? Oh, there are no words worthy enough to describe how vividly immaculate this film is to look at. The lush colours Ghibli loves to use in all of its films are present and paired with the iconic stylized designs of the characters and settings. When viewing the film, you’ll catch what will go down as one of the studio’s visually striking scenes, the animation becomes eerie and akin to how one might see a nightmare play out. It shocks you to the core but adds a whole new dimension to the film and the potential of 2-D animation. In our current climate where the only animated films you can catch in cinemas feature 3-D anthropomorphic animals just for the sake of a cash grab, Studio Ghibli and the Japanese animation industry as a whole are a firm reminder that 2-D animation is anything but a relic of the past.

At the heart of our story is a young adolescent struggling to adapt to the newfound changes in his livelihood and familial relationships. The character of Mahito acts as our eyes and ears into the countryside and the world he and we are about to experience. The dynamic between him and the other characters, especially between his father and former aunt now step-mother, are some of the most nuanced and complex relationships in the Ghibli canon. Yet, no character is written to be a two-dimensional caricature but are all provided glimpses into their viewpoints and what motivates their actions. We can’t mention a film called The Boy and the Heron without mentioning the titular heron. Although I only screened the Japanese version at TIFF — meaning no commentary from me on Robert Pattinson’s voice acting — the heron in the film remains one of the studio’s oddest secondary characters. His motives are shrouded in mystery for a good portion of the film and it is not until later we discover his true purpose within the narrative. The heron does lead to another point that the Japanese voice actors did an exceptional job with the script. Voice acting in animated film is nothing like acting for the cameras and the ability to express the character's words without being over-the-top is crucial. Like every past Miyazaki film, the voice acting is top-notch with moments of the subtle and dramatic interspersed.

Beyond the surface level and aesthetics, the consistent themes and storytelling of Miyazaki’s work are displayed at possibly an all-time best. Through the hero’s journey, the concepts of grief, violence and coming-of-age are explored in an allegorical manner akin to films like Spirited Away and KiKi’s Delivery Service. Although the film is set in 1940s post-WWII Japan, the themes of war and self-discovery are meticulously written to retain timelessness and relevancy to our current society. Now more than ever, Miyazaki’s clear stance on how war can affect countries as a whole and the youth affected mirrors current events today.

When fans of films, especially Canadians, discovered that the film would be premiering as the opening film for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it solidified Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s place in cinema as a trailblazer. His work has gone on to be referenced in games, and live-action works and is a key influence for other esteemed film professionals. It was so obvious even walking alongside King St. W where all the magic was happening at TIFF. The film became the first ever animated and international film to open for the festival, Torotonians lined up hours early for the special merch pop-up and for the small possibility of snagging last-minute tickets to see the film. Suffice it to say that the videography of Studio Ghibli means a lot to general audiences and film as a whole.

A swan song (pun half-intended) to the works of Studio Ghibli’s past, Hayao Miyazaki blends all the things audiences love about his work and creates a film that pays homage to the classics while standing on its own as a formidable film. The Boy and the Heron is a love letter to all the fans who look towards his films and animation as a source of inspiration and solace. Although the story will not be the easiest to understand once you exit the theatre, you leave with the same breathtaking awe and wonder that comes after watching a film of such calibre and raw passion.

The subtitled and dubbed versions of The Boy and the Heron are in theatres now. For more information or to buy tickets, check the link here.

Images courtesy of TIFF

One man's trash is probably my treasure

The sentimental art of junk journaling 

By Nalyn Tindall

The outside of this journal full of treasures (Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

My tendency for “sentimental hoarding,” coupled with my lifelong habit of collecting stickers I was too afraid to use because I may regret their placement, has found the perfect outlet in the form of my junk journal: A scrapbook compiling each little piece of my days, barraged in stickers to complete the maximalist yet delightful aesthetic.

Sometimes the packaging of products, whether intentional or not, is just too cute for me to bear throwing out, and that's where my junk journal comes in. From concert tickets to bread tags, each scrap of paper helps to tell my story. How else am I supposed to remember what type of iced tea I had or reminisce about my dentist appointment? Chances are, if you give me a business card, or I have tags from my latest shopping splurge, this is exactly where they’ll end up.

Let’s take a look inside.

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

This is the first page I ever made. Since moving to Toronto to study, my parents have sent me cards in the mail for every holiday that passes. With that, I accumulated a large collection of envelopes, each graced with a stamp, which you can see here. The colourful envelopes and stamps, each housing their own artwork, sparked my sentimental urge to start this scrapbook

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

This is where stickers started to take the lead. Not only is this piece covered in them, but the primary piece of trash which makes up this piece was the packing from a set of stickers. While I love making sentimental pieces, I also just like to collage. Finding a monochromatic scheme and seeing what adorable stickers I can incorporate brings me just as much joy.

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

Sometimes garbage isn't pretty on its own. While holding on to my daily scraps, I’ve noticed that the world is made up of a lot of black and white trash, but when pieced together, I like to think they can make something pretty too. These mementos are a reminder of my daily purchases and transit rides, the menial moments that make up each day.

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

Not every piece needs to be a mass amalgamation of tiny pieces. Sometimes a nice shopping bag and some pretty packing is enough to slap some stickers on and call it a day.

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

Last summer, I visited Montreal and Quebec City for the first time and I couldn’t have been more glad that I started this journal. Over the course of my trip, I kept a small pouch of each of the scraps of paper I collected. Tickets, tags, labels, wrappers and receipts paint the story of my week. I’m able to look at these two pages as a reminder of each tourist attraction I visited and look back fondly on my trip.

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

(Sammy Kogan/CanCulture)

This is just the beginning of my junk journaling journey. Beside my desk sits a container of scraps and stickers waiting to be pieced together. This practice allows me to reflect both in the process of making each collage and every time I flip through the book, not only basking in the memories but enjoying each piece of art my life has formed.

Palestinian protesters removed from Scotiabank Giller Prize Ceremony

Palestinian protesters decide to make a stand as Canada continues to ignore the genocide in Gaza.

By Hannah Mercanti

A title in bold reads ‘Canada’s banks: investing in genocide.’ In red: Scotiabank: $500 million in Elbit Systems, the largest foreign shareholder in the Israeli arms manufacturer. In blue: Bank of Montreal: $90 million loan to Elbit Systems in 2021.

A multicoloured graphic displaying the amounts of money Canada’s banks have invested in Israeli arms manufacturers. (@michaeldeforgecomics/Instagram)

It's a still November evening at the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Authors, readers, and Canadian visionaries stream into the glamorous Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville in downtown Toronto, sheathed in an array of fine fabrics and colours like a brigade of fancy parrots flying south for the winter.

Inside, the stage is wide and expansive, and behind it, the Giller Prize Logo floats on a Scotiabank-red tinted screen. As attendees file in and take their seats, Canada’s most prestigious literary gala and awards event begins.

Rick Mercer is hosting, and as he walks across the stage, two unidentified audience members take to the stage with signs that simply read, “SCOTIABANK FUNDS GENOCIDE.”

As they clambered to the front of the stage and hauled themselves up, another member of the audience began to shout, “Scotiabank currently has a 500-million dollar stake in Elbit systems.” 

Elbit Systems — an Israel-based arms manufacturer and defence contractor — is the country’s largest private arms company. According to The Database of Israeli Military and Security Export, Elbit manufactures about 85 per cent of the Israeli military’s land-based equipment and drones. Additionally, Elbit Systems is “one of the main providers” of the electronic detection fence system for the Israeli West Bank barrier, a border wall which is illegal under international law.

In 2022, BNN Bloomberg reported that Scotiabank’s asset management arm held a 5 per cent  share of Elbit Systems (US$440 million), making the bank “the largest foreign shareholder in a publicly traded Israeli defence contractor.” Despite public outcry and other financial groups pulling their investments from the defence contractor in recent years, Scotiabank has maintained its investment in the Israeli company.

The protest group was quickly escorted out by police and later arrested, said Giller spokesperson Robyn Mogil, according to the Globe and Mail.

The event was interrupted for a second time as Canadiana author Sarah Bernstein was being announced as the winner for her novel Study for Obedience. This time, a protester disguised as a photographer began shouting at the stage before being walked out by authorities and arrested.

Canadian writers have since expressed their shock and anger at the arrest of the protestors. To show their support for the protestors and for Palestine at large, a group of Canadian authors have written an open letter to the Canadian government to drop the charges against the protestors.

Farzana Doctor is one of the many authors involved in the creation of this letter.

“The morning after the Scotiabank Giller Gala, a few authors came together to talk about our reactions to the protest at the ceremony,” wrote Doctor in an email to CanCulture. “We were troubled that protesters were forcibly removed, reportedly held for three hours, and charged. 

During the gala, “protesters were booed by the audience and forcibly removed, and after the event ended, they were reportedly detained by police for three hours, and are now facing charges,” reads the open letter.

According to an article from CTV, the protestors were charged with obstructing, interrupting, and/or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property and use of a forged document. “These are serious charges,” says Doctor. She says the point of the letter is to ask for the charges against the protestors to be dropped, and an opportunity for authors to show their support for Palestine and call for a ceasefire.

“We ask all of our literary institutions to be loud where our governments and news outlets have been silent,” reads the letter. The letter details Israel’s attacks and ongoing assault on Palestine, and urges our government to say something and call for a ceasefire.

In the days after the protest, Elena Rabinovich, executive director of the Giller Prize, made a statement in which she described the protests as, “disrespect to Canadian authors, and their literary achievements that were made throughout the year.”

Doctor says it was important for all those who signed and took part in the creation to express that “we do not feel it was disrespectful.” As of their last count, she reported over 2200 signatures for the Canadian Literature commuting, including Sarah Bernstein, this year's winner of the Giller Prize, and winners from past years.

Though the Google Form is now closed, Canadian writers and editors who would like to support are encouraged by Doctor to do so, and can sign by emailing @authorsrespond@gmail.com.

Doctor urges readers and writers to sign petitions before the Canadian government, call their representatives, attend protests, and share awareness on social media. 

“There is significant silence on the topic both on the part of our representatives and the media,” she says. “We all have a role in interrupting that silence.”

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person: Ariane Louis-Seize’s feature debut contains lots of blood, and even more heart #TIFF2023

Although not wholly original, the horror-comedy presents some unique ideas and follows through with a solid execution full of humanity (and vampiranity)

A dark-haired teenage girl (Sara Montpetit) examines her vampire fangs with her hand

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person delights audiences with its use of humour and compassionate handling of sensitive subjects (Courtesy of TIFF)

By Caelan Monkman

Would you compromise your morals, even at the expense of alienating yourself from your family — or worse — your own death?

That is the question that Canadian director Ariane Louis-Seize attempts to answer in her debut feature film, the horror-comedy Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.

The film follows Sasha (Sara Montpetit), a “teenage” vampire (she’s 68, which is like 17 in vampire years) who, according to a vampire pediatrician — yes, you read that correctly — possesses a neurological condition which makes her feel compassion towards her human victims, rather than hunger. As a result, Sasha can’t bring herself to kill humans for food, electing instead to drink blood from IV bags as though they were hemoglobin-filled Kool-Aid Jammers.

Out of frustration and a desire to cure her condition, Sasha’s family elects to send her away to live with her cousin Denise (Noémie O’Farrell), hoping that some time away from home will set Sasha straight.

Feeling isolated from her family and unable to express her extremely-vampire-specific dilemma with others, Sasha struggles with how to move forward, ultimately electing to attend a depression support group. There, she meets Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a suicidal teenager who — after putting two and two together about Sasha’s bloodthirsty predicament — offers his life to her as a guilt-free blood sacrifice.

What follows is an unlikely friendship between the two misunderstood minors, who, through each other, discover there’s perhaps more to life than just survival.

The film wears its influences on its sleeve, sharing similarities with black comedies like The End of the F***ing World and The Addams Family while still creating a distinctly original end product. It also doesn’t take itself too seriously, being aware of the absurdities that can arise from the modern-day lives of vampires, à la What We Do In The Shadows.

Additionally, the film has a distinctly Canadian feel to it — and not just because of the multiple utterances of tabarnak and a creative and humorous scene involving poutine. The unique, independent spirit of the film is reminiscent of the (admittedly more abstract) absurdist films of Guy Maddin, or of Jason Reitman’s TIFF-premiering classic, Juno.

Billed as a horror-comedy, the film leans into horror tropes primarily as aesthetic choices, often subverting them for comedic effect. Much of the film is presented matter-of-factly and with a deadpan delivery, allowing the absurdity of the situation to carry the humour.

Despite the film’s humorous subject matter, it also contains its fair share of surprisingly profound moments. Dealing with topics such as depression and suicide, the film approaches these themes head-on, facing them with equal parts compassion and humour, without ever trivializing them.

At times the film could do to sit on these emotional beats a bit longer, but regardless, they still work well and provide some lovely tender moments amongst the deadpan of the rest of the film.

The end result is a film that leans heavily on common horror and coming-of-age tropes but still gives audiences an original end result and has them feeling good as the credits roll.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is now available for digital rental and is playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on January 27.



CanCulture’s night out at the Hot Docs Podcast Fest! Q with Tom Power in conversation with Kevin Drew #CandidCulture

This October, CanCulture Multimedia Editor Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng watched a live taping of CBC’s Q with Tom Power at the Hot Docs Podcast Festival. His conversation with Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew delved into his music, artistry and life. 

At the end of the event, he handed Anna-Giselle a copy of his book Towards Everything and said “No one carries around cash anymore,” and smiled! Thanks, Mr. Drew! 

Gather ‘round and join Anna-Giselle and Editor-in-Chief Mariana Schuetze as they discuss the event and Kevin Drew’s latest solo album, Aging in another episode of Candid Culture! 

Candid Culture's theme music is Soft dream by DJ Messagroove from Free Music Archive.

Are the 2010s back already? CanCulture’s 2024 fashion trend predictions

Fashion trends might be seeing a blast to the past, but we’ve also got some new style predictions for the new year: 

By Lauren Watson

Celebrities like Rihanna, Olivia Wilde and Blake Lively showcase 2010s fashion trends like chevron print, rose choker necklaces and infinity scarfs. The background of the collage showcases a demon print and a light pink background.

The 2010s comeback is on the way. Images sourced from Getty Images/Pexels, and the collage was made with Photoshop. ( Lauren Waston/CanCulture)

If the past few years of fashion have taught us anything, it's that the trend cycle is inevitably repetitive. For many of us, the late 90s/early 2000s fashion will always have a special place in our hearts, but the cyclical nature of fashion means the slow decline of the 90s and Y2K  influence and the resurgence of their hipster-inspired other half– the 2010s. 

We’ve already begun seeing skinny jeans making their way back into our favourite influencer’s wardrobes, we can’t help but wonder what else from this somewhat forgettable era will return. Would it be over-the-top statement necklaces or business-forward outfits worn at the club? Only time will tell…

Below is a list composed of the potential new trends coming in the new year based on looks showcased at the 2023 F/W Fashion Art Toronto and other current favourites from local influencers. If you feel so inclined, you can add them to your wardrobe, too.

Statement Jewelry

Lizzi.jpg, spennyroad, SUBURBAN DEVIANT

Models showcasing Suburban Deviant designs on the red carpet.

Suburban Deviant models posing for the red carpet (via Instagram @suburbandeviant)

In the coming year, less is no longer more. Chunky silver hoops, intricate gemstone rings, and gorgeous cotton rosette chokers are going to be the must-haves for spring of 2024. Exemplified by Toronto clothing brand Suburban Deviant’s most recent collection. Designer Danny Welsh showcased one eye-catching piece after another at Fashion Art Toronto F/W 23, but the statement necklace in look 06 “Alter Ego” is a personal favorite and a tasteful ode to the 2010s favourite accessory.  

Layers, Layers, Layers

Tops over bottoms 

Model wearing a white blouse with a purple textured tie. On the bottom the model wears a layered skirt with two belts

One of Macel's looks for Fashion Art Toronto Fall/Winter 2023 collection (Monserrat Quintana/CanCulture)

If the statement choker necklace was not enough to convince you the 2010s are making its comeback, may I introduce you to skirts over pants. Layering three tank tops over a long sleeve might not have been your cup of tea back in the days, but this trend of layered bottoms seems to be everyone's new obsession. This new spin on a timeless trend of layering offers everyone a chance to revamp their wardrobe without having to spend money on new garments. Thrift a lace skirt from your go-to spot and throw it over your favourite pair of baggy jeans to create a new look that melds the line of androgyny and fashion norms. 

Patterns On Patterns 

House of Hendo 

Model wearing a sparkly silver dress along with a silver wig on the runway

House of Hendo look for Fall/Winter 2023 Fashion Art Toronto collection (Monserrat Quintana/CanCulture)

Speaking of challenging fashion norms, 2024 will be the year of experimenting with patterns and textures that would normally never exist simultaneously. The passing of the beloved Vivienne Westwood at the end of 2022 seemed to reignite the masses’ flaming love for modern punk fashion. Toronto-based influencer Rebecca-Jo Dunham-Baruchel is the perfect example of how to wear this eclectic style. She can often be seen paying tribute to the VW brand in her own styling of  the classic tartine skirt.. In the new year, prepare to mix your plaids and lean into the rebel persona.

Demin To Die For

LACEL

A model wearing a denim outfit walks the runway

Fashion Art Toronto model showcases Lacel. (Reema Najjar/CanCulture)

Switching gears to something more timeless — the denim uniform.  Denim on denim is not a new concept but local designer LACEL is putting their own spin on this beloved combination by introducing custom jackets with striking prints and metal hardware. If you’re looking for other ways to spice up your denim this upcoming season consider investing in a more non-traditional wash or throwing a little 70s spin into your jeans with bold prints and dramatic boot-cut silhouettes . 

Step up your shoe game

One of the major fashion faux pas is to not pair open toe shoes with hosiery. Many fashion innovators had been challenging this rule circa early 2010s, and this combination has come even more to the foreground with Miu Miu inspired looks. We can expect to see pointed slingback kitten heels with  funky-coloured tights to take over this holiday season and persist well into the new year. 

More Business, Less Casual 

Miuccia Prada’s decision to reintroduce menswear back into the Miu Miu spring 2023 collection was one that came with controversy and excitement. The new collection showcased more androgynous looks which have translated into the brand gaining an entirely new cult following. Their signature “preppy academia” look is filling the explore pages of all social media platforms. Adding a classic cool grey cardigan and a pair of sheer knee high socks to your wardrobe is sure to keep you looking up to date.

Lots of leather

Leather, spice and everything nice — a staple outerwear that is not only practical for colder climates but also the perfect way to add an edge to your wardrobe or elevate a basic outfit. With love for this fabric more rampant than ever, fashion houses like Diesel and more local brands like Fugnitto have played their hand perfectly with honing in on leather products. Whether it's investing in a classic leather coat or new pair of cowboy boots, this is definitely a trend to look out for in 2024. 

Bows, pink and coquette core!

Kerotix

A model in a pink and grey outfit walks down the runway amidst rows of attendees 

Kerotix showcases a out of this world collection for the first time FAT FW 2023 (Kinza Zafar/CanCulture)

Last on the list has to be my personal favourite. The coquette core in general has risen in  popularity over the last few months but I predict it will truly hit its climax next spring. This is by far the easiest trend to participate in for the new year as ribbons are such a simple accessory that elevates and adds a touch of femininity to any outfit. I would strongly suggest checking out Kerotix’s new collection shown at FAT F/W 2023 for some inspo. I’m calling it now though, pink bows will definitely be the symbol for 2024 fashion. 

As we enter 2024, I highly recommend spending some time looking into the upcoming trends and be sure to make it your own by adding your personal flair. Voila! There couldn’t be a more perfect motivation for the new year!

2023 fashion unveiled: exploring the trends

From Blokette to Barbie-Core, take a look at this year’s fashion resonance of styles and subcultures 

By Teresa Valenton

A collage of different clothing and aesthetic styles

 2023 ends with various aesthetics taking over social media platforms and our wardrobes. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

In the vast fashion landscape of 2023, social media and pop culture fueled a range of aesthetics, styles and trends. This unique blend showcases global influences and homegrown creativity. This year witnessed the rapid rise and fall of micro and macro aesthetics in the likes of “blokette,” “gorp core,” and “coquette.” Join CanCulture as we review this year’s most notable trends where style met culture.

Blokette

@beckykim_ thank u @wavykaren for the inspo!! 🫶 #blokettestyle ♬ like and follow - sm.

We’ve all seen the Blokette aesthetic take over fashion TikTok for some time now. Whether it was through your favourite celebrities or the influencer-sponsored brand, this aesthetic has surfaced the internet by storm. The term “Blokette” was first coined by the podcast Nymphet Alumni, to describe the pairing of sportswear with the detailing of hyper-feminine pieces.

This aesthetic channels your typical 90s casual look with the bow craze of 2023. Think football jerseys, baggy jeans, and Adidas Sambas paired with dainty skirts, bows and silver jewelry. Despite its inherent gender-based juxtaposition, this trend is not limited by the gender binary. This aesthetic has been adopted and executed by many — join in by taking your stereotypical sporty pieces and styling them into your own wardrobe! 

Gorp-Core

Noted by a variety of TikTokers as 2023’s most functional aesthetic, ‘Gorp-Core’ transforms practical, outdoorsy pieces and styles them into editorial fashion. With the term initially created by writer and editor Jason Chen to describe “defiantly ugly” outdoor fashion, “Gorp-Core” has now taken over the functional fashion world. Key pieces include hiking boots, cargo pants, windbreaker jackets and a warm hat, with minimal accessories to elevate the look.

While this trend continues on the rise, many Canadian brands stand at the forefront of the “Gorp-Core” aesthetic such as Canada Goose, Arc’teryx and Rudsak. According to Vogue, this trend focuses on “sporty, utilitarian pieces that are made for embracing the outdoors.” Whether these styles are toned down for a street style look, or used in functionality, this style is reflective of an interest boost for outdoor activities post-pandemic. 

Coquette 

Not to be confused with “ballet-core” or the “clean girl” aesthetic, the ‘coquette’ trend is a compilation of all things “frilly and lacy.”. Characterized by lace, flushed blush and dainty hair accessories, this look embraces femininity at its core. You’ll often see people wearing pieces in a coherent colour palette comprised of pinks and whites. Ideally, the Coquette” closet staples are hair bows, lace dresses, ear muffs and shrug cardigans. 

This aesthetic moves past fashion and into the aesthetic lifestyles of those who engage with the movement. With over 1.3 billion views on TikTok, the visual aesthetics of the “Coquette” movement position it as a “soft lifestyle” based on dance and rehearsal apparel. Despite the influence of Japanese Lolita subcultures and Rococo-era fashion, the “Coquette” look now refers to the light-hearted girly style.

Recession-Core

In a world where many have become keen to over-consumption habits, the term “recession-core” reflects the minimal nature of a post-COVID-19 world. Moving forward from the Y2K maximalism present in recent decades, natural tones have become popular with the younger generation. With beige and neutral colour palettes and simplistic fashion trends rising through social media, this aesthetic directly reflects a downturned economy. 

An extreme sense of “gloominess” has been added to recent runway exhibits and red carpets as accessories and over-the-top styles have been pushed back. This androgynous aesthetic is experimental and rule-breaking with closet basics. Subversive basics and silver jewelry can be classified within this aesthetic. This style encourages individuals to style what they have and stay conscious about their consumer habits during a recession. 

Barbie-Core

@erin22xoxo When I say I’m OBSESSED with the second dress 🥹💗 @prettylittlething crushed it as usual 🥹 which was your fav?! #prettylittlething #pinkdress #pinkdressgirl #pinkdressoutfit #barbieoutfits #barbieoutfit #barbiedress #torontoinfluencer #torontocreator ♬ Barbie Girl - Lady Aqua

Alongside the highly anticipated Barbie film earlier this year, the vibrant, pink “Barbie-core” aesthetic defines 2023. Although hot pinks and vibrancy are no new aesthetic, much of the newly gained hype can be credited to the film. Since the Barbie movie became one of the highest-grossing movies of this year, pink products have been making an appearance everywhere. From platform pumps, purses, and over-the-top accessories, this pinky aesthetic was a summer staple.

The entirety of this aesthetic can be encapsulated by the colour pink by itself. Whether it's an intense hue of hot pink or a pastel shade of baby pink, this aesthetic embraces the plastic doll’s signature looks through everyday looks. According to People Magazine, the “silhouettes range from latex mini dresses to dainty fit-and-flares.” Barbie-core” can be adapted to all body types. Whether you are curvy, petite, short, tall or everything in between, embrace the Barbie lifestyle by taking on this aesthetic. !

While trends come and go, these five aesthetics defined 2023 in an abundance of ways. From pop culture references to an economic downturn, much can be taken from the popular fashion trends of this year. As subcultures and the defiance of conventions arise, let this past year be an introduction to the world of fashion trends. You may even be able to incorporate aspects of each trend into your wardrobe — nonetheless, let’s see what trends lie ahead in the new year.

The hustle of student business owners

Student entrepreneurs show ambition and drive since their humble beginnings 

By Aliya Karimjee

After growing tired of hearing the people around him simply say they would follow their dream without committing to it, RJ Mijares, a third-year business management student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), persevered to show dreams can come true with hard work.  In February 2023, he created RJM and Co., a printing and embroidery business. 

Today’s status quo for young adults is to gain post-secondary education in order to secure a stable job or make career moves of their own, with nearly 58 per cent of working-age Canadians having post-secondary credentials. However, TMU students have taken it into their own hands  to use the skills they’ve acquired from their university programs to create their dream businesses on their own — without waiting for graduation day. 

Hoping to be a "young businessman who can prove himself in the real world," Mijares chose to apply the knowledge he has gained so far from his program and additional psychology electives to a real-life business. 

From his major, he has learned elements of a successful business alongside its technical aspects, such as operations, purchasing and supply management as well as general finance and accounting skills. 

Using his resources and connections, Mijares created his own brand, focusing on the human relationship between him and his customers.

“I really wanted to bring a sense of coolness to the manufacturer. Usually when you’re creating a product, you don’t really think about the actual person that’s behind the scenes making it. So I really wanted to create something where people are like, I want to be in a relationship with the person that’s making my products,” says Mijares. 

He believes fast fashion’s quality is incomparable to small businesses and he aims for his products to last longer than a year. In order to do so, Mijares keeps in close contact with his overseas distributors. 

Mijares wants to ensure his customers of the high quality and effort they receive in the products he manufactures. To provide transparency with his customers, Mijares posts photos of his business’s progress and reels of the process — in which he also includes failed attempts. 

Unlike many large-scale corporate businesses, which usually don't connect personally with their customers, Mijares decided to prioritize client connections in his work. He confirmed this is especially important since his business model depends on people wanting to create. 

Black hat with dog embroidery. 

Some examples of his holiday products include a custom-made hat for a couple in which the girlfriend drew a dog on a cap. (Courtesy of RJ Mijares)

The possibilities are endless. These types of gifts give a personal touch and allow storytelling through art.

He has also produced orders for school clubs, political movements and many other requests from his clients. 

Since he started his business, Mijares has planned his orders and schedules two to three weeks ahead of time, with an average of 30 orders a week. Initially, he struggled to get his business out there and know how to price point it for customers to be interested.

"I think the big problem when we first started was settling for low margins, settling for break-evens, and those hurt you [badly],” shares Mijares. “So I think that the hardest challenge was figuring out how to get price points for things." 

RJ Mijares holding a sweater for the Palestinian Cultural Club.

This green sweater is an example of one of Mijares’ products, this one for a Palestinian Cultural Club. (Courtesy of RJ Mijares)

Since then, he has learnt that reinvesting money is the best way to keep his business going. 

“It’s not about profit, it’s about having money left over to invest in the business,” explains Mijares. 

He has set goals for when he wants to innovate specific ideas. Within his classes, Mijares has learned that discounts aren't very feasible for small businesses. Instead, he believes in customer loyalty programs and is considering implementing such initiatives for continuous shoppers. 

Mijares’ future ideas involve playing a role in his customers’ holiday shopping and integrating his business into other schools. Thinking two seasons ahead to the summer, Mijares knows he will get the chance to participate in summer markets — a dream goal of his. 

Mijares isn’t alone in his bold business moves and ambitions. 

The entrepreneurial journey of TMU student Nazha Syriani 

Nazha Syriani, founder of Nazha’s Crafts, produces crochet goods such as pillows, hats, bags, bracelets or scrunchies. 

The third-year TMU fashion student’s creativity is inspired by political movements. 

Her crafts are influenced by her Palestinian and Newfoundland backgrounds and her previous knowledge of, and she incorporates fashion, which includes sewing, crocheting and designing. 

Initially, she was posting Instagram pictures of her crafts or proudly wearing them outside. 

A red, black, white and green Palestinian flag crochet keychain. 

Recently, she crocheted a Palestinian flag for herself; however, in support of her country, many people took an interest. (Courtesy of Nazha Syriani)

"I had the [Palestinian] flag as a keychain on my backpack, and one of my friends noticed it, loved it and asked to buy it from me,” Syriani says. “People want to show their support, so I started making more.”

On top of being a student five days a week, a dancer twice a week and a daughter to her family, she believes all her hard work in this business is worth it because for her, especially when she gets to see her clients' faces and think, “I created that expression.” She welcomes creativity and will produce any design her customers’ hearts wish. Simultaneously, she also has designs of her own.

In personal and professional projects, she always values sustainability. 

Everything Syriani makes is handmade, and whenever she can, she uses “upcycled material.” 

"Recently, one of the things that I had at the Christmas market was a tote bag I made,” shares Syriani. “The fabric from the strap was used from an old pair of jeans, and then the actual stuff was from Value Village." 

A blue tote bag with a blue jean strap. 

An example of Nazha Siryani’s work, a handmade bag made out of an old pair of jeans and some other stuff from Value Village (Courtesy of Nazha Siryani)

She explains that larger-scale companies you could easily buy from don’t share those same efforts. 

“The tag will say 5 per cent recyclable, but it’s only talking about the actual tag, not the garment itself,” says Syriani. 

She finds it very important for people to support local services to not only help small-business owners like her, but also keeping the environment in mind. 

Syriani adds that she, herself, supports small businesses. She remembers visiting the Eaton Centre in Toronto where a small market was taking place earlier in the year. Within the market, many small businesses had set up their own stands from which she “tried to buy items from almost each one.”

Understanding the struggles of being a small business and the market she's entering, Syriani’s putting in the change she wants to see.

Syriani is no stranger to small-business struggles, and “finding the balance between knowing how to price things and the cost of my time,” echoing Mijares’ personal obstacles as well.

As a fashion business student, she tries to solve this issue with the knowledge she learned in certain classes that went over concepts, including calculating the costs of labour and materials. 

She had to create a cost sheet in her design courses after sewing a pair of pants. 

"That helps me [to create] prices. Especially if I'm buying wool, I can't use the same price as what the wool cost; I have to price it as to how much I will use from that roll. So every little thing comes into place," says Syriani. 

All the touching moments make all her efforts in business worth it for her in the end. 

She recounts one of her most memorable moments: her first sale. Syriani’s high school friend saw the evil eye pillow she had crocheted and bought one for her sister. After that first sale, she followed up with the purchase of a Palestinian pillow. 

“When I sold [the evil eye pillow] for the first time, I took a picture of myself with my money envelope,” says Syriani. “It was a very special moment because I've never sold anything I've made before besides making it for others [as] gifts.” 

Syriani adds that the TMU community has been just as supportive of her. She says her design history teacher bought a little coin purse and ordered the big evil eye pillow.

To achieve her goal, Syriani plans to take the necessary steps to grow bigger and bigger. By crocheting, posting more, getting noticed and going to markets, she hopes to gain enough profit to move her company onto an online platform like Etsy. 

However, her ultimate goal is to be a fashion designer using her own name, as it’s also her Teta’s — grandmother in Arabic — name. She believes her name makes her unique, and it’s a part of who she is. 

"I am Palestinian and want to represent that part of myself,” says Syriani.  

In everything she does, especially in designing, Syriani tries to incorporate her mom’s Newfoundland culture and her dad’s Palestinian culture. 

“I'm not just Canadian. I'm not just Palestinian. I'm both, and they're both very important to me." 

Toronto Art Crawl: Empowering local artists and designers during the holiday season

Artists showcase their finest work at the Toronto Art Crawl Christmas market

By Kristian Tofilovski

Inside the Toronto Art Crawl Christmas Market, Dec. 3, 2023 (Kristian Tofilovski/CanCulture)

The Toronto Art Crawl hosted its ninth annual Christmas market, highlighting the work of more than 80 local artists and designers.

Nadia Lloyd, an artist and designer, founded the Toronto Art Crawl in 2013 to share the work of local artists and designers while also promoting culture and creativity in the city. Throughout the year, the organization holds a variety of events, including its much-anticipated Christmas market.

Hosted at the Great Hall on Queen West, vendors sold food, jewelry, home decor items, photographs and more.

The event also included a live DJ playing holiday tunes, a bar area with warm beverages and sparkling string lights dangling across the ceiling. These elements created an environment that was nostalgic, cozy and filled with the Christmas spirit, turning ordinary shopping into a joyful, multisensory experience that draws public attention.

"I've really enjoyed the vendors, the venue and the decor," said one event goer who decided to check out the market after passing by its sign outside.

A live DJ plays at the Toronto Art Crawl Christmas market, taken on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kristian Tofilovski/CanCulture)

Vendors are given great networking opportunities with consumers and fellow business owners through art markets.

"This is only my second event and I’ve already made great connections," said a vendor, commonly referred to by her nickname as Dr. Auntie Ruby, owner of Dr. Auntie Ruby Stuff. "It builds a sense of community,” she added.

Art markets also provide a platform for local artists to advocate for social causes that are meaningful to them.

Janet Holmes, a local photographer, donates her profits from selling art prints and cards of wild and rescued animals and from her book, Nest: Rescued Chickens at Home, to animal rescue. Holmes said, "I encourage people to see farmed animals differently, not just as food on our tables but as individuals with personalities."

A key goal of these art markets is to offer sustainable shopping experiences often lost in online and retail shopping, which helps preserve local businesses and culture. However, some vendors find that promoting their businesses through art markets can be costly. According to the Toronto Art Crawl website, fees for a booth start at $235, including tax.

Vendors say that sharing their products with others is a key factor to supporting their businesses.

"It doesn't have to be a grand gesture," said Cyan Hill, an ambassador for Pepper Brew, highlighting the benefit of getting the word out on social media.

Holmes said displaying artists' products in your home or at work also helps spark conversation with others and draws interest to their causes.

Lia Reyes (left) and Dr. Auntie Ruby (right) represent Dr. Auntie Ruby Stuff at the Toronto Art Crawl Christmas market, taken on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kristian Tofilovski/CanCulture)

The booth for Janet Holmes Photography at the Toronto Art Crawl Christmas market. (Photograph by Janet Holmes)

Cyan Hill represents Pepper Brew at the Toronto Art Crawl Christmas market booth, taken on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kristian Tofilovski/CanCulture)

The atmospheric and supportive shopping experiences that art markets are able to provide continue to remain unmatched. So, if you are looking for a new way to shop for the holiday season or during the rest of the year, art markets are a great place to check out!

Beauty trends we loved this year – A CanCulture 2023 round-up

Five looks which took over this year’s red carpets, Instagram feeds and morning routines.

By Alina Jaffer

A shopping cart full of makeup products like blush, lipstick and nail polish. 

 (Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels)

CanCulture is looking back at the hair and makeup styles which complimented – and perhaps completed – 2023’s fashion landscape. Here are five of our favourites:

Balletcore 

This ballet spin on classic glam wants us to embrace soft pastels and delicate frills. To bring out your inner ballerina, apply a touch of liquid highlighter before foundation. Then, elevate this lit-from-within-look with pale, shimmery eyeshadow and baby pink blush. And don’t forget the style’s staple: a well-lined muted lip. 

Balletcore exists beyond the makeup world as well. According to Elle Canada, it manifests in hairdos as buns – sleek, twisted, loose, braided and everything in between. Whichever version the bun takes on, bows are a welcome addition. 

Strawberry Makeup

Ontario-based Cheekbone Beauty says strawberry makeup is their favourite trend of the year. 

The aesthetic which ruled during this summer is all about pops of pink. Start by swiping a generous amount of berry-hued blush over a dewy base, focusing on your cheeks and eyelids. Pair this rosy glow with a glossy lip and, if you want to really commit, some faux freckles. 

To get the look, Cheekbone Beauty recommends their cedar brown empower eyeliner, power brow gel, askihk sustain lipstick and sweetgrass harmony lipgloss.

Scandi Hairline

Lightening face-framing baby hairs will make your complexion seem brighter while giving an effortless aire to blonde blowouts. This hair hack’s funky name is an homage to the sun-kissed highlights of Scandinavian influencers like Matilda Djerf. 

Marie-Anne Labrie, a beautician from Montreal, teaches her Instagram followers how to tweak this brightening effect for a soft grow-out using foils and balayage. Her method may suit darker blondes who want to test the trend but worry about maintenance. 

Cold Girl Makeup

As temperatures drop, cold girl makeup was revived and updated for 2023. 

Inspired by the frostbitten flush brought on by winter weather, this look requires a cool-toned blush on the apples of your cheeks and the tip of your nose. You can add dimension to the look with a frosted eyeshadow, an icy highlighter and a gradient lip. 

Check out how Toronto-based makeup artist Valeriia Shyshkanova adopts the aesthetic in her promotional video for Gee Beauty. 

Latte Makeup

Coffee-coloured browns are the stars of 2023’s favourite Fall makeup fad. 

Opt for this monochromatic look by bronzing up your skin, wearing a nude lip and playing up neutral eyeshadows. For inspiration, check out the video tutorial above from Toronto’s Nudestix. 

As we move into the new year, beauty lovers will wait and see whether these five trends stand the test of time. 

A Roomful of Surprises: What Gifts Can You Find in Your Room?

It's giving season. How can you give on a budget?

By Mariana Schuetze

New year, new me, right?

Before the new year comes around, I thought I'd get rid of some clutter in my room. In doing that, and with my Christmas shopping list in mind, I ended up finding some iconic things I might just give some friends in this giving season.

Tote bag

I bet all my left hand you also have at least a handful of tote bags hanging around your room right now. Slightly-loved tote bags, after some well-deserved washing, will make for a great gift to a friend or loved one. They can also be the packaging of another gift but with a little extra touch of you and extra help for the environment.

Green snake-patterned tote bag, with black handles, hanging on a white wall.

I bought this tote bag when I first went to New York in 2016. It was very helpful back then, and I've used it a bunch since. Now, it will serve as a great gift bag for my friend. (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Journal

An empty journal is another classic staple in my room. I counted at least five when doing this year's decluttering. You can even fill them up with some little notes, pictures and lovely memories, making it a great, personal gift.

Purple journal on a white background. The cover of the journal says: "I was born to be wild. But only until 9pm or so."

This one is actually a re-gift (another classic, am I right?). I got this from my mom last year, it was an extra journal she got as a work gift, I believe, and I have never used it. Therefore, it's ready to be handed to someone who will love it better (maybe back to my mom, hoping she won't notice?) (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Friendship bracelets

Friendship bracelets are all the rage lately, and I believe they’re a really cute gift, especially when they’re made with the person in mind. This wasn't the case for these ones, to be honest; these are testers from my do-it-yourself bracelet kit, but I still love them. In a lovely case, and maybe with a handwritten note and some chocolate, this can be a perfect gift.

Two hand-made bracelets on a white background. They are both made with plastic beads. The bracelet on the left has beads with the colours: yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and green. The one on the right has the colours pink, purple and blue.

Fun fact: these two bracelets are supposed to represent the LGBTQAI+ and bisexual flags. The one on the left has similar colours to the Pride flag, and the right one is the bisexual flag (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Fun glasses

Help your friend see the beauty of a last-minute gift through sparkly-coloured glasses! These ones are from a 2022 Elton John concert. They are fun-shaped, and they light up with the push of a button. In all, a really fun gift and perfect for a costume party or for when your friend wants to put on a stadium tour performance in their room.

Blue start-shaped glasses in a white desk

These glasses also present a fun exciting packaging challenge, and the options are endless: do I wrap it up? Put it in a bag and tie it with a bow? Maybe put it in a box? (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Glee DVD

I have to admit, I had a Glee phase–some might say I'm still in it– and for some reason, I decided to ship a season four Glee DVD all the way from the United States to Brazil to be able to watch and rewatch this season (why season four, though?) anytime I wanted. I don't care about Glee that much now, and it's all available on streaming, so I think I'm ready to part ways with it.

Glee season four DVD

Season four's "Guilty Pleasure" used to be my favourite Glee episode, and after rewatching it recently, I’m starting to reconsider all my opinions — what a random episode (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Well, I hope after this journey through some hidden treasures in my room, I've given you some ideas on how to turn clutter into love.

Connecting Music and Art: Exploring Canadian Album Artworks

 Check out the evocative artwork behind some of Canada’s greatest tunes

By Sharon Arulnesan

A collage of album artworks

Learn about some of Canada’s most iconic album artwork. (Sharon Arulnesan/CanCulture)

While listening to your favourite song, have you ever glanced at its album cover and wondered what the connection between the song and the artwork could be?

Often seen as supplementary to the music itself, album artwork has a dual purpose: to captivate listeners and for the musician to tell a visual story of what their music represents.

Many album covers have stood the test of time and are still viewed as some of the most iconic album art of all time. Music listeners, even the most casual, are sure to recognize Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon's simple, yet symbolic, glass prism featured on the album cover, or the controversial baby swimming towards a dollar bill on Nirvana’s Nevermind.

Canadian musicians are no strangers to experimenting with, at first glimpse, offbeat artwork—that actually has an individualized meaning to the musician. From rock to folk to psychedelic R&B, these Canadian album covers all have a fascinating story to share.

Clouds by Joni Mitchell

Mitchell’s 1969 Clouds album artwork (Clouds via Amazon)

The Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell has a career spanning decades of genre-shifting music, setting the stage for Canada’s alternative music scene.

The Clouds album artwork is a self-portrait of Mitchell— her first album to be a self-portrait. Mitchell is holding a prairie lily, the national flower of Saskatchewan, emblematic of her days growing up in the province.

The rich, orange-yellow sky in the artwork offers a parallel to “Chelsea Morning,” a track that is an ode to sunny mornings. Yet, as you move further down the artwork, darker colours emerge, blending themselves with Mitchell’s clothing. This sudden tonal shift could symbolize how the songs in Clouds also change into more solemn, meditative tunes. “Both Sides Now,” one of the more serious tracks of the album, is reflective of the sombre, lower-half of the artwork. The lyrics of the song ruminate on how the most joyous parts of life can also bring about the most gloom.

Fully Completely by The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip’s 1992 album Fully Completely (Fully Completely via Wikipedia)

The explicit artwork featured on The Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely album cover could be a nod to the more progressive culture Canada adopted during the 1990s, with a massive explosion in popularity of the alternative rock genre.

The artwork for Fully Completely was done by Dutch artist Lieve Prins and was created on a Canon colour photocopier. It may seem like a simple process, but it was actually a bit more complex than it sounds; the collage is composed of the heads of the members of The Tragically Hip and two contorted, semi-topless women, surrounded by distorted objects such as coins, flowers and sea creatures. 

At first glance, the artwork seems like a mishmash of images, comparable to works produced during the rise of psychedelic artwork during the 1960s. However, the bizarre piece was intentional, as the songs in the album are just as puzzling, if not more. The songs are reminiscent of Canadian history, told through a stream of consciousness-style lyrics. The track “Looking for a Place to Happen,” deals with the European colonization of Canada, with a scathing reference to Jacques Cartier, a French explorer who was the first to navigate the St. Lawrence River.

Secret Path by Gord Downie

Gord Downie’s Secret Path album cover (Secret Path via Spotify)

Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, never shied away from conceptual album artwork. Secret Path is no exception.

Based on the real-life story of Chanie Wenjack, a young Anishinaabe boy who died while trying to escape his residential school in Kenora, Ont., Secret Path aims to bring more awareness to the darker side of Canadian history and to ensure that stories like Chanie’s won’t be forgotten.

The album cover illustrates a winter scene, lined with a deep woodland, reflective of the climate when Chanie ran away from his residential school. The raven, although a symbol with differing meanings in different cultures, may allude to Chanie’s good sense of humour—in Northwest Indigenous culture, the raven symbolizes mischief and a trickster. 

The album served as inspiration for a graphic novel of the same name, detailing the life of Chanie and his escape from his residential school, featuring music from the Secret Path album and illustrations by Jeff Lemire. A film adaptation was also created, and it's divided into ten chapters, with each chapter featuring a song from Downie’s album and illustrations by Lemire, working together to tell Chanie’s story.

Dawn FM by The Weeknd

Album cover for The Weeknd’s Dawn FM (Dawn FM via Wikipedia)

The artistically ambiguous Dawn FM by The Weeknd is a more modern album that echoes themes of existentialism and mortality. The tracklist pairs nicely with an album cover that features a haunting yet fervent, aged portrait of the musician.

The artwork acts as a sneak peek into the lyrical contents of the album; the frequent motifs of death, and what it means to grow old. In the music video for the track “Gasoline,” the young version of The Weeknd is battering the old man-version of himself— perhaps emphasizing that we cannot run away from the inevitability of getting old no matter how hard we fight.

The cover could also represent the shift in The Weeknd’s discography: the gradual switch from party anthems dealing with sensual subject matters to a more mature, reflective tone in Dawn FM, illustrated by the elderly version of The Weeknd on the album cover.

Moving Pictures by Rush

Album cover for Moving Pictures by the rock band Rush (Moving Pictures via Rush)

Spanning around five decades of Toronto-based rock, Rush is only third behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band. The artwork for Moving Pictures is just as awe-worthy as the band’s accomplishments.

A triple entendre of sorts, the red overalls-clad movers carrying paintings at first seems like an uncomplicated pun directed towards the title of the album: Moving Pictures. But, to the right, we see a group of people crying over how emotionally “moving” the paintings are. To add to the intricacy of the piece, on the back cover of the album there is a camera crew making a “moving picture” of the entire scene.

The back cover of Moving Pictures by Rush (Moving Pictures via Amazon)

Even more mind-bending, the building in the background of the album cover is no other than the Ontario Legislative Building in Queen’s Park in Toronto, a possible nod to the band’s Canadian roots.

Next time you listen to your favourite Canadian track, pay special attention to the album artwork that accompanies it. You never know what hidden messages the musician is communicating to their listeners!

‘The public has a right to art’: Review of Keith Haring’s ‘Art Is For Everybody’ on its Only Canadian Stop in Toronto

The AGO’s latest exhibit brings the protest art of Haring’s work to life 

By Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng

The AGO’s ‘Art Is For Everybody’ exhibit opened early this November and runs until March. Many of Keith Haring’s designs are featured in a wide range of merch, including this piggy bank. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

“Let’s go find the piece about dying,” someone said to their friend as they passed me in the hall of AGO’s latest exhibit featuring selected works from the late Keith Haring. On its opening night, the room was filled with chatter and folks moving around from room to room in the gallery. 

Haring was a pop artist active for 10 years in New York during the AIDS crisis, creating his now-iconic illustrations on public spaces like subway stations in the 1980s. 

Through the clean-cut, zig-zaggy lines of Haring’s art, the world is portrayed vividly, at its most on-edge and feeling. Many featured works represent fears of nuclear disaster, political malignancy and apartheid. 

Death, yes. But much more so, life lived while possible, life lived on a deadline set out by a careless state that didn’t care if it cut lives short. Haring’s piece mocking ‘serial killer’ Ronald Reagan was one of my favourite artworks in the entire gallery. 

Six small wooden frames hold headlines cut out and mismatched glued into new sentences. From top to bottom, the read “Reagan: Ready to Kill, Reagan’s Death Cops Hunt Pope, Pope Killed for Freed Hostage, Reagan son $50G Sex Deal Wife, Reagan Slain by

Haring’s cut-out-headline work on Reagan is political dissent at its finest and funniest.  (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

Haring’s work is instantly recognizable. The hollow outlined stick-people style he’s known, either from the art itself or your friend’s boyfriend’s t-shirt, sprawls the gallery walls and the merch shop's shelves, as you’re funnelled into the store through the exit. It’s incredible how much prolific work he managed to create in a short span of time. It’s even more staggering to think how much more work, art and life we’d have today had the AIDS crisis not been purposely mishandled. We now know that massive oversight by the United States government caused the HIV/AIDS epidemic, when they refused to initially take it seriously, according to leaked records. 

Resistance to oppressive forces in search of queer joy and liberation are intrinsic in the visuals and themes of Haring’s work. 

A bright yellow wall with black text on the side. A large square frame of Keith Haring’s ‘Free South Africa’ where a black figure with a rope around its neck steps on the neck of the smaller, white stick figure holding its chain. A person stands in t

‘Free South Africa’ by Haring in 1985, condemning the apartheid system of racial segregation enforced by the state. . (Anna-Gisele-Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

An exhibited journal entry from Haring reads,“The Public has a right to art [...] The public needs art and it is the responsibility of a “self-proclaimed artist” to realize the public needs art and not just bourgeois art for the few and ignore the masses. Art is for everybody.”

A glass case holds an old wire-bound notebook with yellowed pages. The text on the page is handwritten cursive in blue pen. An identifying care underneath it reads “Notebook No. 3, October 1978, journal, The Keith Haring Foundation. 

Haring’s journal entry from October 1978, where the exhibit takes its name. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

With such a strong emphasis on Haring’s passion for accessible art in public spaces like subways, it’s hard to ignore the irony in the bourgeois commodification of his work present at the shop at the front of the AGO and the end of the exhibit. 

The entirety of the exhibit, Haring’s words and the volume of merch available make you wonder where the line is between creating accessibility to the art and collapsing its political symbolism. Having t-shirts or other merchandise can serve as a gateway to learning about queer history, but when does the excess of merch become overt consumerism?

Stephen Severn, an artist, PhD student and instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University, noted that the original messages of Haring’s work have been diluted despite their popularity ringing true. They say the historical context has to be considered when analyzing and consuming the art. 

“40 years later and it's still in public spaces because people are wearing it as they walk around the city […] Although I don't think that a lot of people understand necessarily the political climate that it was made in or the reasons for making the art or art as being a form of activism,” said Severn.

“It kind of becomes the Mona Lisa, just an image that's been produced constantly and kind of loses its meaning,” they added. 

Haring’s own words encapsulate the juxtaposition of the strong anti-bourgeois message in the art and the $225 French wooden chair no child would sit on willingly (for sad stiff children of the esteemed) featured in the merch stores. 

A bright yellow chair in the shape of a Keith Haring’s style figure with their hands up sits on a white shelf. A wooden box of Keith Haring branded dominoes sits to its left, and on its right a picture book for children titled ‘Keith Haring; The Boy

Children should absolutely learn about Haring and his art through books like the one pictured above, though I’m not totally convinced they’d want to read it from a tiny solid wooden chair. (Anna-Giselle/CanCulture)

Haring would be 65 today. He died at 31 in 1996 of AIDS-related complications. His art, life and work are not distant memories, and it’s difficult not to think about how differently the world would look if he and so many others who lost their lives to the AIDS crisis were here, living the life they deserved to. While we don’t have him here, it is integral that we honour them and learn about their stories.  

Seeing the delight of other queer folks as they explored the different sections of the exhibit and partake in that remembrance was joyous. 

The exhibit honours the basis of Haring’s work by centring the complexity of the queer experience in the explicit joy that comes from community, the joy that comes from seeking collective liberation and expressing those beliefs freely through art. 

“I am interested in making art to be experienced and explored by as many individuals as possible, with as many different individual ideas about the given piece with no final meaning attached,” he says from the wall, above a painting of Mickey Mouse pleasuring himself. 

Mickey is a recurring character in Haring’s art. At times, he appears standing in money, in an Andy-Warhol hybrid. Sometimes Haring’s depiction is used for collabs with Disney, Uniqlo and Coach.  You know, small, local, anti-capitalist brands. 

Haring did face critiques of commercialism while he was alive when opening his store, The Pop Shop in New York, according to his foundation. He responded by saying his goal was, “to continue the same sort of communication as with the subway drawings [...] to attract the same wide range of people, and I wanted it to be a place where not only collectors could come, but also kids from the Bronx.”

“No final meaning attached” leaves room for time to shift meanings. There is room to understand that a Disney Swatch with Haring’s design is not as impactful of a message as the t-shirts from the 80s encouraging people to “Act up, Fight Aids.” There is room for an interpretation that Mickey pleasuring himself represents the Disney corporation’s capitalistic craving for wealth. 

The meaning in Haring’s art may be ambiguous at times, but it extends beyond even death. His final piece, Unfinished Painting from 1989, leaves more than half of the canvas blank as paint drips down from an incomplete corner. 

A white framed canvas on a black wall. A piece by Keith Haring with purple intertwining stick figures outlined in black takes up the top quarter of the square.  Purple paint drips down to the bottom. The right side of the canvas remains blank. 

Keith Haring’s Unfinished Painting was undeniably my favourite piece in the gallery. It reminds us that even in death, art and activism live on. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

Like all art, the meaning of this is up to you! (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

There is no final meaning, even in death. All meaning in art is up for grabs, which Haring knew. Art is for everybody. 

Haring speaks beyond the grave; there can be no fixed or singular message. He calls us to act up, fight the power, and to do it in the community. 

And that’s a great place for everybody to start. 

Five people in coats and heavy sweaters with their backs turned to the camera standing in an art gallery. They all face a ten-foot penis-shaped painting filled with black doodles. 

Gallery visitors looked upon this piece like it was the holy grail. ‘The Great White Way’ painted by Keith Haring in 1988. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

People 25 and under can visit the AGO for free with the yearly youth pass. The Keith Haring Exhibit runs until March 17. 

Interview with professor Stephen Severn done by Grace Henkel

A person walking through an art gallery in front of a long canvas painting of an elongated red penis piercing through a yellow faceless stick figure with a hole in its stomach. 

Many of Haring’s pieces depict phallic imagery, this being one of the longest showcased at the exhibition. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

A framed photo of Keith Haring’s 1989 piece ‘Ignorance=Fear’.  From left to right, three yellow faceless stick figures hold their hands over their eyes, ears and mouths. In two blue stripes at the top and bottom of the painting, the words ‘Ignorance=

Haring’s political messages in his art became a major slogan used in activism during the 1980s and 90s. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/CanCulture)

Love Actually did Brexit (not really)

Christmas movies give us all the warm fuzzies but beneath all the mistletoe and caroling, Ho-Ho-Hollywood may have some tricks up its sleeve

By Ella Miller

A frame from White Christmas featuring two people dressed in suits and boater hats dancing in front of a sky backdrop while holding canes. 

Even when you’re on the threshold of holiday hell, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (and the Hollywood propaganda machine) will always be there for you. (via Wikimedia Commons) 

In 1898, hypnotist George Albert Smith created the first Christmas movie. Smith’s Santa Claus is just over a minute long, and through the crackling celluloid, a story unfolds that has remained unchanged since the 19th century. 

Santa Claus’ Victorian-era predecessors–literary works like A Christmas Carol–did much to influence how we celebrate the holiday. 

“Prior to the nineteenth century Christmas was a far more public holiday, typified by rowdy festivities, misrule, and community celebration,” Melodie Roschman outlines in her article, “‘Now I Have a Machine Gun, Ho-Ho-Ho’: Masculinity, Family, and Redemptive Violence in Home Alone and Die Hard,” published in 2023 in the Comparative American Studies An International Journal.

She continues that during this period, “governments and institutions sought to recreate Christmas as a genteel, civilized celebration of home and family,” with whimsical, good-natured media being a tool used in this transformation. 

Christmas movies, in this way, are the successors to the regularly scheduled ye olde government-sanctioned holiday literature. They serve as protectors of the status quo and tools to inform viewers on how to uniformly construct a ‘perfect’ Christmas.  

Following Santa Claus, theatres, rather fittingly, saw a slew of Christmas Carol adaptations as the go-to festive story on screen: Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost (1901), A Christmas Carol (1908), A Christmas Carol (1910), Scrooge (1913), yet another Christmas Carol in 1923 and 1938 and three more movies simply titled Scrooge in 1922, 1928 and 1935. 

It wasn’t until the 1940s that people finally got tired of watching remakes of a one-hundred-year-old Charles Dickens book and forced Hollywood to come up with something original. 

This did not stop at least 15 more A Christmas Carols from being made (though one of those has Muppets in it), two more Scrooge’s and one past tense Scrooged that thought it was doing something there. 

The modern Christmas movie emerged around the advent of the Second World War with Holiday Inn (1942), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Christmas in Connecticut (1945), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947). 

“The sentimental images and customs associated with Christmas represented ideals most threatened by war—peace, family, abundance, tradition—and the retail and entertainment industries were quick to recognize and deploy Christmas as both a narrative and a marketing strategy [...]” writes Carolyn Sigler in the article “‘I'll Be Home for Christmas’: Misrule and the Paradox of Gender in World War II-Era Christmas Films,” published in 2005 in the Journal of American Culture.

The soundtracks packaged with such films were so impactful that they became the soundtracks to Christmas itself. Particularly Holiday Inn, which features Irving Berlin’s immensely popular “White Christmas” and “Happy Holiday” and Meet Me in St. Louis’ “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” 

These movies are now shorthand for what a perfect Christmas is, and their popularity would eventually signal the integration of reverence for the past as a requirement of the Christmas mood. 

“Each of these holiday-themed films offers not so much a journey into the past as a self-conscious, celebratory journey into invented tradition, as the characters travel to and experience the rural, quaintly old-fashioned scenes depicted in Victorian Christmas cards,” Sigler adds.  

The next big wave of now-classic Christmas movies began in the 1980s with A Christmas Story (1983) and, within a period lasting until the mid-90s, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Home Alone (1990), The Santa Clause (1994) and Jingle All the Way (1996) would debut. 

It is in these movies that the John Hughes-ification of Christmas takes hold. Hughes wrote Christmas Vacation and Home Alone, injecting those movies with his white upper-class Reaganomic sensibilities; the families live in cushy all-American homes and have the resources to lavish their children with Turbo-Man action figures and Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifles.   

Incorporated into this Hughes-ification, is an increased conservatism and loyalty to a past constructed through the films that came before. 

“Christmas movies are designed to activate emotional resonance through nostalgia,” writes Pam Rutledge in “Why Christmas Movies Make Us Feel Good.” “They rely on our desire to visit the ‘good old days’ with images, stories, and music that stimulate our sentimental and wistful associations from the past.” 

Christmas Vacation is an example of this, weaponizing It’s A Wonderful Life as a way of conveying how wrong compared to the silver screen perfection of Zuzu exclaiming “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings,” the Griswold family Christmas is about to get. 

Except it never quite goes entirely wrong, does it? Despite everything–kidnapping the man responsible for your Jelly of the Month Club membership, viciously maiming two burglars, murdering Santa Claus–these stories have happy endings of happy families experiencing the happ-happ-happiest magic of Christmas. 

But despite this textbook Hollywood un-realism, people just can’t stop watching the movies that trigger all the warm fuzzies. And studios and advertising firms know this. Christmas movies and their characters are now also a part of the marketing machine that has all but devoured the season. 

While researching this article, an ad for OpenTable parodying Love Actually (2003) popped up before a YouTube video. There was also the Google Home ad featuring Macaulay Culkin that went viral a few years ago, those cursed Grinch x Wonderful Pistachio billboards and yet another Love Actually parody that may have made Brexit happen. 

At the opposite end of this palatable marketability lies Female Trouble (1974) by beloved purveyor of trash, John Waters. It is, for reasons known only to the sweet baby Jesus himself, included on Wikipedia’s list of Christmas films. Becoming another entry into the ‘there on a technicality’ phenomenon, alongside other alternative films like Gremlins (1984), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and… Die Hard (1988). 

The inclusion of horror and action movies on a Christmas movies list is, in this writer’s opinion, somewhat of a desperate cry for a more diverse selection in the media people feel as though they are allowed to watch at Christmas. 

Upper-class, upper case-White suburbia is not relatable to many. And, the continuous pressure to only consume movies that reinforce the narrative that this is the most wonderful time of the year can be downright miserable for some. 

“Some viewers are looking at the wealth and all the gifts and identifying, and others are looking at the wealth and the gifts and are being made anxious as are their parents in terms of not ‘keeping up with the Joneses’,” says Graeme Metcalf, a sociology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University.  

This is not to mention those legitimately absent from holiday movies, like people of colour, LGBTQ folks and practitioners of non-Christian religions. While there are exceptions to these categories, they are few and far between. 

And no, slotting a diversity hire into the filmed-in-rural-Ontario Hallmark format does not count. 

“The perpetual joy of the season coming down through this Hollywood mechanism is one in which the joy is a white joy and then we see the tokenism of [...] the Black character who may arrive as one of the star’s best friends or colleagues,” says Metcalf. 

The Preacher’s Wife (1996), The Best Man Holiday (2013) and A Madea Christmas (2013) showcase the few times Black actors are at the forefront of Christmas stories; Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Carol (2015), Tangerine (2015) and Happiest Season (2020) offer some gay and trans representation; and Jewish people are gifted Eight Crazy Nights (2002) as one of the most mainstream tellings of the Hanukkah story. How lovely. 

This all comes back to the status quo. As was the case in the Victorian era and as is the case now, Christmas is simplest when it is packaged for one demographic to enjoy and everyone else to fight for. Scrooges need and deserve to get got by those ghosts. Hollywood needs to change that attitude.  

“In order to do that, they’ll have to address social class and poverty and disenfranchisement and marginalization and differing ways family units operate in terms of class and race and gender and sexuality,” says Metcalf. “And so what they would have to do is actually make Christmas movies about people rather than Christmas movies about consumerism.”    

The current narrow reality of the holidays peddled through Hollywood propaganda works hand in hand with commercialism to obscure the real reason for the season: 

I don’t know… whatever you want it to be. 

The whole thing is probably just a farcical diversion made to compete with pagan Yule celebrations. So, attend Midnight Mass, buy a bunch of stuff online, make a billion cookies, sacrifice your neighbour to Krampus, spread goodwill towards men, do nothing at all, or even, watch Die Hard. 

Triumph at the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival: A Showcase of Innovation and Cultural Fusion

The dedicated team behind the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival worked tirelessly to achieve remarkable success, shining a light on continuous innovation and the way cultural harmony comes together to celebrate the vibrant tapestry of multiculturalism.

By Meena Ma

Lion dance performance at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival.

The colourful lion dance performance at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival on September 1st at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. (Courtesy of TDF)

Opening Spectacle and Eagle Li's Story

The world saw itself come to a halt in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread all over – the entertainment industry was no exception. The renowned Cirque du Soleil, an entertainment company known for its mesmerizing and innovative circus-style performances that blend acrobatics, theater, and music into spectacular shows, also saw a pause in production. Eagle Li was a featured performer with Cirque du Soleil. Just before the pandemic, he had recently participated in a high-pole lion dance at the production MESSI10, alongside the famous soccer star Lionel Messi.

Li has been practicing Chinese kung fu since childhood and possesses many years of experience in lion dance performances. After over two decades of dedicated training and displaying his skills on the global stage, he became a featured performer with Cirque du Soleil. However, with their performances on hold, Li made his way to Toronto and assembled a high-pole lion dance team of his own, diligently training new members and waiting for new opportunities.

Through a chance encounter, they caught the attention of David Zhang, the chief director of the Toronto Dragon Festival (TDF), who then proactively arranged for them to perform at the event.

When Li's high-pole lion dance act made its debut, it created a tremendous sensation among the audience.

Eagle Li performed the high pole lion dance with his partner, Don Tan.

Eagle Li performed the high pole lion dance with his partner, Don Tan, at the 2022 Toronto Dragon Festival. (Li is in the lower half of the lion costume, while his partner is on top.) (Courtesy of TDF)

After the first successful show, Li completely transitioned to TDF and became the ensemble’s permanent member.

"Participating in ‘MESSI10’ has been the most meaningful performance of my life,” Li said. “It showcases Messi's unwavering spirit of perseverance, making it an incredibly inspiring show."

While Li communicated his gratitude towards the MESSI10 event, he also stated he’s even happier now that he and his team can participate in the TDF's annual performances. He is particularly enthusiastic about developing and promoting lion dance culture abroad as of Chinese descent.

David Zhang coordinating tasks using a walkie-talkie at the Toronto Dragon Festival.

During the Toronto Dragon Festival, David Zhang coordinates tasks using a walkie-talkie. (Betty Liu /TDF)

Leader and Directorial Vision

David has been the chief director of the TDF since its inception. Despite holding a full-time IT job, he has proven to be one of the most talented directors in the Toronto-Chinese community, with a successful track record of over a decade. Each year at the TDF, David aspires to introduce innovative elements to deliver the most dazzling content to the audience.

"Lion dance is one of China's most important traditional performances during festivals and celebrations," said David. "And high pole dance is the most challenging aspect within lion dance performances. The organizing committee of TDF is delighted to have someone of international caliber like Eagle join the permanent team.”

2023 saw Canada's very first Lion Dance Invitational Tournament. It was a remarkable innovation both conducted and led by Li, with his significant experience in this field.

Li extended invitations to four Chinese lion dance teams, and their performances were evaluated by a panel of eight judges who applied well-established sports criteria for assessment. The sports criteria for the assessment of lion dance competitions typically include factors such as precision of movements, coordination between the lion dancers, the difficulty and intricacy of the routines, synchronization with the accompanying music and drumming, artistic expression and overall presentation. This event has also become one of this year’s highlights at the TDF, drawing significant popularity.

Canada's first Lion Dance Invitational Tournament at the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival. The four participating lion dance teams pose for a group photo after the competition.

Canada's very first Lion Dance Invitational Tournament was held at the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival. After the competition, the four participating lion dance teams posed for a group photo to commemorate the event. (Courtesy of TDF)

When asked if Li regrets leaving the Cirque du Soleil to join the TDF, he confidently opposed. Li emphasized that he is immensely grateful for the opportunities he has found in Toronto, especially with the support of John Zhang, the chair of the TDF organizing committee. 

John Zhang delivering the welcoming address with a smile at the opening ceremony of the fourth Toronto Dragon Festival on September 1st.

John Zhang, beaming with a smile, delivering the welcoming address at the opening ceremony of the fourth Toronto Dragon Festival on Sept.1, at Toronto Nathan Phillips Square. (Courtesy of TDF)

John is also the president of the Canadian Association of Chinese Performing Arts (CACPA), the organizer of the TDF. 

CACPA's mission is to advance Chinese traditional culture through the medium of performing arts. Its members are individuals who are both passionate about performing arts and possess a positive outlook on life while actively contributing to the community.

For decades, John has resided and worked in Canada, dedicating himself to organizing and hosting cultural events within the Chinese community. His passion lies in seamlessly blending Chinese culture into Canada's diverse cultural landscape through various cultural and artistic initiatives.

In a generous gesture aimed at fostering the development of lion dance in Toronto, John provided Li and his team with a substantial venue; a great improvement since last year. This support allowed them to wholeheartedly cultivate and practice the tradition daily.

“After Li arrived in Toronto last year and formed a new team, David started to explain. “They faced a financial shortfall. It was John who generously provided them with equipment storage and training facilities for an entire year, free of charge.”

David Zhang shared that the nearly 2,000 square feet facility is John’s company premises. David said John’s intention was to ensure that Li and his team could train without any worries, enabling them to deliver outstanding performances at the annual Dragon Festival.

In gratitude for John’s recognition of their potential and the opportunities provided, Li made the choice to become a permanent part of TDF, with the hope of repaying this kindness.

At 65 years old, John is actively involved in every aspect of the TDF as the festival’s leader. While he could just simply delegate tasks, he personally participated in the hands-on work during the festival. If you didn't know he was the chair of the festival, you might mistake him for a dedicated volunteer, donning a cap and tirelessly contributing his physical effort every year before TDF commences.

John Zhang assists volunteers in setting up tents before the start of the Festival.

Before the Festival begins, John Zhang helps set up tents alongside volunteers.（Betty Liu/Toronto Dragon Festival and Meena Ma/CanCulture）

David Zhang, though they are not related, has been John Zhang's partner for over the past decade. He commented on the dedication of John’s hard work and said that the core team members were concerned about his well-being due to his relentless work ethic, often seeing him appear exhausted.

"I remember during the first TDF, the core team members of the organizing committee were working very closely," David started. "One day, I found out that his complexion looked dark, and he appeared quite haggard. We were worried about him, urging him to take a break, fearing that he might face health issues."

The core team of TDF consists of four members, John Zhang and David Zhang, executive director Susan Xu and deputy chief director, Kitty Chen. They come together to work for a common goal – promoting Chinese culture overseas.

The creative models of Chinese dumplings displayed by one of the vendors at the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival. (Courtesy of TDF)

Each year, with everyone giving their utmost, the festival has grown stronger and more successful; this year is no different. 

John Zhang and David Zhang, along with festival director Li Chen, engage in preparations before the opening ceremony.

John Zhang (on the left), and David Zhang (on the right), along with one of the festival directors, Li Chen (in the middle), engage in the intense on-site setup preparations just before the opening ceremony. (Betty Liu/TDF)

Technological Innovations and Cultural Fusion

According to the organizing committee of TDF, this year has witnessed remarkable growth in attendance. Iits inaugural event in 2018 drew roughly 20,000 people. The following year brought 60,000 attendees and the third edition in 2022 attracted 85,000 visitors. This year, the festival achieved an extraordinary milestone as the total number of attendees surpassed 100,000 over three days.

The members of Organizing Committee of the Toronto Dragon Festival 2023, from left to right: Timur Zhao, Shan Qiao, Susan Xu, Anna Bian, Kitty Chen, John Zhang, David Zhang, Susan Xu, Grant Guo (Courtesy of TDF)

Beyond the collective efforts of every TDF member, other crucial factors contributing to this year’s success were the remarkable technological innovation, breakthroughs and cultural fusion.

This year, TDF hosted a continuous live broadcast across multiple platforms for three days. Additionally, a remote-controlled LED main stage screen was introduced at Nathan Phillips Square, significantly enhancing the audience's real-time viewing experience of the on-site events.

At 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival, classical Chinese dance featured an innovative remote-controlled LED stage screen.

At the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival, a performance of Chinese classical dance took place against the backdrop of an innovative, newly introduced remote-controlled LED main stage screen (Courtesy of TDF)

There's an ancient Chinese saying that goes, "All things are difficult before they are easy." The TDF organizing committee faced various challenges and underwent numerous tests to ensure the successful implementation of all these technological upgrades.

“From picking the right gear, doing on-the-spot testing, and building the technical crew wasn't easy,” said David, “ And when it came down to coordinating and executing everything on-site, that was the real deal. But our tech team, they're the real champs here.”

David added that they were dealing with tricky conditions, like extending cables way up high, which had its fair share of risks. Plus, they pulled off something pretty amazing – getting high-definition wireless transmissions to work flawlessly across some really long distances, over 100 metres and beyond.

Audience watching performances of 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival.

During the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival, spectators enjoyed song and dance performances at Nathan Phillips Square. (Courtesy of TDF)

This significant innovation greatly enhanced this year's global outreach by substantial technological upgrade. The fusion of diverse cultures at the festival also attracted participation from people of various ethnic backgrounds.

For instance, the opening act featured a cultural performance with seven Indigenous performing groups. They showcased authentic Indigenous culture through singing, dancing and drumming performances.

David stated that it is a powerful demonstration of their commitment to celebrating multiculturalism and showcasing their deep respect for Canada's Indigenous communities.

"Our decision to feature Indigenous performers in the opening act was a symbolic gesture," said David. "It highlights the festival's mission to foster cultural understanding and unity among different communities.”

In addition to the Indigenous performances, the TDF also introduced other non-Chinese cultural performances in recent years, such as Russian ballet, African traditional dance and a youth pop dance performance from the Filipino community who joined the organization for the second time.

Josie De Leon, the instructor of the Filipino dance group, is not only a talented singer and actress but also an experienced dancer. She embarked on her career in the Philippines and relocated to Canada 25 years ago.

Upon settling in Canada, she founded the JDL Performing Arts School, aiming to introduce the art of singing and dancing to the younger generation.

Over the past 12 years, the school has expanded to three different branches in Toronto. Josie's dance group has become the leading dance troupe in the Filipino community.

"It was a great privilege to be a part of this festival. I wanted our youth dance group to be involved in such a high caliber event," said Leon. "I'm truly thankful to the chief director, David Zhang, for inviting us to participate in this year's TDF again, and we are looking forward to taking part in next year."

The dancers from the JDL Performing Arts School performed at the Toronto Dragon Festival.

The dancers from the JDL Performing Arts School in the Filipino community performed vibrant modern dance at the Toronto Dragon Festival. (Courtesy of TDF)

Another vibrant non-Chinese addition to this year’s TDF is a fresh face in the hosting team, Maomao. He is fluent in Chinese and spent an impressive 14 years working and studying in China. His deep emotional connection to the country and a profound understanding of Chinese culture sets him apart.

Maomao and his co-host Melody Shang, jointly hosting the opening ceremony performance

Maomao, (on the right), the new host for this year's Toronto Dragon Festival with one of his co-hosts, Melody Shang, jointly hosted the opening ceremony performance on September 1st (Courtesy of TDF)

While most of the festival's hosts primarily communicate in English, Maomao decided to break the mold by predominantly using Chinese. This choice brought a sense of familiarity to the Chinese-speaking audience in attendance, creating an instant connection and engagement.

As the TDF continues to evolve, its commitment to fostering cultural exchange is underway.

"This festival is like a melting pot of cultures,” said David, “As we are in this multicultural country, we are trying to blend tradition and innovation. It's not just a Chinese event anymore; it's a party that invites everyone, regardless of where they come from."

David also introduced another exciting element to this year’s performance team. He invited two highly talented city councillors, Markham’s Amanda Yeung Collucci and Richmond Hill’s Simon Cui, to join this year’s performance team.

“This initiative aims to showcase our Chinese artistic talents as prominent Chinese-Canadian politicians,” said David, ”This also stands out as a highlight in our lineup this year because it's rare for the audience to witness performances by the politicians.”

Markham City Councilor, Amanda Yeung Collucci, performing at the Toronto Dragon Festival

Markham City Councilor, Amanda Yeung Collucci, performed a popular Chinese song for the audience at the Toronto Dragon Festival on Sept. 3. (Courtesy of TDF)

Like many newcomers, Collucii’s early days in Canada were marked by the challenges of finding employment to sustain herself. She recalls her first job at a restaurant, which unfortunately ended after just one day, leaving her without any pay.

However, these setbacks only fueled her determination. She embarked on a journey of self-improvement, pursuing higher education and eventually enrolled at York University to study economics. Her dedication and hard work allowed her to acquire knowledge and refine her skills. In 2014, she became the first Chinese female councillor elected in Markham.

Collucci enjoys singing and dancing. She often participates in various community events in Toronto. This time, she was invited to perform at the TDF, and she sang a popular Chinese song.

”I‘m very honoured to be invited to perform at the Festival which holds significant importance for us as Chinese people,” said Collucci. “Dragon represents our heritage and our values. Wherever we are, in any country, whether first, second, or third-generation immigrants, we will always be Chinese.“

Collucci emphasized that all Chinese people should take pride in their culture. The TDF serves as a powerful reminder for all Chinese about our identity as descendants of the dragon.

Cui is a long-time community activist. When he first arrived in Canada 22 years ago, he worked in general labour for two years before studying at Seneca College and York University.

Prior to his current role, Cui served as a school board trustee for the York Region, overseeing around cities and regions, 13,000 students and 300 schools. This involvement reflects his commitment to advocating for cultural values and ideas in the educational context.

His parents have always had a strong passion for ethnic music, which greatly influenced him during his childhood, fostering his love for music. He began playing the flute in middle school and later started playing the guitar in high school.

“After coming to Canada, I self-learned various musical instruments,” said Cui, “Including the piano, guzheng and guqin. Playing different instruments became an integral part of my life.”

This time, the TDF organizing committee invited him to perform a flute-playing show. Similar to Collucci, Cui said he is very honoured to be invited to join this great event.

Richmond Hill City Councilor, Simon Cui performed a flute recital at the Toronto Dragon Festival.

Richmond Hill City Councilor, Simon Cui, performed a flute recital for the audience at the Toronto Dragon Festival on September 3 (Courtesy of TDF)

The two Chinese-Canadian legislators participated in this year's TDF in dual capacities. They attended as performers but also came as counsellors to support this event and attended the opening ceremony on Sept. 1, 2023.

The festival also introduced innovations in even the most traditional aspects of Chinese folk culture. For example, the art of paper cutting, which has been passed down in China for thousands of years, witnessed some innovative approaches.

Zhan Zhang is the poster designer for this year’s TDF and also one of the many booth owners at the festival. Her booth primarily showcases her own paper-cutting art.

The origins of Chinese paper cutting have over 2000 years of history. This art form gained popularity as paper became more economically accessible. Historically, paper cuts were employed for adorning windows and doors. They were often glued to the exterior of the windows, allowing the light to shine through the negative space, creating various patterns and designs.

However, Zhan’s paper-cutting art is a fusion of Western aesthetics and elements with the foundation of traditional Chinese paper cutting.

“This blend has resulted in the creation of contemporary paper-cutting artworks with a modern artistic sensibility," noted Zhan. "One remarkable feature of my paper-cut pieces is that each one is meticulously crafted by hand."

Zhan pursued her undergraduate studies in Canada, majoring in art management, and obtained a double degree in fine arts. Subsequently, she pursued a master's degree in 3D animation. However, her journey into paper cutting was entirely self-initiated, starting from scratch.

“Due to my diverse background in various art disciplines, I developed a profound interest in paper cutting,” said Zhan. “ I have been practicing paper cutting for about five to six years now, and my works have gradually gained popularity. I have since ventured into organizing exhibitions on a larger scale and participating in various art-related events, such as this year's Dragon Festival.”

Zhan Zhang’s fusion of Chinese and Western art paper-cutting pieces.

Zhan Zhang's exquisite and beautiful fusion of Chinese and Western art paper-cutting pieces, each of which is crafted from a single sheet of paper. (Courtesy of TDF)

Owing to the innovative and unique style of Zhan’s paper-cutting artworks, her creations have gained immense popularity. She expressed her strong desire to promote this traditional Chinese art with innovation to a broader international audience.

Zhan’s paper-cutting booth was just one of the creative and highly appreciated stalls at this year's TDF. According to the Organizing Committee, the festival featured over 100 booths showcasing cultural traditions, small goods and a variety of delicious cuisines.

Over 100 diverse vendors and stalls at the Toronto Dragon Festival attracted a multitude of tourists. (Courtesy of TDF)

Another significant aspect of this festival comprised continuous live performances distributed across three different zones: the open square area, the water show stage and the main stage.

These live shows included concerts, traditional folk dances, Beijing Opera, cultural and artistic exhibitions, captivating Kung Fu and martial arts demonstrations, a stunning fashion showcase and live DJ performances on the water. These diverse performances unfolded sequentially on the three stages.

Some Highlights of the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival.

Some highlights of the 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival in one big Photo. (Courtesy of TDF)

Thousands of attendees from diverse backgrounds joined this year's Toronto Dragon Festival.

Thousands upon thousands of attendees from diverse ethnic backgrounds participated in this year's Toronto Dragon Festival. (Courtesy of TDF)

Sam Zhang, a passionate overseas Chinese man who deeply loves the 5000-year-old traditional Chinese culture, has been living in Canada since 1997. Although his three children were born in Canada, Sam often reminds them not to forget their roots as descendants of the Dragon. He consciously brought them to this festival to experience the atmosphere of Chinese culture.

“I came with my wife, my daughter and her boyfriend,” said Sam, “I also invited several of my relatives to come to witness the opening ceremony of this Dragon Festival, because I told them we are descendants of the Huaxia, inheritors of the Dragon's legacy, must not forget the spirit of the Dragon.”

After witnessing the opening ceremony, Sam and his family were filled with excitement and a sense of patriotism.

“I deeply admire the organizers of this festival for promoting Chinese culture overseas,” said Sam, “I never expected to feel such a strong Chinese cultural atmosphere after immigrating to North America.”

Coincidentally, there was a booth at the TDF showcasing traditional Chinese Hanfu attire, allowing visitors to experience ancient Chinese clothing. Sam’s daughter and her boyfriend also donned Hanfu at the event to immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

Maggie Zhang, accompanied by her boyfriend, Shaan Jain, and her parents, experienced trying on Hanfu at the Toronto Dragon Festival, immersing themselves in the rich traditions of Chinese culture.

Sam Zhang's daughter, Maggie Zhang (second from right), was accompanied by her boyfriend, Shaan Jain (second from left), a gentleman of Indian descent, as they both tried on Hanfu at the Toronto Dragon Festival to immerse themselves in the rich traditions of Chinese ancient clothing culture. From left to right, Jenny Dai (Zhang’s wife), Shaan Jain, Maggie Zhang, Sam Zhang (Courtesy of TDF)

The Festival's Broader Impact and Conclusion

In a striking testament to its burgeoning popularity, the TDF has witnessed a remarkable surge in media coverage and attention.

According to the organizing committee, its journey from its inaugural edition, which saw coverage from only a handful of English-language media outlets, to over 50 media organizations this year, marking a stark contrast to its modest beginnings.

While it historically received coverage from Chinese and local Chinese media, it has now successfully piqued the interest of prominent media outlets, including CBC, Global News TV, Toronto Star, CP24,CityNews Toronto, blogTO, Global Times, Now Toronto, Daily Hive and more. 

Some of the performers of Toronto Dragon Festival taking a group photo.

After the three-day Toronto Dragon Festival came to a close, some of the performers and staff gathered for a group photo to commemorate the conclusion of the event on Sept. 3 at Nathan Philip Square (Courtesy of TDF)

“Toronto's diversity is its strength,“ said John Kiru, the executive director at the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, and the former president of CNE. “It is prominently displayed during street festivals where various cultures celebrate traditions and cuisine.”

Kiru added that events like the TDF provide opportunities to celebrate these cultural icons. Expanding the Dragon Festival's size is encouraging, and supporting such events, whether from the Chinese, Greek, Italian, or other communities, is vital for Toronto's urban fabric.

The 2023 Toronto Dragon Festival concluded as a powerful testament to the beauty of multiculturalism and unity. Under John Zhang's leadership, the festival transformed Nathan Phillips Square into a vibrant hub of diverse cultural celebrations.

The festival's success transcended mere entertainment; it became a unifying force that attracted participants and audiences from various backgrounds. The Toronto Dragon Festival, with its blend of tradition and innovation, set a new standard for cultural festivals, inspiring a future where cultural integration is not just envisioned but celebrated as a living reality.

In desperate need of holiday cheer? Check out these 10 festive movies!

As exam season is upon us, explore these holiday films to remove your inner Grinch!

By Aliya Karimjee

Are you or a classmate struggling to feel the holiday cheer? Take a break from exams and discover CanCulture’s festive movie recommendations! 

Black Christmas

If Halloween passed by too fast for you, then a must-watch movie for you is Black Christmas (1974)! This beloved Canadian slasher film invites you into a murder mystery where a killer preys upon a college sorority. Being one of the first cited slasher films, it’s interesting to know the real-life Westmount murders inspired this movie in Montréal. If you have ever seen the Scream franchise, you might like this film as it inspired the targeted phone calls concept. Black Christmas will ironically be a dark feature during this festive holiday season. Watch it for free with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

Have you dealt with relatives trying to set you up in the festive season? The movie Holidate demonstrates precisely that and the main character Sloane's way of defeating it. She fakes a romantic connection with someone for the festivities, otherwise known as her "holidate," until those feelings might not be so fake. The plot is captivating, and you get to celebrate two Canadian actors. Andrew Bachelor, comedian and actor, played the role of Neil, Jackson's misguided best friend (Sloane's love interest). You might have also seen him rise to fame on Vine. The second Canadian actor, Jake Manley, plays Sloane's younger brother York. You might have seen him in iZombie, A Dog's Journey or The Order. Overall, if you're a bit "anti-love" this holiday season, see if this movie changes your mind! Check it out on Netflix.

Lovehard

Have you ever been catfished? Lovehard is based on a journalist writing about her experiences with dating apps. When she thinks she has met her perfect match, she flies almost 5000 km to meet him, and discovers he isn't everything he advertised… Later, she meets the man whose picture was used, but who will she choose? This Christmas-themed rom-com was filmed in Metro Vancouver with Canadian star Nina Dobrev, known for her leading role in The Vampire Diaries. Suppose you want to support a majorly Canadian film and relate to some funny dating experiences. In that case, this Netflix movie is for you! 

Happiest Season

This movie is so endearing, considering there aren’t many holiday rom-com starring LGBTQ2S+ couples—especially ones backed by big Hollywood studios. Many queer audiences can resonate with this story in terms of the main character’s coming out journey. The plot revolves around Canadian actress Mackenzie Davis, playing the role of Harper, as she's conflicted between coming out to her “traditional” family versus getting engaged with her partner, Abby (Kristen Stewart). Dan Levy, a Canadian actor playing Abby’s best friend, John, is also a very funny and supportive character in this film. Watch this movie on Netflix. 

The Holiday Calendar

Do you enjoy counting down the days till Christmas? An advent calendar-inspired film is the perfect way to do so. This movie, filmed in Niagara-On-The-Lake, shows the adventures a photographer experiences after she inherits an antique holiday advent calendar that can predict the future. Will this calendar lead to the love of her life? See for yourself on Netflix. 

Christmas Wedding Planner

Planning weddings can always be chaotic. However, how weird is it if a private investigator tries to shut down a wedding planner's biggest wedding yet? The bride’s ex, Connor, shows up as a secret private unvestigator at the engagement party to find something to expose the groom. What if this private investigator distracts the wedding planner? What if he catches her eye and turns her world upside down? Will she get her love story, cancel another's, or end up in tears? Watch this Canadian movie on Netflix. 

Elf

The movie Elf is a funny Christmas-comedy guaranteed to lift your spirits! Filmed in Vancouver, the production team persevered in building the large sets for Santa’s village by utilizing public-use hockey rinks. Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City, hoping to meet his dad. Unfortunately, his dad does not know he exists and is not exactly in the Christmas spirit. Watch this movie on Amazon Prime. 

The Christmas Chronicles 

Were you in Toronto in 2018? Some city residents were lucky enough to find Kurt Russell dressed in a Santa Claus suit. The Christmas Chronicles revolves around two kids celebrating their first Christmas since their dad passed away. However, they end up stuck in Chicago (AKA Toronto) on an adventure with Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Watch out for some spots you might recognize in the GTA! St. James Gate in Etobicoke, Tiffany & Co. or Louis Vuitton in Yorkville, and other spots in Leslieville or downtown. Check it out on Netflix. 

Falling for Christmas/A Snow Capped Christmas

Broadcasted as "Falling for Christmas" in the United States, the Canadian version, A Snow Capped Christmas, is a movie about an injured skater's experience in rehab in the weeks leading up to Christmas. While resting, she meets a former Canadian hockey player who now runs a local ice fishing shop. As he teaches her how to fall in love with winter without skating, she might find herself in her own love story. Filmed in British Columbia, we see pretty views as we uncover the skater and an ice fisherman's love story. Watch the Canadian version on Amazon Prime and the American version, differing slightly through skiing, on Netflix. 

The Knight Before Christmas

The final movie on our list was filmed in Orillia, Ont. and Bracebridge, Ont., two Canadian cities over 150 km from Toronto. As the name suggests, you should watch The Knight Before Christmas the night before Christmas. A 14th-century knight is given an unknown quest before midnight or he will never be a proper knight. On that same day, in 2019, he discovers the quest was to find love as he meets a science teacher. Discover this love story across centuries as a 14th-century night falls in love with a 21st-century science teacher. Available on Netflix.

Now remove your resting Grinch face and watch these tree-mendously funny or romantic Christmas movies!