2 DAYS TO GO FOR THE SPRING EVENT OF THE SEASON: “THIS IS MY BEAUTY” KICKING OFF SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH

Toronto, ON (Thursday April 27, 2017) – ANOKHI MEDIA, Canada’s leading South Asian entertainment and lifestyle media and events company is pleased to announce that “This Is My Beauty” brought to you by ‘The ANOKHI PRESTIGE Experience’ event series, will be kicking off South Asian Heritage Month this Sunday April 30th, 2017 at The Uptown Loft in Toronto.

DATE: Sunday April 30, 2017

LOCATION: The Uptown Loft, 2464 Yonge St, Toronto TIME:  11:30am-5:00pm

Founder, President, CEO, Raj Girn explained why she spear-headed this initiative by stating that “The ANOKHI PRESTIGE Experience (T.A.P.E.) has been formed to bring together like-minded people to IDENTIFY, EXPLORE, LEARN, SHARE lifestyle-based themes, with the aim of curating an incubator type of an environment to assist members in creating their greatest and most rewarding life.” She continued to say that “the goal is to amplify members’ individual life journeys so as to accelerate their road to personal & professional fulfilment. Duly, it is fitting to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month with an event that recognizes the importance of doing so by being mindful of diversity and inclusivity in gender, culture, and religion. Our program has therefore, been is carefully curated to reflect this.”

Full program details can be seen at the official website at www.AnokhiPrestige.com/about (please scroll half way down to view).

StarBuzzOnline

COLOURFUL LAUNCH UNVEILS MASSIVE, DIVERSE LINEUP FOR IFFSA 2017

StarBuzzOnline:

Toronto, ON : April 25, 2017

THE BLACK PRINCE, directed by Kavi Raz will open IFFSA Toronto 2017.  Starring Satindar Sartaj and Shabana Azmi, the film is a tragic yet fascinating tale about the last king of the mighty Kingdom of Punjab, Maharaja Duleep Singh. Kavi Raz along with Satindar Sartaj will be attending the Canadian Premiere.

Full lineup of this year’s festival was unveiled at a colorful launch event organized at Living Arts Centre, Mississauga. 100+ films and 40+ events will take place from May 11 to 22 during 12 days of continuous excitement.

Widely recognized as the Voice of South Asian Cinema in Canada, IFFSA 2017’s impressive program reflects the rich diversity of South Asian cinema, as well as the future of South Asian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers bringing their acclaimed films.

Alankrita Shrivastava's LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA, a film that revolves around four small town women, who try to steal a piece of freedom from within the confines of their restrained lives will have its Canadian Premiere at a VIP screening in downtown Toronto.  

Shahrbanoo Sadat's WOLF and SHEEP set in rural Afghanistan where people are storytellers who make up tales and tell each other tales of mystery and imagination to explain the world in which they live, has already made a splash around the world after winning the CICAE Award at the 2016 Cannes International Film Festival.

Bengali films, the hard hitting LIVE FROM DHAKA by Abdullah Mohammed Saad and the musical THE GOLDEN WING by Bobby Sarma will be making its North American and Canadian premiere respectively. Ananya Kasaravalli's CHRONICLES OF HARI, a beautiful film about a renowned theater actor's struggle with gender identity is also making its Canadian Premiere.

The festival pays tribute to OM PURI, the veteran Bollywood and Hollywood actor, by hosting a special screening of a remastered Punjabi classic CHAN PARDESI, directed by Chitrartha Singh. This was one of the key films that provided Om Puri the launch pad for his illustrious career.

Amberdeep Singh’s LAHORIYE starring Amrinder Gill along with Akshay Roy ‘s MERI PYARI BINDU will have their North American Premieres on May 11 at the festival before these are released worldwide on May 12.

The festival is hosting a special ensemble of featurettes from the Zeal for Peace initiative that brought together filmmakers from India and Pakistan on a single platform in a reflection of the love, unity & peace between both the nations. Specifically, SILVAT, KHEMAE MEIN MAT JHANKAIN and GUDDU ENGINEER will have their North American Premieres at the festival.

“A MATTER OF GEOGRAPHY,” by JASMINE D’COSTA, ELEGANTLY EXPLORES THE EVER-CHANGING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE COSMIC FRAMEWORK,”

A MATTER OF GEOGRAPHY,” PUBLISHED BY MOSAIC PRESS ELEGANTLY EXPLORES THE EVER-CHANGING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE COSMIC FRAMEWORK,” AS QUOTED BY TORONTO AUTHOR SYLVIA FRASER. THIS QUOTE APTLY DESCRIBES JASMINE D’COSTA’S NEW BOOK, WHICH WAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED TO A SOLD OUT CROWD AT THE HELICONIAN CLUB, IN TORONTO.

Jasmine has indicated that the beginning of her novel opens in the early 1990’s in the heart of Bombay where young Peter and Anna are neighbours residing with their families.  They live in the Billimoria Building, ensconced in the Catholic ghetto. When Hindus destroy a mosque in the distant Indian state of Ayodhya, riots explode in Bombay, the worst the city has witnessed.

The primary characters in her book, Peter and Anna were just twenty one and sixteen years old as they are caught in the explosion while their families take on the task of sheltering a Muslim neighbor.  Amidst this turmoil and tragedy, Anna’s family migrates to Canada and she is separated from Peter, just as their love blossoms.

One Book One Brampton: The Celebration

ONE BOOK ONE BRAMPTON: THE CELEBRATION

Be inspired to share in our community-wide reading experience!

MEDIA ADVISORY

Meet Farzana Doctor, winner of Brampton Library's One Book One Brampton 2017

Celebrate One Book One Brampton winner Six Metres of Pavement

Friday, April 21 6 – 8:30 pm

Cyril Clark Lecture Theatre, 20 Loafer's Lake Lane, Brampton

Brampton Library is pleased to present An Evening with Farzana Doctor whose book Six Metres of Pavement was selected by Brampton residents in a public vote from a shortlist of four titles: "A book club for half a million people sounds like a lot of fun, "said Mayor Jeffrey when the announcement was made at Brampton City Hall on February 16.

Join us to find out more! See you Friday, April 21 at 6 pm.

Farzana Doctor is a Toronto-based author of three novels: Stealing Nasreen, Six Metres of Pavement (which won a Lambda Literary Award in 2012 and was short-listed for the Toronto Book Award) and the recently released All Inclusive. Named one of CBC Books' Ten Canadian Women Writers You Need to Read Now and was the recipient of the Writers' Trust of Canada's Dayne Ogilvie Grant in 2011, she curates the Brockton Writers Series and is a proud member of The Writers Union of Canada.

Brampton Library's six branches house a vast collection of borrowable items, computer workstations and Chromebooks with free Internet access as well as wireless connectivity for those who bring their own laptops. Reserve your items online for pick-up and return at any branch. Our website offers access to a full range of digital products, including e-books, magazines, newspapers from many countries, music and online courses. Our staff present programs for all ages and interests and provide helpful assistance to all. Find out more at bramptonlibrary.ca, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @bramptonlibrary.

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Canada to welcome more French-speaking skilled immigrants with new changes to Express Entry

March 31, 2017—Moncton, NB – Canadians are building a world-leading innovation economy. One way to do this is by making improvements to Express Entry—Canada's flagship skilled-worker immigration application management system.

 

Programs managed through the Express Entry system attract high-skilled foreign workers and former international students who want to live in Canada permanently and whose in-demand skills are needed by employers across the country to help build businesses and grow the economy.

Starting on June 6, 2017, additional points will be awarded to candidates who have strong French language skills. These additional points represent an important change that will contribute to the growth, vitality and prosperity of Francophone minority communities across Canada.

Other changes to the Express Entry system planned for June include points for candidates with siblings in Canada and voluntary registration with Job Bank.

Quotes

 

"Increasing Francophone immigration and growing Francophone communities across Canada remains a priority for the Government of Canada. Canada's greatest strength is its skilled, hard-working, creative, and diverse workforce. I am pleased that with my announcement today, Canada will welcome more French speakers and others with skills and experience that will help our economy and communities grow".

– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

 

"With these changes to Express Entry, I am pleased that Canada will welcome many more high-skilled Francophone immigrants. They will help grow Francophone minority communities across Canada and strengthen the economy as they build their new lives here."

– The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

 

Quick facts: Since the launch of Express Entry in January 2015, Canada has welcomed over 43,000 economic immigrants through the Express Entry system. Express Entry attracts highly skilled immigrants, with many having studied in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics—skills that are linked to innovation, prosperity and growth.

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A Matter of Geography by Jasmine D’Costa

Advance Praise for A Matter of Geography:

“They were neighbours - Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus - till Bombay’s religious violence tore their community apart. What is the meaning of ‘ home' to someone who has emigrated? Can love conquer geography? Jasmine D’Costa elegantly explores these ever-changing human relationships
-- Sylvia Fraser, author of Pandora and The Rope in Water

within the cosmic framework.”
“With a richness of details, Jasmine D’Costa, gently and insightfully, through the eyes of childhood innocence, lifts the veil on a tumultuous time period in India where violence and religious hatred swept through a peaceful, diverse and tight knit community, forever altering the lives of its inhabitants. More than ever and in difficult times, A Matter for Geography is a much-needed glimmer of hope.”
 -- John Calabro, author of An Imperfect Man and The Cousin 

“Jasmine D'Costa's A Matter of Geography is a brave commentary on the place many of us carry in our hearts as home. It leaves us with the question, is there a true sense of shared belonging or are some Indians more equal than others?
-- Shagorika Easwar, Editor, Desi News and CanadaBound Immigrant