‘Homegrown’ is easily the production that stirred up the most controversy– and national attention– at this year’s Toronto indie theatre and arts festival, Summerworks.
Based on real events and experiences of the playwright Catherine Frid, ‘Homegrown’ centres around a seemingly unlikely friendship between the young man, Shareef Abdelhaleem, arrested and accused of terrorism in 2006 as part of the so-called ‘Toronto 18′, and, the lawyer/playwright, who is determined to separate the facts of the case from the secrecy, delays and media spin (easier said than done).

The International Diaspora Film Festival (IDFF) provides Toronto audiences with an opportunity to experience the cultural mosaic of the present world through the medium of cinema.

Toronto-based MC and Poet Boonaa Mohammed never shies away from sharp words that uncover the harsh realities of immigrant life in Canada and countries of the West. The title of his latest spoken-word video, Green Card - commissioned for the Mayworks Festival of Canada - tells a powerful tale of the unjust and silent truths of immigrant hardships in countries where getting papers is like “winning the lottery”. Watch the video for a little slice of this narrator’s pointed perspective.

We have been on the frontlines covering as much ground as possible, taking in the style, sound, and politics of a fest like this.

Look out for our NXNE 2009 Round Up once we have a moment at the end of the weekend.

Share your NXNE 2009 stories, picks, photos, critiques and commentary to, info (at) thisisworldtown.com

Check out our video pick: K’Naan’s This is Africa (T.I.A.).