KENSINGTON MARKET: HEART OF THE CITY 

Canada | 2024 |104 min

Director Stuart Clarfield’s documentary explores Kensington Market’s 150-year history, from its origins as a Jewish immigrant marketplace to its evolution into a diverse cultural hub. Using archival footage and interviews, the film highlights the neighbourhood’s vibrant identity and ongoing struggle against gentrification, preserving its bohemian spirit in modern Toronto.

Preceded by

CREATING THE ASHKENAZ PARADE, 1997-1999

Canada | 2020 | 7 mins

Flash back to the early days of Ashkenaz, when its signature Ashkenaz Parade began in Kensington Market and proceeded down Spadina Avenue from the heart of ‘old’ Jewish Toronto to the Festival’s Harbourfront Centre site. This audacious and joyful spectacle, featuring giant puppets, props, stiltwalkers, dancers, actors and a huge klezmer marching band, attracted massive participation from the community and served as a poignant symbol of the Festival itself and the vitality of the city’s Jewish community.

Edited by David Hoffert from footage shot by Chad Derrick and David A. Stein z”l.