3x JUNO Nominees / 4x CFMA-Winning Canadian Global Music Supergroup Sultans of String Celebrate Film Wins with Screenings in Toronto and Hamilton!

Press Release

Sultans of String are excited about the first screenings of their feature-length film “Sultans of String: The Refuge Project – Visual Album” – their pandemic project that just won at the Cannes World Film Festival, Best Istanbul Film Festival, and was selected for the Vancouver Independent, Scarab, and Folk in Film Festivals. Come join their Cast and Crew party, and celebrate their recent wins with a film screening, as well as another birthday “year around the sun” for bandleader Chris McKhool, all while raising donations for a good cause!

TORONTO: Sunday, November 20, 2022

Doors at 6:00 p.m., Film at 7:00 p.m. sharp. 

Tranzac Main Hall, 292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto, ON M5S 2M7

Tix: https://sultansofstringfilm.eventbrite.ca

All admission proceeds from Toronto show after hall rental costs are donated to the UN Refugee Agency for their life-saving programming. Sultans of String have raised more than $10,000 so far!

HAMILTON: Thursday, December 8  

Doors at 6:00 p.m., Film at 7:00 p.m. sharp. 

The Westdale Theatre, 1014 King St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 1L4

Tix https://www.thewestdale.ca/event/sultans-of-string-the-refuge-project/

The film is 95 minutes long, and screenings will be followed by a chat! The film includes songs from Refuge and Sanctuary, which are up for four Canadian Folk Music Awards!

WHAT IS THIS FILM??

Sultans of String: The Refuge Project – Visual Album. Mixed in full Dolby Atmos, this ambitious, diverse, inclusive, and passionately political film puts NY Times and Billboard-charting world music supergroup Sultans of String face-to-face with a VIP roster of global ‘ambassadors,’ some of whom are recent immigrants and refugees to Canada and the U.S., as well as essential Indigenous voices. All are masters of world music that communicate with each other through the global language of music.

Addressing the struggles of life on Mother Earth has always inspired this band. In Sultans of String: The Refuge Project – Visual Album, they bring their unique brand of musical synergy and collaboration to bear on discussion and songs that speak to the challenges facing the world’s displaced peoples—their stories, their songs, their persistence and their humanity.

Joined by an international cast, this three-time JUNO-nominated band immerses themselves in the plight of the international refugee and the humanitarian response that should greet everyone in search of a home.
Bandleader Chris McKhool explains, “The larger Refuge Project is centred around the positive contributions of refugees and new immigrants to Canada. We are bringing in special guests that are newcomers to this land, as well as global talents that have been ambassadors for peace. We wish to celebrate the successes of those who make the journey here and bring their extraordinary talents with them, in this case, music. Each one of us has a remarkable story to tell, and we are excited to share the beauty of these collaborations with you.”

The Refuge Project features stellar performances by Ahmed Moneka and Imad Al Taha, refugees from Iraq, Syrian refugee Leen Hamo, Donné Roberts from Madagascar with partner Yukiko Tsutsui from Japan, Algeria’s Fethi Nadjem, Colombian refugee Juan Carlos Medrano, Iran’s Padideh Ahrarnejad, Romani Nyckelharpa player Saskia Tomkins, tabla player Ravi Naimpally from India, sitar player Anwar Khurshid from Pakistan, string ensemble Gundem Yayli Grubu from Istanbul, and many, many more, including an orchestral version of “The Power of the Land” featuring Indigenous performers Duke Redbird and Twin Flames.

“The true inspiration behind these albums and film is the incredible artists we get to collaborate with,” says McKhool. “We learn so much from these diverse voices, and each one of them is so personally inspiring. As Ahmed Moneka, an artist and refugee from Iraq, says, ‘Love is the main reason for a great future,” and we are so privileged to be able to collaborate with so many incredible voices on this project.”

“Energetic and exciting music fest from a band with talent to burn… the very epitome of world music: no boundaries, no rules!” – Maverick Music Magazine, UK

Refuge Project Sizzle Reel – Summer in Tehranto: https://youtu.be/uGzM35R1sCA

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Nov 12 Deep Gap NC • Songs From the Wood Concerts
Nov 13 Black Mountain NC • White Horse Black Mountain
Nov 15 Sandersville GA • Live on Stage
Nov 17 Morgan City LA • Schreier Theatre
Nov 20 Toronto ON • Tranzac Club Film Screening 
Nov 26 Owen Sound ON • Harmony Centre – Christmas Caravan
Nov 27 Kitchener ON • Registry Theatre – Sanctuary (The Refuge Project)
Dec 2 Highgate ON • Mary Webb Centre – Christmas Caravan
Dec 04 Gravenhurst ON • Gravenhurst Opera House – Christmas Caravan
Dec 8 Hamilton ON • The Westdale Film Screening 
Dec 10 St Catharines ON • FirstOntario PAC with Niagara Symphony – Christmas Caravan
Dec 11 St Catharines ON • FirstOntario PAC with Niagara Symphony – Christmas Caravan
Dec 15 Willow Street PA • Willow Valley Cultural Center – Christmas Caravan – SOLD OUT
Dec 17 Midland ON • Brookside Music – Christmas Caravan
Dec 18 Kleinburg ON • The McMichael Gallery – Christmas Caravan
Dec 19 Ottawa ON • Algonquin Theatre – Christmas Caravan
Dec 20 Cobourg ON • Concert Hall at Victoria Hall – Christmas Caravan
Dec 21 Toronto ON • Kingston Road Village Concert Series – Christmas Caravan

MORE ABOUT SULTANS OF STRING: Bandleader Chris McKhool (Makhoul in Lebanon) has an Egyptian-born mother who happened to play piano, teach classical theory, and feed her young son as much Middle Eastern cuisine as she did music lessons. From there, the powerful violinist developed a taste for multi-genre string sounds and found a like-minded crew of all-world enthusiasts. When McKhool first heard founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s rumba rhythm, their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound—the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo grew, featuring such amazing musical friends as in-the-pocket bass master Drew Birston and the jaw-dropping beats of percussionist Chendy Leon.

Their live resume is similarly stellar. Equally at home in a concert hall, folk and jazz club or festival setting, the Sultans have gigged at JUNOfest, the legendary club Birdland in New York, Celtic Connections Festival (Glasgow) and London’s Trafalgar Square. They have sold out Koerner Hall three times (Toronto’s Carnegie Hall) and performed with the Annapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. They have played live on CBC’s Canada Live, BBC Radio, BBC TV, Irish National Radio, and the syndicated World Café, Woodsongs, and SiriusXM in Washington. Sultans of String’s musicianship and versatility are also showcased in collaborations with such diverse luminaries as Paddy Moloney & The Chieftains, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Richard Bona (Paul Simon), Alex Cuba, Ruben Blades, Yasmin Levy, Benoit Bourque, Béla Fleck, Crystal Shawanda & Ken Whiteley.  

Thanks to the generous support of funding agencies:

This recording was supported by the Toronto Arts Council with funding from the City of Toronto.

We would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.   

We would like to acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.

For more information, please contact: 
Eric Alper
Publicist  I  Music Commentator  I  Shameless Idealist
647-971-3742
www.ThatEricAlper.com
Eric@ThatEricAlper.com 
http://www.Twitter.com/ThatEricAlper
http://www.Facebook.com/EricAlperPR
http://www.Instagram.com/ThatEricAlper
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM-eWvOyTegxaI5wo96p06w

Mary’s Meals releases Love Reaches Everywhere featuring Gerard Butler

For those of you that miss Gerard Butler, LOOK what he’s up to!

You may be wondering why I’m blogging about Gerard Butler. Anyone who knows me will understand but the truth is, I’ve been a big fan since 2003 when I first saw him in the movies Timeline and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The tall, handsome, Scot with the piercing blue-green eyes, immediately captivated me with his talents and I made it my mission to look for his acting work. I bonded with one of my closest friends, Gaye, who is an avid movie buff, when we met in 2005 and I turned her on to Gerry’s work. We watched a lot of his films together, even some that we weren’t all that keen about, and we still talk about him to this day. I have seen 35 of his films and continue to follow his career. The thing that makes Gerry so special is not his good looks or his acting talent, but rather, the size of his heart.

I learned about Mary’s Meals because of Gerard Butler and it is because of him that I have made it my number one charity. I was fortunate to be among the first people in Canada to view the exclusive premiere of Love Reaches Everywhere on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 and the documentary, which is so full of joy, hope and beautiful children, left me with a huge smile on my face, a lump in my throat, and a renewed commitment to do what I can to support Mary’s Meals. Today, Thursday, June 25, 2020 is the day that Love Reaches Everywhere launches in Canada.

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TORONTO, Canada.

Mary’s Meals, the school feeding charity, has teamed up with longstanding supporter and Hollywood star Gerard Butler to release a new film Love Reaches Everywhere, which follows the actor and producer as he travels to Liberia and Haiti with the charity’s founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, to experience the charity’s work.

Filmed before the Covid-19 crisis, Love Reaches Everywhere shows the transformative power of education and the desperate need for food in school for some of the most vulnerable children in the world. These children continue to need support even though Covid-19 has closed many of their traditional places of education.

“We are in a time of unprecedented global crisis that is impacting the way people around the world are living, working and being educated,” said Magnus. “Children are especially vulnerable and at risk in this situation and there is a significant danger that they are forgotten amid the fear and confusion of this new world.”

“As a charity that is committed to feeding children in some of the world’s poorest communities, it is more important than ever for Mary’s Meals to keep its promise and support those children by delivering food to them in their communities and homes, which are their new places of education.

“By sharing his experiences with Mary’s Meals through this film, Gerry is helping us to shine a spotlight on the children we feed and ensure their voices aren’t lost.”

Gerard Butler, who has starred in films such as 300, Angel Has Fallen and P.S. I Love You, was able to meet some of the real-life heroes at the heart of Mary’s Meals. In the film, Gerard says:

“Going on this journey hit me from so many different angles – emotional, spiritual and physical. I make movies about heroes, but often they’re in big, over-the-top settings … and then you go to Liberia and Haiti and you see that the teachers in the schools are heroes, and the kids are all heroes that come here on empty stomachs every day to get an education.

“Every meal served by Mary’s Meals is a piece of charity and a little piece of love. And that all passes down into the families and communities and gives that sense of hope. It’s the difference between a kid saying, ‘I want to survive tomorrow’ and ‘I want to be a doctor.’”

The film shows Butler immersing himself in community life – teaching a math’s lesson, dancing, planting crops in a school garden, preparing food, carrying water from a local well, and even sharing acting tips with some children ahead of a school nativity play.

The global launch of LOVE REACHES EVERYWHERE is now available.

For More Information:
www.marysmeals.ca
Irene Carroll | Irene.carroll@Marysmeals.org | 416-366-5473 

Kindly Note:

• Mary’s Meals feeds over 1.6 million children a day through school feeding programmes in 19 countries: Malawi, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Kenya, India, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Benin, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, Thailand, Ecuador, Niger, Madagascar and Romania.

• It costs $26.40 (CDN) to feed a child for a whole school year or .13 cents a day

• Mary’s Meals is owned and run by local communities in the countries in which it operates. Where possible, meals are prepared using food that has been grown locally. This helps to support families and boost the local economy.

• While schools are closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the charity’s work continues. Through community distributions of food parcels and essential hygiene items, Mary’s Meals is continuing to reach almost every child enrolled in its feeding programs, enabling parents or guardians to cook daily meals for the children at home, in their temporary place of education.

• Mary’s Meals began in 2002 when Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow visited Malawi during a famine and met a mother dying from AIDS. When Magnus asked her eldest son, Edward, what his dreams were in life, he replied simply: “I want to have enough food to eat and to be able to go to school one day.”

• In 2010 Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow was named a TOP 10 CNN Hero

• In 2015 Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow was named one of TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 Most Influential People

Timeline of a Friendship
The Background to Love Reaches Everywhere

2010: Gerard Butler presents Mary’s Meals’ Founder and CEO, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, with a ‘CNN Heroes’ award in recognition of Mary’s Meals’ work, feeding hundreds of thousands of children in some of the most impoverished communities around the world. Gerard has already heard a lot about the charity from his mum, who is a big supporter of Mary’s Meals and has always wanted Gerard to get involved too.

After chatting with Magnus backstage, Gerard says, “I just thought, ‘dude, you’re amazing!’ and, from that moment on, we became fast friends.”             

2013: Magnus invites Gerard to travel with him to Liberia to see Mary’s Meals in action and visit some of the schools where feeding is happening. The trip sees Gerard pitching in to help volunteer cooks prepare and serve up Mary’s Meals. He also teaches a class of orphans, plays football with kids, loads a truck with sacks of rice, plants pepper seeds and pineapples at a school garden and dances with villagers.

During the trip, Gerard says: “I have been struck by the strength of peoples’ dignity – Mary’s Meals is all about respecting and promoting the lives and cultures of people and showing just what they’re capable of.”

Magnus says: “Gerry has a great gift with kids and I hope that through his commitment to raise awareness of our work, we can reach many more children with Mary’s Meals.”

2014-17: Gerard continues to support Mary’s Meals and features in one of the charity’s key film releases, Generation Hope.

2018: Gerard calls Magnus to ask if he can accompany him on another trip to a Mary’s Meals programme country. Together they set off for Haiti, where they visit schools where feeding is already taking place and others where no food is yet available. They meet an inspirational array of people including children and teachers, programme staff and volunteers, all with their own stories to tell. Gerard witnesses first-hand the dire need of some communities and the difference it makes when Mary’s Meals finally reaches them. The trip has a profound effect on Gerard and he says: “I make movies about heroes, but often they’re in bigger, over-the-top settings. And then you come here and you see there’s a hero right there… the teachers in the school are heroes, the kids are all heroes that come here on empty stomachs every day to try and get an education.” 

Feb 2020: Magnus and Gerard meet again at another awards ceremony… but this time it’s Magnus handing out the honours to Gerard, as he is recognised for his work with Mary’s Meals at the ‘Cinema for Peace Awards’ in Berlin. Previous winners of the accolade include Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and Leonardo Di Caprio. Magnus says: “When Gerry speaks about our mission, and those we are serving, he does so with deep understanding and compassion, and because of that, he has inspired so many around the world to take action in support of Mary’s Meals. I could not be more thrilled that he is being honoured and recognised in this way!”

June 2020: Love Reaches Everywhere is released – a film which captures both of Gerard and Magnus’ trips (to Liberia and Haiti) and explores themes from friendship and community to love, hope and everyday heroes.

CONNECT WITH MARY’S MEALS: https://linktr.ee/marysmeals.ca

Sacred Journey of the Heart: A Documentary Film on the Science and Spirit of Our Connection

PRESS RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Teri James
Cell 602-430-0374/office 602-258-5088
Email: terijamespublicrelations@msn.com

NEW DOCUMENTARY PROVES HEALING AND CONNECTEDNESS BEGINS WITH HEART

Scientists, Spiritual Leaders Confirm We Are All Connected Through Our Hearts

September 14, 2012 – Phoenix, AZ – Local Valley writer, producer, filmmaker and visionary, Ronna Prince devoted three years of her life to make “Sacred Journey of the Heart,” a ground-breaking film documenting the science, spirit and healing capabilities of our heart, proving that we are all connected to each other and the earth around us. Featuring respected visionaries and spiritual leaders such as New York Times best selling author Gregg Braden (Deep Truth), Dr. Joe Dispenza (What the Bleep Do We Know?), tribal elders and more, Sacred Journey of the Heart premieres at Harkins Camelview Theater on Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. Following the premiere, Prince, along with Braden, Havasupai tribal member, Uqalla, and other key speakers featured in the documentary, will host an in-depth, interactive Q&A discussion.

Prince, the film’s writer and producer, was inspired to make the documentary through her need for healing and the hopes of healing others through the knowledge she learned. From studies conducted by scientists in conjunction with the esteemed Institute of HeartMath®, as well as tribal elders and great spiritual leaders of our time, she learned it has been proven that we are connected to the energy of the earth both in mind and body coherence; we are all one pulsating life force connected to by our energy and our emotions. By getting our minds and hearts in alignment with positive, healing thoughts, we affect others around us to be in a likened state.

“Through researching the tenants of this film and exploring the head/heart and emotional connection, I discovered that we are all connected both physically and mentally to each other and, quite literally, to the earth around us,” said Ronna Prince, writer and producer of Sacred Journey of the Heart. “By understanding the “oneness” of us all and understanding that we are not disparate beings, perhaps the world could become a more peaceful, more healing place.”

This enlightening documentary also provides a wealth of tools, techniques and information on how to heal, forgive and trust and, ultimately, inspire others to make their own sacred journey into their own hearts to become more connected and attune to the beautiful world that envelopes us all.

Tickets to see Sacred Journey of the Heart are just $9.50 at the Harkins box office. Additional screenings will be held from October 20 through October 26.

About Ronna Prince

Ronna Prince is a writer, filmmaker, producer and founder of Global Wholeness Corp, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation whose mission is to educate people about our interconnection and to inspire people to come together to create innovative solutions to the challenges we face as families and communities. Global Wholeness supports projects that bring healing and wholeness to communities through charitable giving. She currently has two additional movies in pre-production.

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Film Synopsis

Sacred Journey of the Heart is a ground-breaking film documenting the science and spirit of our connection. It reveals how modern science is proving what ancient peoples have known all along: we are all connected – and that connection is the human heart. The heart is the single organ that not only creates a unified field among all people but also creates a harmonic field with the earth itself. Learn tools and techniques from leading spiritual teachers, scientific experts and indigenous elders that will assist you on your personal heart-centered journey. Discover how living in a specific state called “heart coherence” will create a better future for the planet.

Join filmmaker Ronna Prince on this sacred journey to the heart of transformation. Discover how lasting transformation begins with the personal journey to your own heart – the most powerful organ of your body. See how you can consciously create a harmonic resonance with all those around you as well as with earth itself!

Leading scientists and researchers present their knowledge which is converging with ancient wisdom traditions dating back millennia. NYT bestselling author Gregg Braden confirms that “the heart is where is the action is” – and he presents surprising data about how the human heart is connected to measurable events on earth. Dr. Joe Dispenza, author of Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, explains his process of how to create change in your life, and Colin Tipping, of Radical Forgiveness, describes a simple step-by step process to transmute past hurts into gifts, clearing the way for lasting transformation. In addition, many indigenous elders and spiritual teachers share their profound insights and sacred practices.

These pearls of wisdom show us the transformative power of the heart to create a pathway of healing, forgiveness, connection and love.

Join us on this amazing journey to reclaim your heart, heal your past and create a new future!

Find Sacred Journey of the Heart on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

You can purchase the DVD of Sacred Journey of the Heart on November 12, 2012 here: http://www.sacredjourneyoftheheart.com/