The Images Festival crosses international boundaries again this year with artworks representing a variety of cultural communities, among them First Nations, Turkish, Palestinian, Argentinean and South African, PLUS spotlight programs on Russian avant-garde cinema from the 1980s and selections from the One Take Super 8 event. The Images Festival screens and exhibits a wide range of work and disciplines - everything from formal experiments to innovative documentary, from film to performance and works which address a range of political, feminist and other social and cultural issues.

Opening night will be the world premiere of Toronto-based G.B. Jones' fifteen-plus-years in the making Super 8 feature film, The Lollipop Generation. Closing night will be the North American premiere of Toronto-based b.h. Yael's new video essay Trading the Future.

Apart from offering a strong slate of documentaries, the NFB will partner with the festival for Coffee Talks and for the Doc Summit to provide venues for insightful discussion about the creative process. As well, the NFB will unveil a highly innovative on-line service, NFB Images, which will give access to NFB stock footage to documentary filmmakers around the world. Being an active partner with the Hot Docs festival is as central to the role of the NFB, as its programming. Both are essential to connect with film enthusiasts through the art of the documentary.

From April 21 to 24, once again the NFB presents the ever-popular Coffee Talks, an opportunity for journalists and delegates to meet the filmmakers. On April 25, the NFB is a co-presenter with the festival of the annual Doc Summit, a town-hall style forum for industry stakeholders to discuss critical policy issues.

S&M SHORTAND MALE buttresses its anecdotes with science and striking statistics. The average Fortune 500 exec is 6' tall - three inches above average. The difference in wages between the tall and the short averages out to more than $1,000 an inch. It's enough to make you buy stocks in human growth hormone.

The Music Festival is recognized worldwide as the place for fans to see breakout performances from great bands at intimate venues and for musicians to get vital international exposure. The Film Festival features the planet's most eclectic schedule of music-related films--concert classics to indie docs, from Rio to Rwanda. And the Conference puts music insiders and veterans alongside next-generation thought leaders and cyber-punk upstarts who are defining the industry for the digital age.

Festival alumni include The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Sam Roberts, Feist, Billy Talent, The Dears, Sufjan Stevens, Kathleen Edwards, Ron Sexsmith, K'naan, Jason Collett, Sarah Harmer, and Sum 41. Catch the 14th annual North by Northeast Music & Film Festival and Conference June 12-15, 2008 at over 50 venues in downtown Toronto. Visit www.nxne.com for more details.

Pride Week 2008 will be held from June 20th to 29th. Currently entering its 28th year, Toronto's Pride Week has been named the Best Festival in Canada by the Canadian Special Events Industry, is recognized as one of only Eight Signature Events in the city of Toronto, and is ranked as one of the TOP 50 festivals in Ontario by Festivals and Events Ontario.

Rounding out the headlining bill of incredible talent are Sam Roberts Band, The Bravery, Ashes Divide and Attack in Black. More artists to join in on the festivities will be Arkells, The Coast, Creature, The Flatliners, Hostage Life, Modernboys Moderngirls, The Stereohoax, Sweet Thing, and USS [Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker].These 15 artists bring the rock at Downsview Park all day on two stages.

Yoga Festival Toronto, poised to host its inaugural three-day event in August of 2008, is riding a wave of unprecedented Yoga-community cooperation and support for its non-profit, non-commercial, pro-green mission. This will be the first of yearly festivals designed to unite, inspire and support local practitioners and teachers of Yoga and related holistic disciplines.

With the number of GTA Yoga studios growing by close to 100 per year over the last three years, this emerging community is ready for an annual celebration of its local talent.

YFT was founded and is currently directed by a broad coalition of Yoga community folk working on a volunteer basis to bring a stellar roster of teachers and presenters together to teach and debate the various topics of what's becoming a global, non-denominational spiritual and holistic health movement.

This new initiative sees a dozen authors participating in events including readings, interviews, round-table discussions and social occasions, infusing the IFOA with an Irish flavour throughout. Top name authors already confirmed include: John Brady, Emma Donoghue, Anne Enright, Victoria Glendinning, Colm TÛibÌn, and Maeve Binchy, who lends her voice to introduce all Irish Focus onstage events.

The International Festival of Authors takes place October 22 – November 1, 2008, at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre: 235, Queens Quay West, Toronto. Complete line-up and tickets-on-sale date yet to be announced. The Irish Focus at IFOA is supported in part by Culture Ireland, the Irish State Agency established in 2005 to promote the best of Ireland's arts and culture internationally.

For details of other upcoming events at IRAH, the public may visit www.readings.org or call the Harbourfront Centre Box Office at 416-973-4000.