Reel Asian Blog>

Well, that’s another superb Reel Asian International Film Festival gone down in the books. They always put on a great show and this year they outdid themselves yet again. They had such wonderful offerings on so many fronts, it was an embarrassment of riches. The audiences were terrific, and we filmmakers were treated fantastically well. The final day was no exception.

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2008 Reel Asian Award Winners and much much more! (Click here for gallery.)

Well as I expected, Saturday was a very long day for me.  I didn’t get too much sleep because I was up early to prepare for the pitch competition.  I had to have a my PowerPoint presentation ready in time for the tech rehearsal in the morning.  I had just taught myself PowerPoint the night before but found it quite easy to figure out.  I discovered that the use of visual aids increased my running time so I was in a small panic wondering if I’d be able to trim it enough to fit within the 6 minutes we are allotted.

The pitch itself was a blur.  I have no idea how I did really.  I got a few laughs, which was very good.  But I felt I could have answered some questions better, especially one about the minor character of a girlfriend.  I was fine though going up first and presenting.  It wasn’t until I sat down that I realized how knotted and tense my stomach was.

But when I finally settled down, I was able to just sit back and enjoy the other pitches.  And they were all very, very strong and interesting.  I could easily see any one of them doing well as finished films, so it’s kind of too bad that there’s only one prize available in each category.  The MC Keith Cole was very entertaining and engaging.  He and the distinguished jury (Nobu Adilman, Judy Gladstone, Eileen Arandiga) seemed to be having way too much fun up there.

Afterwards, NSI (the National Screen Institute) hosted an industry reception at Espresso Bar Mercurio.  It was a good opportunity to decompress after the anxiety of having to pitch.  Then I joined filmmaker Jennifer Liao (What You Eat) and my co-producer Sandy Kellerman for a quick bite.

We then headed over to the theatre in preparation for the 8:15 screening.  I was pleased to see such a great turnout even though the weather was so lousy.  The theatre was packed.  They brought out a bunch of extra seating and easily filled it all.  It was a real honour to have my modest short film screen alongside director Michael Kang’s excellent work.  I recall seeing his outstanding debut The Motel at a previous Reel Asian festival and his great talent is clearly evident in this very different work.

I popped by the Festival Social Club at Augusta House briefly and took in some of the 90s themed fun before heading over to the reception at Yuzu for Michael Kang.  The food was tasty and I could finally completely relax.  Then a bunch of us went off to do some karaoke.  That was a blast.  There were so many of us that we needed to book a second room.  That went on for some time but I hung in there until the very end, around 4:30 or so.  After that, we went across the street for Korean food.  I finally made it home around 6ish.

Like I said, it was a long day.  Fantastic, but long.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN PITCH, NSI RECEPTION, WEST 32ND and much more! (Click here for gallery.)

Spotlight on PAUL WONG, in conversation with CHRISTINE CHOY AND YUNG CHANG, RAMEN! and much more! (Click here for gallery.)

Every day so far has been packed with activity, with lots of great screenings, events and industry sessions.  Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to catch all of them.  But I’m doing my best.

The opening night was a grand way to kick things off.  There was an intimate yet lively reception for the filmmakers at Insomnia before we were escorted to the red carpet at the Bloor Cinema for the gala screening.  Some distinguished speakers included Mayor David Miller and the local MP Olivia Chow.  The screening itself started with a humourous short The Others by Aram Collier and was followed by the beautifully shot and lyrical film The Drummer by Kenneth Bi. I couldn’t get over how much Jackie Chan’s son looks like a scrawny version of my friend Richard Lee.

After a Q&A, we all headed down to the Century Room on King Street for the Opening Night Party.  It was great to see some old friends, and meet some new ones too as usual.  Hai Tran, the subject of the documentary Daddy Tran: A Life in 3-D, was there with a 3-D viewer and some of his outstanding photography.

Thursday featured the industry series kickoff.  There were some fine parties too - a reception at Trinity Square Video for Takashi Ishida, the closing reception for The Empty Orchestra at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery in Hart House, and the Canadian Moviemakers Karaoke After-Party in the Arbor Room of Hart House.

I was tied up Friday during the day and then spent the evening preparing for the Pitch competition tomorrow.  I did manage to make it to the Disquieting: Late Night Shorts screening.  They were all quite interesting, but it was exciting to see Jennifer Liao’s film What You Eat.  She was there with a number of her cast and crew and stayed for a Q&A afterwards.  They all did a terrific job and she certainly proved a deserving winner of last year’s pitch competition (emerging category).  I then headed over to the Rivoli to catch RAMeN: Reel Asian Music Night.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day.  We prepare for the pitch competition in the morning, have the competition itself at 1:30 -3:30, at least one reception, and then the screening of my film The Audience at 8:15 along with West 32nd.  I’m not at all worried but quite excited by it all.  We’ll see what happens.

Filmmaker Iris Ng during the RECOLLECTIONS shorts presentation. Click here for gallery.

Do I spy Mayor David Miller and MP Olivia Chow? Check out the entire celebrity who’s who on the Reel Asian red carpet this year!

So the festival officially kicks off this year on the 12th of November (tomorrow) and goes until the 16th. But a number of events have been taking place already.

It started last month with Empty Orchestra, a karaoke-themed installation at Justina M. Barnicke Gallery in Hart House, University of Toronto. It opened on October 16 with a reception and continues running until November 13. It features the work of five artists and was curated by Maiko Tanaka & Heather Keung (Artistic Director of Reel Asian).

The official press launch of Reel Asian was held on October 21 at the Japan Foundation. It was then that I found out not only that my short film “The Audience” screens ahead of the feature film West 32nd by Michael Kang on the Saturday the 15th at 8:15; but also I’m a finalist in the Pitch Competition being held at 1:30 that afternoon. We had a coaching session for the pitching on October 30 with Gerry Flahive of the Narional Film Board. He gave us all really good feedback and the stories all sounded quite interesting and unique.

Yesterday, I went by the office to pick up my pass for the festival. While I was there, I recorded a blurb to be played as part of the intros during the pitch sessions. Then I joined Heather, Vancouver-based featured artist Paul Wong, and a host of others on the ” Wong-mobile-A-Go-Go,” a chartered bus that took us to Blackwood Gallery in Mississauga while screening some of Paul’s work.

Once we arrived at Blackwood at the University of Toronto in Mississauga, there was a brief reception for his video exhibition, Running in a Maze. After introductions, he presented an artist talk, giving details and insights into his fascinating history and body of work. In addition to Running in a Maze, you can see his work East Van John at V tape, 401 Richmond St W, #452; and Class of Refugee at Malton Public Library.

Tonight Reel Asian and CinemAsia present Sabu Soirée — a screening of Sabu’s Monday followed by a talk by Eric Cazdyn and party for CinemAsia. This starts at 6:30 at Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave).

All this before the festival officially opens tomorrow night!

In the interest of finding a little bit more about our Reel Asian audience members so that we can serve you better every year, we’ve put together a short survey. We promise it won’t take you longer than 5 minutes, and you have the chance to win all-access festival passes! So tell us about yourself!

By filling out this survey by midnight, November 11, 2008, you will be entered in a draw to win two 2008 FESTIVAL PASSES valued at $240!

Take Survey Now!