Reel Asian’s 20th anniversary is bookended by Hong Kong’s SOUL MATE and India’s SAIRAT.
Public tickets go on sale on October 12th at www.reelasian.com
The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is proud to announce our Opening Night and Closing Night Galas for our 20th anniversary festival, running from November 8th to 19th, 2016 in Downtown Toronto, North York and Richmond Hill. The festival will open with Derek Tsang’s poignant and poetic romantic drama SOUL MATE and will close with the Canadian Premiere of India’s smash hit SAIRAT from Nagraj Manjule.
Click on the image above to watch the trailer for Soul Mate
Toronto Opening Night Gala: SOUL MATE 七月與安生
Tuesday, November 8th • 7:30PM • Toronto Premiere
Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West)
Director: Derek Tsang Kwok Cheung (曾國祥)
Director Derek Tsang returns to the Opening Night Gala spot at Reel Asian since debuting his first feature film LOVER’S DISCOURSE in 2011. With his new film SOUL MATE, Tsang chronicles the story of model student Qiyue and free-spirited Ansheng who are the best of friends, forming their inseparable bond from the moment they met as children. Their loyalties are put to the test when a boy and the cruelties of youth lead them to embark on separate paths until one day, a web novella based on their lives surfaces uncovering a deep secret.
Derek Tsang is expected to be in attendance for a special Q&A.
Click on the image above to watch the trailer for Sairat
Toronto Closing Night Gala: SAIRAT सैराट
Friday, November 18th • 7:00PM • Toronto Premiere
Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West)
Director: Nagraj Manjule
The last time Nagraj Manjule was at Reel Asian, he took home the National Bank Best First Feature Award in 2014 for his debut film FANDRY. Much like FANDRY, Manjule masterfully molds non-actors into stars who carry his new film, SAIRAT. The film follows fun loving Parshya who is beloved by his neighbourhood cricket team and has a crush on Archi, the daughter of a wealthy, upper caste politician. Their star-crossed love is put to the test when Archi’s father discovers their relationship and drives the young couple to flee to the city. The highest-grossing Marathi film in India, the film features singing, dancing and a soundtrack composed by Indian musical duo Ajay-Atul.
Nagraj Manjule is expected to be in attendance for a special Q&A.
Our full festival lineup will be announced on Tuesday, October 11th, 2016.
The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, presented by National Bank, is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from the Asian diaspora. As Canada’s largest Asian film festival, Reel Asian® provides a public forum for Asian media artists and their work, and fuels the growing appreciation for Asian cinema in Canada. Works presented at Reel Asian include films and videos by East, South and Southeast Asian artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world.
Presenting Sponsor:
A PDF Press Release of these announcements can be found here.
A PDF Press Release of these announcements in Chinese can be found here.