Last fall, the DOC Institute invited creative producers to reimagine a documentary ecosystem that recognizes the needs of BIPOC producers with critically acclaimed projects, and published their thoughts in the “Creative Producer Think Tank Report.” A key point highlighted was producer/director relationships—a partnership constantly in flux. What is required for these roles to work harmoniously? Listen as panelists delve into the critical and vital collaboration that underpins any successful film.
Aeyliya Husain
Filmmaker
Aeyliya Husain is an award-winning filmmaker. Her films have also screened at San Francisco Docfest; Glasgow Short Film Festival and São Paulo Film Festival and have been broadcast on CBC, BBC, Arte, The Documentary Channel, SBS Australia, amongst others. Her latest documentary, An Unfinished Journey, that follows four Afghan former MPs who fled their country for a new life in Canada, for CBC, Arte/France and ERT/Greece.
Ngardy Conteh George
Filmmaker
Hailing from Sierra Leone and raised in Canada, Ngardy Conteh George is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to amplifying the voices of systematically excluded communities, particularly those representing the African Diaspora.
Her work includes 5-part docu-series ‘Black Community Mixtapes’ recently broadcast on Citytv, ‘Mr. Jane and Finch’ (CBC), winner of two Canadian Screen Awards in 2020, and feature documentary ‘The Flying Stars’. She is currently producing two feature documentaries with OYA Media Group, a production company she co-founded with Alison Duke.
Tiffany Hsiung
Filmmaker
Tiffany Hsiung (she/her) is a Peabody award-winning filmmaker and a two-time Canadian Screen Award winner based in Toronto, Canada. Her film Sing Me a Lullaby (2020) won the Oscar qualifying Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC and the inaugural Toronto International Film Festival ‘Share Her Journey Short Cuts Award’ during the world premiere at TIFF.
Sing Me a Lullaby went on to winning The Directors Guild of Canada Best Short Film Award followed by several accolades including two prizes at the annual WIFT- Showcase and listed as one of TIFF Canada’s Top Ten of 2020.
Hsiung’s debut feature documentary The Apology (2016) received over 15 international awards that includes the prestigious Peabody award, the DuPont Columbia Award and the Allan King Memorial Award. Hsiung’s work has played in over 150 film festivals earning over 25 awards, released and broadcasted globally.
Hsiung currently sits as second-vice chair of the Directors Guild of Canada, Ontario Executive Board, she is board member at DOC Canada – Ontario and HOT DOCS executive board. Hsiung is also a member of the National BIPOC committee for the DGC.
Amar Wala
Filmmaker
Amar Wala (he/him) is a Toronto based filmmaker known for his arresting visual style and empowering brand of storytelling. His award-winning works include his debut feature doc The Secret Trial 5 (‘14), which was named one of the Top Ten Docs of the Decade by Realscreen Magazine, Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story (‘22), and the recent doc series Witness, which he created and produced.
Amar is a CSA nominee, and the recipient of the prestigious Vanguard Award from the DOC Institute. A staunch advocate for other BIPOC artists, Amar is also co-founder of the REMC (Racial Equity Media Collective).
14 Nov, 2023 4:00 pm
Festival Lounge401 Richmond St W
Suite 440
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This Reel Ideas session takes place in a venue accessible to wheelchairs and people who need step-free access. Let us know about your accessibility needs by clicking below.
Six fearless emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online. We’re proud to present their world premiere here in the 12th edition of Reel Asian’s filmmaking program.
Directed by Meredith Hama-Brown. Judith, a Japanese Canadian woman, and her reluctant white husband attend a week-long couple’s retreat on a coastal British Columbia island, their two daughters in tow. With Judith grieving the recent loss of her mother, and her connection to her Japanese Canadian identity, the couple’s disconnect grows as she finds herself infatuated with another, seemingly perfect, interracial couple at the retreat.
Starring Jerry as Himself shakes up notions of traditional storytelling in a genre-bending mystery that centres on Jerry Hsu. Jerry is a loving father of three, a recent divorcé, and has been keeping a secret.
Founded in Toronto in 1997, Reel Asian is Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival and a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing Asian and Asian diasporic artists and storytellers. What began as a grassroots film festival has grown into a national platform supporting filmmakers and audiences through screenings, education, industry initiatives, artist development, and community programming presented across Toronto, the GTA, and online across Canada.
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info@reelasian.com
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