Canada200144 minEnglish with English Subtitles
In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to recognize multiculturalism as official government policy. In that context, 11-year-old Cyrus Sundar Singh joined an after-school film club whose members all happened to be the children of immigrants. While learning to love film, they also grappled with their identities — were they Chinese, Indian, or Italian? Were they Canadian? Together, they made a short film that explored these ideas and more.
In this charming and deeply nostalgic 2001 documentary, Sundar Singh reunites his classmates to talk about their experiences growing up in a multicultural Toronto neighbourhood — the everyday racism and bullying and the struggles at home, and how the club gave them a sense of belonging that their country did not yet offer.
Now, on the 25th anniversary of the release of Film Club, we revisit those questions: How far have we as Canadian society come?
– Deanna Wong
Cyrus Sundar Singh*
A Gemini Award-winning filmmaker, scholar, composer, singer-songwriter, author, poet, and changemaker, Cyrus Sundar Singh’s multidisciplinary outputs of films, scholarly research, publications, and creative productions have delivered in excess of 70 projects worldwide.
*In attendance
Using a remarkable wealth of archival material seamlessly woven into a creative, scrapbook-style tapestry, AN INCOMPLETE CALENDAR centres on a rare and surprising artifact: the vinyl record of Rhymes and Songs for OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
18 Nov. 7:00 pm
We are all guided by desires — some physical, some emotional, some impossible to name. These films explore the tender spaces where craving becomes intimacy, curiosity becomes discovery, and desire leaves a trace.
13 Nov. 8:45 pm
The Reel Asian Digital Community Archive was dreamed up to reflect on the festival's history as we approached our 30th anniversary. From cleaning out the office and sorting through boxes of storage materials to public callouts for community members old and new to submit their personal materials, we embarked on a six-month journey of collecting and documenting. The archive is now live and available for anyone interested in looking at the festival through its traces.
11 Nov.
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.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
