Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Staff

Originally from Winnipeg, Deanna spent many years volunteering and working in the not-for-profit cultural arts sector in Winnipeg prior to moving to Toronto in 1996. She has sat on the boards of Dreamwalker Dance Company and the Regent Park Film Festival and has participated in various film and arts council juries over the years. Most recently, she was the administrative director at REEL CANADA, and previously served as Reel Asian’s executive director from 2005 to 2008.

At any point, you can probably find Kelly with a camera in hand. She resonates with both photography and film as an active medium and accessible space to reclaim archive and documentation. She is a graduate from the Masters of Environmental Studies program at York University with research on placemaking, spaces of intimacy, citizenship and storytelling through food. Her favourite food is any kind of noodle soup.

Aram is a filmmaker, educator, and film festival programmer. Based in Toronto, Aram is a mixed race Asian Canadian/American (Chinese and English/Dutch/German) and a San Francisco native who has a BFA and MFA in Film Production from the University of California at Santa Cruz and York University respectively.

As director of creative marketing and communications, Christine primarily focuses on creative direction, strategy, and managing the marketing team in executing campaigns for the festival and year-round programming. Her favourite part about working at Reel Asian is working with artists under the growing Festival Creative Artist portfolio which she started in 2019. In addition to her role at Reel Asian, Christine is also a CFMDC board member. She is also an actor, writer, and director. Most recently, she was nominated for a 2024 Canadian Screen Award for her work on the 2022 Reel Asian Awards.

The 30th edition will be Chris’ twenty-third festival with Reel Asian, having started out as a Front-of-House volunteer back in 2003. He has been an Associate Programmer at the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival and has worked and volunteered at other festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, Images Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, and Frameline San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. In addition to his festival commitments, he has provided event management and operations support to organizations including Reelworld, the Center for Asian American Media (SF), Pride Toronto, and the Canadian Film Centre. Chris is always up for a night of karaoke.

Kalpana Srinarayanadas is an Eelam Tamil-Canadian cultural programmer, operational strategist, and arts administrator. She served as Executive Director of Regent Park Film Festival from 2022 to 2026, and has spent over 15 years working in cultural organizations in the UK and Canada, including the Toronto International Film Festival, British Film Institute, the Royal Ontario Museum and Canadian Stage. Kalpana has also served on the Boards of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Canadian Tamil Professionals Association, and the Manitoba Association for Rights & Liberties. Based in Toronto, Kalpana is deeply committed to creating equitable access to the Arts and fostering connection and community through shared learning and storytelling.

Samir is a film festival programmer, educator, screenwriter and producer based in Toronto. Currently, he is the Industry and Education programmer at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, where he continues his efforts to strengthen the inclusion of Asian Canadian filmmakers in the media industry.

Abby Ho is an arts worker with over nine years of experience in social media and marketing. She is also a multidisciplinary artist whose mediums include paper cutting, papemaking, and painting. Abby is one-fourth of a momo zine and collaborates in experimental paper arts as one half of the creative duo, jabs.

Amanda is an arts administrator with an interest in youth engagement and volunteerism. In her spare time she enjoys baking. She was the horse girl in your middle school art class.

Mariam Zaidi is a South Asian filmmaker, film programmer, and arts manager based in Toronto. Zaidi’s work has been funded and supported by the CBC, LIFT, TAC, OAC, CCA, BravoFACT! FACTOR Canada, and the NFB. Alongside her independent film work and programming at Reel Asian, Zaidi is currently Associate Programmer at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Jasmine Gui (@jaziimun) is a Singaporean-born interdisciplinary artist and programmer living and working in Tkaronto. She is co-founder of TACLA, founder of Project 40 Collective and managing editor at LooseLeaf magazine. Her work includes two chapbooks and writing featured in sineTheta, GUTS, The Spectatorial, Panorama Journal, Hart House Review amongst others. She did her MA in English, Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto. Outside of the arts, she is widely known as a tea lady.

Khanh Tudo is a multidisciplinary artist, straddling between film tech-ing, film festival programming, and sculpture work. They are drawn to the magic and spontaneity DIY and low budget artmaking can possess when working from a relationship forward and care-centric framework.

Kelvin is a Toronto-based writer, poet, and filmmaker who blends images, words, and sounds to tell stories rooted in diverse realities. With experience in programming, marketing, and operations within the arts and film festival world, he thrives on creating meaningful connections between artists, audiences, and ideas. Storytelling and poetry are at the heart of his practice, whether he’s shaping programs for art organizations, making films, or sharing words at cultural events.

Cindy is a Vancouver and Toronto-based multi-faceted arts worker with a background in theatre production and research in XR. They are incredibly excited to join Reel Asian and to support the organization in achieving all their goals! Amongst many other fun facts, she is a known fan of bad angles and peace signs, cats and Coraline, and has never had a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.

Chantal Leong is a writer, director, and arts worker. Her debut short film “This House That Bears No Fruit” is a gothic family thriller currently in its first festival circuit having screened at Fantasia, Inside Out and TIFF Next Wave amongst other festivals. Chantal is drawn to viscerally dissecting Chinese-diaspora culture, imagining self-contained worlds drenched in vibrant horror and gothic atmospheres.

Joseph Chung is a director and producer who graduated from York University with a background in Cinema and Media Studies. He has produced, directed, and contributed to films including Mother’s Tongue (2018), Uprooted: The Plantemic (2022), and Table for Three (2024). His work has reached international audiences in Canada, the United States, Italy, and South Korea. As an independent producer at Staircasewit, Joseph remains deeply involved in the film community and is passionate about collaborating with both emerging and established artists as he continues to develop his craft.

Tricia Hagoriles is a Toronto-based Filmmaker. An alum of the Canadian Film Centre’s Director’s Lab, their genre-spanning work as a writer and director includes acclaimed short films, music videos, and plays. With over a decade of colour grading experience and a healthy pop and subculture obsession, Tricia combines a flair for atmosphere and rhythm with a storytelling style that is often queer (AF!), heartfelt, and whimsical —all anchored by a central theme of interconnectedness.
@triciahagoriles

Amreen Kullar is a Director, DP, and Editor from Brampton, primarily driven by their desire to challenge preconceived notions and create political awareness. Working in both the narrative and doc format, they love an analogue and non-hierarchical approach to set and film education. After being on the Programming Advisory Committee for the past two festivals, they’re returning for their second year on the Unsung Voices team.

@amreenk_

Bree Jiang (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural producer with a practice spanning illustration, design, animation and painting. She is also one half of VenusRium, a collective that provides plants-based and terrarium workshops to foster community connection and dialogue. At night, Bree transforms into her drag alter ego the trans umami tsunami MS.G.

Dan is a marketer, designer, and content creator previously venturing in startup incubation, hospitality, sports, and film. He has a strong appreciation for the power of film in driving social change.

Katharine is a GTA-based arts worker, writer, cinephile, and theatre enthusiast. She is excited to be returning to the Reel Asian team and to celebrate the festival’s 30th edition. Her hobbies include baking and playing piano.

Katelyn is a senior high school student, and aspiring creative with a deep passion for film, photography, and music. She intends to study film and cinematography after graduation and is excited to join this year’s festival team for their anniversary year.

Karel is a Lebanese filmmaker and arts administrator who’s always on the go, juggling her filmmaking practice, love of dance, and social life. A York University MFA graduate, her films have screened and won awards at international festivals. From Lebanon to Toronto, she’s been making moves in the film festival world, on and off the screen!

Chirag is an Indo-Canadian emerging storyteller based in Vaughan. He discovered his passion for creativity while volunteering at a seniors’ center that needed flyers to promote its annual Christmas market; he obliged and hasn’t looked back since. Chirag holds a BA in English from York University and has worked at various film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Canadian Film Festival, Images Festival, and Future of Film Showcase.

Maya is a Toronto-based researcher, arts worker, and former theatre kid who has worked across creative projects as a performer, producer, and creator. She is a co-founder of Videatur Collective, an initiative that supports QTBIPOC youth in Toronto through filmmaking workshops and programming. She’s passionate about building inclusive, community-focused arts spaces and is excited to be supporting Reel Asian in its 30th year.