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 28th edition will be Chris’ twenty-first 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 the Center for Asian American Media (SF), Pride Toronto, and the Canadian Film Centre. Chris sings with the band …somethingforothers and is always up for a night of karaoke.

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.

Rea is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist who creates spaces where intimacy, humour, and imagination meet. Her practice is a dance between connection and isolation, unravelling longing and savouring microintimacies.

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.

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, filmmaker and arts worker. When not exploring the city in hopes of finding her new favorite cafe, she is developing her next production. She is currently in post for her debut short film – a dark coming of age psychological thriller.

Lili is an interdisciplinary designer who works at the intersection of cultural storytelling, visual design, and community-driven experiences. She is the co-founder of Pamplepuss, an event collective that brings people together through intentional AAPI gatherings. Previously, she was one of the founding organizers behind Montreal’s first Asian night market, Marché de Nuit Asiatique. As a content creator, Lili is passionate about normalizing traditional and cultural dress in everyday life. When she isn’t jetting off to Asia, you’ll likely find her curled up somewhere with her cat Mitsu.

Chirag is an Indo-Canadian emerging storyteller based in Vaughan. He discovered a passion for creativity while volunteering at a senior’s center when they needed flyers to promote their 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 TIFF, TO Short Film Festival, Canadian Film Fest, and the Future of Film Showcase.

Katharine Mussellam has been working in the arts for six years in administration and customer relations and is excited to be joining the Reel Asian team as Festival Delegate Manager for the second year in a row. She has an MA in Cinema & Media Studies from York University and a BA in English from Bishop’s University. When Katharine is not working or watching movies, you may find her writing, attending the theatre, trying a new recipe, or engrossed in a good book.

With a background in Arts Management and New Media from the University of Toronto, Alexandra is passionate about film and cultural events, and about creating meaningful connections between audiences and storytellers. This is Alexandra’s second year with Reel Asian, and she is excited to support its mission of amplifying Asian storytelling. In her role as Festival Hospitality Steward, she looks forward to helping foster a warm and enriching festival experience for all.

Kelvin is a Toronto-based writer, poet, and filmmaker who weaves images, words, and sounds into narratives that reflect diverse realities. With experience in programming, operations, and administration in the film festival circuit, he is deeply passionate about cinema, storytelling, and community. You can often find him reciting poetry at art events and exploring the world through stories.

Yasya is a film student at TMU, sound designer, and aspiring documentary filmmaker in her third year working at the Reel Asian Film Festival. She is passionate about cinematic storytelling, exploring unique character profiles, and creating immersive audio experiences.

Joseph Chung graduated from York University in Cinema Media Studies and has produced, directed and worked on films such as Mother’s Tongue (2018), Uprooted: The Plantemic (2022) and Table for Three (2024). His film works have premiered to a global audience such as Canada, USA, Italy and South Korea, Currently, he is writing and directing his feature film. Outside of his time at Common Factor Media, Joseph is also an independent producer at Staircasewit. Joseph is very involved in the film community and wishes to work with new and seasoned artists to continue his craft.

Carthy Ngo was a part of the Unsung Voices 12 cohort in 2023, when she wrote and directed her first short film, Dừa (Coconut), which has since been screened across Canada, the USA, and Indonesia. She became a coordinator for the program the following year, and is excited to continue in the role this year to help other emerging filmmakers bring their stories to the screen and find their artistic voices. She works as a speech-language pathologist by day, and dances in the evenings.

Amreen Kullar is a freelance filmmaker and writer from Brampton, primarily driven by their desire to challenge preconceived notions and create political awareness. Within independent film, they’re specialized in cinematography and editing, while their written work focuses on poetic prose and media critique. In addition to being on the Unsung Voices team this year, they’ve joined the Advisory Committee for a second festival.