Deanna Wong
Executive Director
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.
Aram Siu Wai Collier
Artistic Director
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.
Chris Chin
Senior Operations Manager
Chris Chin has completed eighteen festivals 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 choir!choir!choir! and is always up for a night of karaoke.
Christine Vu
Director of Creative Marketing & Communications
Christine Vu is an actor and writer based in Toronto. In addition to her role at Reel Asian, Christine looks to build equity in the film and tv industry as a CFMDC board member.
Kelly Lui
Shorts Programmer
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.
Jasmine Gui
Special Projects Programmer
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.
Samir Ballou
Industry and Education Programmer
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.
June Kim
International Programmes
Based in Toronto and Seoul, June is a film festival enthusiast and a subtitle translator. She has a long history with Reel Asian starting with her internship at the festival during her undergrad years at the University of Toronto. After volunteering and interning at festivals such as Images, Hot Docs, TIFF Kids, and Toronto Singapore Film Festival, she co-founded the first Toronto Korean Film Festival in 2012. She has worked for Toronto International Film Festival and Udine Far East Film Festival, specializing in programming films from East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Mariam Zaidi
Programmer
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.
Kyra Tudlong
Development & Partnerships Manager
Kyra Tudlong is a mixed-race (Filipinx and German) fundraiser and yoga enthusiast based in Toronto/Tkaronto. With a BASc in Family & Community Social Services and Graduate Diploma in Fundraising Management, her passion lies in advocacy and relationship building to support intersectional, community-based approaches to effecting change.
John Bao
Partnerships and Stewardship Coordinator
John Bao is a Vietnamese-Canadian emerging writer/filmmaker based in Toronto. Holding a degree in cognitive science and psychology from the University of Toronto, he aims to explore human nature through a film lens but also isn’t afraid to explore the bizarre and surreal. You can find him on Discord almost 24/7.
Yohei Saka
Special Events Coordinator
Yohei Saka is a dynamic and passionate events coordinator. Born in Japan and raised in the city of Toronto, Yohei has developed a deep appreciation for bringing people together and creating lasting connections.
Abby Ho
Marketing Coordinator
Abby Ho is a multidisciplinary artist working in Tkaronto. Her artistic practice uses sculptural drawings, paper cuts, and paintings to create alternative scapes of rediscovering “home” or as meditations on memory.
Joseph Chung
Unsung Voices Coordinator
Joseph Chung graduated from York University in Cinema Media Studies and has produced, directed and worked on films such as Mother’s Tongue (2018), Table for Three (2023) and Plantemic (2021). He has been previously involved for Unsung Voices from 2018 – 2019 and is excited to return this year. 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.
Amanda Low
Volunteer Coordinator
Amanda (she/they) is an arts administrator working in the volunteer management sector. She is passionate about supporting young BIPOC in the arts. In the past, they have worked with Luminato Festival, DesignTO Festival, the Textile Museum of Canada. She was the Horse Girl in your high school class.
Gina Rim
Delegate and Guest Services Manager
Gina is a Korean Canadian with over 15 years of experience in the Film Festival Industry. Once she volunteered for Reel Asian in 2008, she kind of never left. She’s been an interpreter & translator throughout the years, worked as a Volunteer Coordinator, Accreditations Coordinator and was part of the Programming Committee for Reel Asian. Gina also volunteered and worked for various Film Festivals, including Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, and Luminato Festival. She was the Guest Services Manager for imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival. Gina also loves being a programmer for the Toronto True Crimes Film Festival. You can usually find her surrounded by crystals and candles, yelling at her tarot deck to give her a better card.
Emily Um
Festival Intern
Emily Um is a Toronto-born artist who is specifically interested in filmmaking, writing, and media production. She has an extensive background in theatre, having directed and acted in an abundance of productions. Emily is Korean and Western European and currently attends an arts high school in Toronto where she specializes in drama.