Canada2021English and various languages with English SubtitlesWorld PremiereDrama, Experimental, Women Filmmakers
Four fearless emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online. We’re proud to present their world premiere here, in the landmark 10th edition of Reel Asian’s filmmaking program.
Canada2021 11 minEnglish World PremiereDrama, Family
The echoes of grief linger decades after in a South Asian family that didn’t—couldn’t—get around to talking about it.
This presentation has closed captions.
Ganesh Thava
Ganesh Thava is a Tamil Canadian writer, director, and actor working in film, TV, and theatre. He takes mundane everyday stories like family feuds or love affairs and shows them through a BIPOC and LGBTQ+ lens.
Canada20218 minEnglish, Punjabi with English subtitlesWorld PremiereWomen Filmmakers
Driving in a rural Albertan neighbourhood, a young woman is stopped by a middle-aged Punjabi woman standing on the side of the road; things take a turn for the uncanny, as the young woman is presented with a choice that will change the course of her life.
This presentation has closed captions.
Harman Kang
Harman Kang‘s passion for writing was spurred by a desire to entertain herself and her friends, and a lifelong attitude of “I can do that.” Currently based in Edmonton and working in the non-profit sector, Chakar is Kang’s debut short film.
Canada20217 minEnglish World PremiereExperimental, Non-binary Filmmakers
watering is a semi-autobiographical short film through which the filmmaker reflects on the passing of their childhood dog, and how it continues to inform their navigation of daily life.
This presentation has closed captions.
James Legaspi
James Legaspi is an emerging Filipino Canadian multimedia artist living and working in Brampton, Ont.
Canada20217 min English, Farsi with English subtitles World PremiereDrama, Women Filmmakers
Eager for an escape from family, Safiya moves out to a sublet of an acquaintance, Ahu. Her new place is peaceful, but she soon comes across a journal with entries that take her on a reflective journey—Ahu’s journal.
This presentation has closed captions.
Weeda Azim
Weeda Azim is an Afghan Canadian writer and filmmaker based in Toronto. Her ultimate goal is to embrace chaos and failure in her work, to create in order to understand herself, and to meet like-minded individuals along the way.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
PG
Join us in conversation with directors and special guests in attendance! ASL interpretation will be made available thanks to Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Services. Ticket holders can watch on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
November 13, 2020 at 8PM
At a top-ranking educational institution like Lowell High School in San Francisco, seniors are emotionally exhausted as they prepare for the rigorous application process to get accepted to one of their dream Ivy League universities.
Damascus Dreams is a reflexive documentary essay presented in a series of sections framed by voiceovers of Serri and her father. The film explores and interrogates the fraught notions of dreams, and memories of “home,” moving loosely through old video footage of the family home in Syria, interviews with Syrians who had to leave or flee because of the civil war, conversations between Serri and her father, and poetic, dreamlike sequences.
In the electrifying lead-up to the multi-city Aurat March (Women’s March) in Pakistan, director Anam Abbas follows grassroots organizers as they navigate a deeply surveilled and violent environment to assert a growing, nation-wide feminist movement. Negotiating freedoms with fearful relatives and dodging constant scrutiny, activists move with unbreakable commitment to galvanizing their communities with a radical feminist agenda.
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from Asia and the Asian diaspora. Works include films and videos by artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world. As Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival, Reel Asian provides a public forum for Asian media artists and their work, and fuels the growing appreciation for Asian cinema in Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
