Each year, Reel Asian celebrates Asian talent with awards for features and short films. Juried by distinguished creatives, filmmakers and industry professionals, these awards speak to the brilliant talent within our communities and the meaningful impact these stories leave with our audiences.
All feature works are eligible for this prize.
$2,000 cash prize
Grace Lee
Jury Statement
For a surprising take on American history as seen through the dynamic life of a 98 year old revolutionary political thinker and presented through a fresh perspective that is not overwhelmed by the monumentality of the subject. A witty presentation of America’s black history and a youthful appreciation of an inspiring life of ongoing transformation and continued relevance.
All first feature films are eligible for this prize.
$500 cash prize
Kim Mordaunt
Jury Statement
The award goes to a visually stunning exploration of a child’s magical world set against the back drop of rural impoverishment and forced migration. With highly skilled direction of non professional actors combined with documentary footage this film presents a visually stunning narrative of a child’s struggle to find a home to call his own.
Cary McClelland & Imram Babur
Jury Statement
A compelling mosaic of unforgettable characters living amidst a country struggling to find political and social stability.
All Canadian works are eligible for this prize
$2,000 cash prize
Sameer Farooq
Jury Statement
An exuberant documentary that captures the compassion, pride and fierce determination of a young generation that leaves you wanting more.
All short films & videos are eligible for this prize.
$500 cash prize
Jason Lee
Jury Statement
The jury was captured by this filmmaker’s piece, which speaks to us in an incredibly touching way and puts a human face to an important story and tragic piece of history. Breathtaking and well crafted, this documentary tells a moving tale of a family’s journey to reunite with a long-lost family in North Korea.
Johnny Ma
All animated works are eligible for this prize.
$500 cash prize
Hefang Wei
Jury Statement
We would like to highlight that we were impressed with the level of craftsmanship and creativity in this category. Choosing the best-animated film was a particularly difficult task. We consider this film to stand out amongst the selection for its unique portrayal of a of a country’s history. Superbly well-crafted and innovative.
All films made by female-identified GTA-based artists are eligible for this prize.
$1,200 programming pass and one-year membership to WIFT-T.
Casey Mecija
Jury Statement
My Father, Francis traces the narrative of the filmmaker’s father’s life as it has materialized in his remarkable practice as an amateur industrial designer. The objects of his labour are presented as points of contact and collaboration between father and daughter, a relationship between them that is also the experimentation with new forms, just as this work explores a personal narrative that is exciting for a debut filmmaker.
All feature works are eligible for this prize, selected through a tally of votes from the viewers of the 17th edition Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
$2,000 cash prize + Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 v7.0
S. Ramona Diaz
with support from
$2,000 cash prize + more than $8,000 in services
Betty Xie & David Wang
$2,000 cash prize + more than $16,000 in services
Gloria Kim
Aki Takabatake
Aki Takabatake is a programmer of Asian films at the Toronto International Film Festival and is based in Toronto and Japan. She graduated from University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and worked in International Acquisition and TV sales at SPO Inc. in Japan.
Caroline Habib
Caroline Habib is the Manager of Acquisitions & Broadcast Sales at Mongrel Media. Caroline earned a BA in Film Studies and Art History at the University of Montreal and completed a graduate diploma in arts management at HEC. She has worked with various prestigious distribution companies and has programmed the 2008 edition of the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival.
Chandra Siddan
Chandra Siddan was born and raised in Bangalore, India, where she studied English Literature. She fell upon film in New York at the New School and continued playing in the medium in Karlsruhe, Germany. She moved to Toronto in 2000 where she initiated the Regent Park Film Festival in 2003 and made her first feature length personal doc, Remembrance of Things Present. She is currently engaged in fiction and documentary projects, and has co-edited a book of literary essays recently launched by Harper Collins, India.
Ravida Din
Ravida Din is the Director General of the National Film Board of Canada’s English Program. As an executive prducer, Din has worked on notable titles such as Status Quo? The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada (Karen Cho), Payback (Jennifer Baichwal), and Up The Yangtze (Yung Chang), in co-production with EyeSteelFilm. Earlier in her career, Din also worked as project manager for the Canadian Council for Multicultural and Intercultural Education.
Sinara Rozo-Perdomo
Sinara Rozo-Perdomo is a Toronto-based arts administrator, curator, proud mother, and educator. She co-founded the annual aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival, and has recently served on the board of the Media Arts Network of Ontario, Independent Media Arts Alliance, and on the advisory board for The Latin American Arts Centre Collective. She has taught video/film production and animation at OCADU, Toronto Image Works, and the Toronto District School Board.
Jacob Korczynski
Jacob Korczynski is an independent curator based in Toronto. A recent participant in the de Appel Curatorial Programme, he has curated, or is developing projects, for the Dunlop Art Gallery, Gallery TPW, Oakville Galleries, and the Stedelijk Museum. His writing has appeared in Border Crossings, Prefix Photo, C Magazine, and Fillip. Currently, he is a researcher for the Performane in Residence platform of If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution.
Paul Wong
Paul Wong is an award-winning artist and curator, and one of Canada’s renowned multimedia artists. He has been organizing cultural events and public interventions since the mid-1970s. Wong was the 2005 recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.
Michael Fukushima
Michael Fukushima is an award-winning filmmaker and producer at the National Film Board of Canada’s world-renowned Animation Studio. Two of his most recent productions, The End of Pinky (Claire Blanchet) and Impromptu (Bruce Alcock) had their world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013.
Kristine Estorninos
Kristine Estorninos has been a festival distribution strategist for over five years. Before arriving in Canada, she worked in feature film promotion in the Philippines. Recently, she worked in film distribution at the Canadian Film Centre, as well as at Ouat Media, where festival strategy was key to earning the company’s films numerous Oscar nominations and wins.
*All decisions made by the juries are final and binding and not subject to appeal.
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.
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