Inspired by our tagline, “Here for the bigger picture,” the animation depicts a lotus flower’s growth from germination and seedling to bud and full bloom. The lotus, a symbol of rebirth and determination, reflects our commitment to supporting filmmakers at every stage of their careers, providing them a platform to take root and tell their stories.

This animation is presented frame by frame as a backdrop, generously provided by Snaptique for our in-person events.

ETALK Senior Correspondent and scribe of the immensely popular celebrity gossip blog, LaineyGossip.com, Lainey Lui does what she does for one reason – to provide a gossip education to the Canadian public.

The Toronto-born, self-proclaimed gossip maven trailblazed her own way into the gossip game. What started as an email to two friends grew to a website with millions of readers from around the world. As friends told friends about Lui’s non-sycophantic email updates, she received so many requests to get on her mailing list that her server crashed.

More than one million readers and Twitter followers read LaineyGossip.com every month and listen to her two in-house podcasts, making it a leading international celebrity and pop culture source. Recognizing Lui’s talent, she joined the ETALK team in 2006. Lui also co-hosted Canada’s most-watched daytime talk show, THE SOCIAL for 10 seasons.

In February 2010, Lui reported on entertainment and gossip news for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Leaving little time for sleep, she also penned national columns for The Globe and Mail and Metro newspapers, and appeared daily on Canada’s official Olympic morning show during the Games. The following year, Lui travelled to London, England to cover the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton; she also reported from the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; and she has covered major international  entertainment events from the Oscars to the Golden Globes, the Cannes Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, the Super Bowl, and more.

Lui is regularly called upon as a celebrity expert by media outlets worldwide, including CNN.com, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Buzzfeed, The Guardian, and the Los Angeles Times. In 2016, Lui was named to Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women 2016 by WXN and has been profiled by The Washington Post, The Cut, and TheRinger.com.  Lui’s first book, Listen to the Squawking Chicken: When Mother Knows Best, What’s a Daughter To Do? A Memoir (Sort Of), debuted at #1 on the Globe & Mail bestseller list upon publication.  Most recently, Lui is part of the teams who won a 2020 Canadian Screen Award for THE SOCIAL, Best Talk Program or Series, and ETALK, Best Entertainment News Program or Series. Lui also won a 2019 Canadian Screen Award (CSA) for Best Host in a Web Program or Series for ETALK AT THE OSCARS and was named to Toronto Life’s 2019 Best Dressed List.

In 2018, Lui returned to her alma mater, Western University, as a visiting professor, teaching a fourth year Faculty of Arts course on the power of gossip. In May 2021, Lui was part of the all-female Asian Canadian creative team who produced Eyes Open, an anti-Asian racism PSA confronting the historical and present injustices facing the Asian community. She is also a consultant for Covenant House, which offers shelter and services for homeless youth and a celebrity ambassador for Special Olympics Canada. Lui lives in Toronto with her husband and beagles

Follow Lainey Lui on X (@LaineyGossip) and Instagram (@laineygossip).

The Fire Horse Award, named after festival founder Anita Lee, was introduced in 2021 to honour individuals who embody the spirit of originality, creative thinking, and visionary leadership. The award holds significant importance within the Asian Canadian film and media arts community and serves as a tribute to those who have made extraordinary contributions and left a lasting legacy.

Unveiling the 2024 Fire Horse Award Recipient

Paul Wong

“In Paul Wong, the Fire Horse Award jury has chosen a one-of-a-kind artist whose work—which never shied away from exploring his queer, Asian and Canadian identities—has been recognized by his peers throughout his 50-year-plus career.” said Reel Asian’s Executive Director Deanna Wong. “Considering also his tireless community work, activism and advocacy, Wong is truly the embodiment of this award and we can’t wait to present him with it this May.”

This year’s recipient will be awarded $25,000 in cash, of which Golden Globe Award-winning Canadian film and television star Sandra Oh committed $50,000 over five years. This contribution matches a generous lead donation from donors Lap Chan and Ha-kyung Helen Song. More recently, Pan Asia Food Co., Ltd. pledged $25,000 over five years to the award. The company has been serving the Korean community in Canada for over 50 years. Ongoing contributions from the Reel Asian community will ensure the sustainability of the award for years to come.

The Fire Horse Award was introduced in 2021 to honour individuals who embody the spirit of originality, creative thinking, and visionary leadership. The award holds significant importance within the Asian Canadian film and media arts community and serves as a tribute to those who have made extraordinary contributions and left a lasting legacy.