Accessibility
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This programme is presented with English subtitles. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Canada, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, USA2022-2023TRT: 1h37Indonesian, Mandarin, Dutch, Farsi, Tamil, Burmese, English, Cebuano, TagalogAnimation, Dark Comedy, Directed By Women, Drama, Experimental, History, Science Fiction
Societal, political, and magical forces at play beyond our control, this programme brings together a variety of filmmaking approaches to reflect on what can remain in troubling times, and along with it, agency to construct the narrative.
*Directors in attendance starred.
Canada, Indonesia202321 minIndonesian, Mandarin, Dutch with English subtitlesDirected By Women, Drama, Science Fiction
In a post-New Order Jakarta, native Indonesians (Pribumi) are legalized to perform the black magic ritual babi ngepet to balance their economy against Chinese Indonesians.
*Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto is an Indonesian writer and director currently residing in Toronto. Her works explore genre films as a medium to depict current political, social, and cultural issues.
Iran, New Zealand20224 minFarsi with English subtitlesAnimation, Directed By Women, Experimental
Back-and-forth movement blends discrete pictures into each other, contrasting the memory of innocent childhood life in a remote, peaceful environment against the surrounding political affairs of post-revolutionary Iran.
Zahra Salarnia
Zahra Salarnia is an Iranian artist based in New Zealand. She seeks to explore alternative and unconventional methods for making and presenting animation.
Canada, India, Sri Lanka202318 minTamil with English subtitlesDrama, History
In a small village in northern Sri Lanka, a young girl is forced to confront the consequences of a deadly civil war as a wounded freedom fighter is brought into their home.
*Kalainithan Kalaichelvan
Kalainithan Kalaichelvan is a Tamil Canadian writer, director, and producer whose films have screened at festivals such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Reel Asian.
Myanmar202218 minBurmese with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Drama, Romance
Out of work and forced to marry a man she dislikes, young San Kyi plans to run away with her best friend, but complications unfold.
Aung Phyoe
Aung Phyoe is a writer, director, and film editor. He’s currently working on his first feature length film Fruit Gathering.
USA202314 minFarsi with English subtitlesDirected By Women, Drama, History
In the height of the Iran–Iraq war, Caroline takes the final car ride with her father through the Iranian countryside.
Julia Elihu
Julia Elihu is an Iranian American writer, director, and producer.
Philippines202322 minEnglish, Cebuano, and Tagalog with English subtitlesDark Comedy, Fiction, Monster, Science Fiction
Between nuclear reactors and military curfews, 14-year-old Jani lives in a dystopian world oppressively devoid of empathy. Together, she and her slippery new friend Kiefer the talking catfish gear up to strike a surreal blow for freedom.
Stephen Lopez
Stephen Lopez graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 2012 with a degree in nursing. But due to the glut of underpaid health-care professionals in his country, he decided to be broke on his own terms and become a filmmaker instead.
PG
Content Warning: depictions of blood, self-harm, bullying and violence
12 Nov, 2023 2:30 pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox C4–
This programme is presented with English subtitles. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Tam Fam Lit Jam
For our Closing Night Event, come celebrate the live So You Think You Can Pitch competition at the 27th Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Reception to follow.
The Good Guise is an artist collective in Toronto formed to spark conversations around healthy masculinity.
Directed by Meredith Hama-Brown. Judith, a Japanese Canadian woman, and her reluctant white husband attend a week-long couple’s retreat on a coastal British Columbia island, their two daughters in tow. With Judith grieving the recent loss of her mother, and her connection to her Japanese Canadian identity, the couple’s disconnect grows as she finds herself infatuated with another, seemingly perfect, interracial couple at the retreat.
Indonesia2022Indonesian and other languages with English subtitlesAnimation, Drama, Experimental, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
S-Express is a short film program exchange initiated in 2002 by Yuni Hadi (Singapore), Amir Muhammad (Malaysia) and Chalida Uabumrungjit (Thailand), featuring regional programming from South East Asia. This annual collaboration offers insight into the development of filmmaking talent and abundance of complex storytelling from each participating region. This year, Reel Asian spotlights S-Express Indonesia programmed by Fransiska Prihadi of Minikino, featuring five short films with the hopes of recharging your festival experience.
Indonesia202120 minutesMakassarese and Indonesian with English subtitles
In a city where “men” are fanatics about football, Akbar is compelled to pretend he loves the game to avoid being rejected by his new college friends.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Gender and queer violence, sexist language and situations, coarse language, strobing lights
Khozy Rizal
Khozy Rizal is a filmmaker based in Makassar, Indonesia. In 2020, he founded Hore Pictures, an independent production house that has produced several short films.
Indonesia2021 22 minJavanese with English subtitles
Trapped in his past, an old man steals an army uniform to chase away the ghosts that terrorize his long nights.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and closed English subtitles digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Violence, trauma, death, blood, extreme audio
Christian Banisrael
Born in Indonesia, Christian Banisrael directed his first short film Mist of the Past (2018), which premiered at the 2019 Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Indonesia202015 minBahasa with English subtitlesDrama
Nur’s husband, who had previously left for Malaysia as a migrant worker, returns home in an unexpected condition.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Trauma
Muhammad Heri Fadli
Born in Central Lombok, Indonesia, Muhammad Heri Fadli began his career as a filmmaker in 2013. Since then, Fadli has directed over 10 short films in seven years.
Indonesia202117 minIndonesian with English subtitlesDrama
Sura is a young boy who lives in a fishing village. One day he finds a broken sex doll washed ashore and tries to fix it.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Violence
Tumpal Tampubolon
Holding a bachelor’s degree in math, Tumpal Tampubolon has written and directed several short films, which have screened in various domestic and international film festivals.
Indonesia20217 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesAnimation
The Archipelago brings together the perspectives of four Indonesian filmmakers as they interpret contemporary Indonesian society.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Azalia Muchransyah and Firman Widyasmara
Azalia Muchransyah is a filmmaker, writer, and scholar from Indonesia with a Ph.D. in Media Study from the University at Buffalo (SUNY). She currently teaches at Binus University film program in Alam Sutera.
Firman Widyasmara was an illustrator and a bank analyst before becoming an animator in 2005. Together with colleagues, he founded Lanting Animation, a collective community animation house.
Fransiska Prihadi
Guest Programmer
Fransiska Prihadi is program director of Minikino since 2015. She is an architect and co-founder of the art-house cinema MASH Denpasar. She has served as guest programmer, preselections committee & jury for various national and international short film festivals, with experience as facilitator and mentor for filmmaking and film critics workshops.
12 Nov, 2022 12:00 pm
Innis Town HallThe free screening for S-Express: Indonesia will be shown at Innis Town Hall.
This shorts programme will also be shown as an online screening from Nov 14 – 20.
Rated PG
Join us for a Q&A immediately after the theatrical presentation with attending guests from this shorts programme, moderated by Kelly Lui.
Amidst a mountain of food, jokes, prayers, joints, songs and Filipino Elvis impersonations, Lolo's Child questions, criticizes and celebrates the intricate underbelly of the Filipino-Canadian community. Reel Asian's Opening Night Film in 2002.
Festival favourite Midnight Snack returns for another bite! This time, 2.0 features six talented female directors who cook up tales full of intrigue and awareness, boldly confronting themes that are often left indigestible.
The story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American who was falsely convicted of a 1973 murder in San Francisco. After activists led a pan-Asian American movement to free him, he was finally released after 10 years in prison.
Indonesia202214 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesFamily, Family-friendly
Abbas and his friends are out to create the most epic action film in 2005! What will Abbas encounter along the way?
Rayhan Dharmawan
Rayhan Dharmawan is a freelance screenwriter for feature films and a director of independent short films and music videos under the collective, Poolside Studios. He may have not determined his true path yet but he’s enjoying every step of the way.
9 Nov, 2022
to 20 Nov, 2022
OnlineRated G
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is available with closed English subtitles digitally.
Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, USA2022English and other languages with English subtitlesAnimation, Dance, Experimental, Family, Family-friendly, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
Short and sweet, this delightful collection of films presents stories of tenderness, curiosity, and possibility.
Canada20222 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Family-friendly
A newcomer to the city tries to figure out their commute.
Tarun Padmakumar
Tarun Padmakumar is a Toronto-based animator who hails from the state of Kerala in South India. Though he’s worked with many mediums, he enjoys creating with animation above all.
Canada20223 minutesEnglish, Cree, and Cantonese with English subtitlesAnimation, Experimental, Family-friendly, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers
A pair of Two-Spirit Métis Chinese youth soften a deer hide together.
Kay Chan
Kay Chan (they/he/she) is a Two-Spirit and non-binary Tkaronto-based artist who was raised across Turtle Island/Canada. With their mixed Métis Chinese heritage, Chan transforms their many experiences, passions, and identities into a vision while weaving together the traditional and digital art mediums they have accessible.
Australia20216 minutesEnglish with English subtitlesAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Charlie and her dog, Doug, set out on a journey up a mountain to shoot down the brightest star in the sky.
Wendy Lu, Natalie Tran, & Cindy Zhi
Wendy Lu,Natalie Tran, and Cindy Zhi are an Asian Australian group of motivated ragtag animators from Sydney, Australia. With hopes of creating a story that would matter to themselves and others, the three teamed up to create In Sight.
USA20224 minutesEnglishAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Aki, a beginner chef, must make a delicious meal for the emperor’s banquet, however, things don’t go as planned.
Wanci Hua
Currently studying at the California Institute of the Arts, Wanci Hua is a Taiwanese animator who loves creating whimsical worlds and sharing tender stories.
South Korea20216 minKorean with English subtitlesAnimation, Family, Family-friendly
Battery Dad is in charge of every corner of the house from children’s toys to remote controls and door locks. What can Battery Dad do when a sudden downpour floods the valley?
Jeon Seung-bae
Jeon Seung-bae graduated from Chung-Ang University of Advanced Imaging Science in multimedia and film. He works at Toyville Animation Studio as an animation director.
Malaysia202218 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
A recently orphaned rhino tries to find a new home in the wilds of the Borneo rainforest.
Juhaidah Joemin & Sandra Khoo
The first generation of filmmakers in her native Borneo family, Juhaidah Joemin draws inspiration from her rich cultural heritage and vast natural surroundings where she grew up.
Sandra Khoo is a director by day and works on her own pet projects and animated shorts by night.
Canada20215 minutesEnglish with English subtitlesDance, Family-friendly, Non-binary Filmmakers
A young boy looks for love from his older self, while seeking sanctuary in nature.
Mirusha Yogarajah
Mirusha Yogarajah is a writer, filmmaker, and housing advocate based in Toronto.
Indonesia202214 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesFamily, Family-friendly
Abbas and his friends are out to create the most epic action film in 2005! What will Abbas encounter along the way?
Rayhan Dharmawan
Rayhan Dharmawan is a freelance screenwriter for feature films and a director of independent short films and music videos under the collective, Poolside Studios. He may have not determined his true path yet but he’s enjoying every step of the way.
Season 3 brings together four spectacular local artists who will guide you through simple and playful pre-recorded activities all from the comfort of your home.
Puppet pals and character making with Maryanna Chan!
Maryanna Chan will show you how to take everyday objects around you and transform them into fun characters and puppet pals.
Maryanna Chan (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian Illustrator and Scenographer from Treaty 6 Territory (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). She studied Illustration at the Alberta College of Art + Design, and graduated in 2018. In 2021 she graduated from the Scénographie program at the National Theatre school of Canada. Her work focuses on representation, cultural identities, equality, and liberation. She aims to highlight and uplift the stories of underrepresented and marginalized communities in her work.
Blanket-fort skill sharing with Catherine Hernandez!
Author and screenwriter Catherine Hernandez will share her blanket-fort building skills.
Catherine Hernandez‘s novel, Scarborough, won the Jim Wong-Chu Award and was a finalist for Canada Reads 2022. Her children’s books include M Is for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book, I Promise and Where Do Your Feelings Live? She wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Scarborough, which won 8 including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Express movement through sequential art making with Bree Jiang!
Illustrator and official 2022 Reel Asian Festival Creative Artist Bree Jiang shows you how to express movement through sequential art-making.
Bree Jiang (they/them) is a queer interdisciplinary artist of Chinese descent based in Tkaronto aka Toronto. Their multidisciplinary arts practice comprises of painting, illustration, animation and design. Jiang’s work explores topics such as speculative worlds, the natural world, identity and community-building.
Celebrate your festival spirit and make parols with Maria Patricia Abuel!
Show your sparkle and festive spirit with artist Maria Patricia Abuel as you create star ornaments inspired by the parol, a traditional Filipino star lantern!
Maria Patricia Abuel (she/her) is a Toronto/Tkarón:to born and raised Filipina multidisciplinary artist. Her practice questions issues of hybrid identity, femininity, and conservative expectations. She challenges traditional frameworks within cultures and artistic practices with a playful irony, with a focus on family history, pop culture, and the body.
Our friends Kat Estacio and Tara Hejazi at Wavelength Music curate a special playlist for Wee Asian featuring independent artists to listen, dance, or relax to! Share your playlist favourites by tagging @wavelengthmusic and @reelasian.
Kat Estacio is a Tkaronto-based creative and recovering overachiever. An experienced administrator, Kat has a B.Comm and over a decade on-the-ground work with community non-profits and arts organizations. They previously worked as managing director at Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, and continues to be involved in different capacities throughout the years as an arts mentor, committee member, and consultant.
Tara Hejazi is a huge music enthusiast and loves curating playlists and discovering new music. Her favourite genres are altrnb and hip-hop.
Reel Asian’s festival creative Bree Jiang transforms their animation into a colouring sheet! Show off your artistry and share your colouring sheet with us by tagging @reelasian on social media.
A recent report released by the DOC Institute points to the lack of data on funding for documentary content produced by Indigenous, Black or racialized filmmakers. This panel will discuss why it's important for agencies and broadcasters to collect and share race based data in order to achieve their stated equity goals. The panel will also analyze the stories and experiences shared by BIPOC filmmakers which speak of systemic barriers to funding.
These films do not shy away from difficult and layered stories, distant memories, and buried feelings. Our characters ground, trace, and reconnect pathways toward recognizing the resiliency within oneself through their roots and relations to the places around them.
Join us for a deep-rooted dive into Uprooted: The Plantemic, a show about houseplants surviving the pandemic. We’ll explore the narrative of this CBC Gem short-form series, the development from concept art to animation, and contextualize the series not only in its time, but also in contemporary conversations, as storytelling methods evolve. In an era of remote working, what would my houseplants think of me? Do they root for me? Find out from the creative team behind Uprooted.
Canada, Indonesia202217 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesHorror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
When polar-opposite sisters Nur and Karina reunite for their grandparents’ wedding anniversary dinner, Karina starts to itch and blames Nur for putting garlic in her food.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Eating disorder, body dysmorphia
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto is an Indonesian writer and director currently residing in Vancouver, Canada. Her works explore genre films as a medium to depict the current condition surrounding political, social, and cultural issues.
This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme
Brothers Saud and Nadeem live in a working-class, predominantly Muslim neighbourhood in New Delhi, where they have made it their lives’ work to care for injured black kites falling from the polluted skies of the city.
A recent report released by the DOC Institute points to the lack of data on funding for documentary content produced by Indigenous, Black or racialized filmmakers. This panel will discuss why it's important for agencies and broadcasters to collect and share race based data in order to achieve their stated equity goals. The panel will also analyze the stories and experiences shared by BIPOC filmmakers which speak of systemic barriers to funding.
In this reflective documentary, director Quen Wong turns the lens toward the intimate and vulnerable in her own life as a trans woman in Singapore.
Indonesia20217 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesAnimation
The Archipelago brings together the perspectives of four Indonesian filmmakers as they interpret contemporary Indonesian society.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Azalia Muchransyah and Firman Widyasmara
Azalia Muchransyah is a filmmaker, writer, and scholar from Indonesia with a Ph.D. in Media Study from the University at Buffalo (SUNY). She currently teaches at Binus University film program in Alam Sutera.
Firman Widyasmara was an illustrator and a bank analyst before becoming an animator in 2005. Together with colleagues, he founded Lanting Animation, a collective community animation house.
This film is a part of the S-Express: Indonesia shorts programme.
Indonesia202117 minIndonesian with English subtitlesDrama
Sura is a young boy who lives in a fishing village. One day he finds a broken sex doll washed ashore and tries to fix it.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Violence
Tumpal Tampubolon
Holding a bachelor’s degree in math, Tumpal Tampubolon has written and directed several short films, which have screened in various domestic and international film festivals.
This film is a part of the S-Express: Indonesia shorts programme.
Indonesia202015 minBahasa with English subtitlesDrama
Nur’s husband, who had previously left for Malaysia as a migrant worker, returns home in an unexpected condition.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Trauma
Muhammad Heri Fadli
Born in Central Lombok, Indonesia, Muhammad Heri Fadli began his career as a filmmaker in 2013. Since then, Fadli has directed over 10 short films in seven years.
This film is a part of the S-Express: Indonesia shorts programme.
Indonesia2021 22 minJavanese with English subtitles
Trapped in his past, an old man steals an army uniform to chase away the ghosts that terrorize his long nights.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and closed English subtitles digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Violence, trauma, death, blood, extreme audio
Christian Banisrael
Born in Indonesia, Christian Banisrael directed his first short film Mist of the Past (2018), which premiered at the 2019 Hong Kong International Film Festival.
This film is a part of the S-Express: Indonesia shorts programme.
Indonesia202120 minutesMakassarese and Indonesian with English subtitles
In a city where “men” are fanatics about football, Akbar is compelled to pretend he loves the game to avoid being rejected by his new college friends.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Gender and queer violence, sexist language and situations, coarse language, strobing lights
Khozy Rizal
Khozy Rizal is a filmmaker based in Makassar, Indonesia. In 2020, he founded Hore Pictures, an independent production house that has produced several short films.
This film is a part of the S-Express: Indonesia shorts programme.
Founded in Toronto in 1997, Reel Asian is Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival and a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing Asian and Asian diasporic artists and storytellers. What began as a grassroots film festival has grown into a national platform supporting filmmakers and audiences through screenings, education, industry initiatives, artist development, and community programming presented across Toronto, the GTA, and online across Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
