This film is part of the Shorts Presentation: S-EXPRESS MALAYSIA shorts programme.
Malaysia20217 minMalay with English subtitlesExperimental
Two sisters seeking revenge for the murder of their sister, Isabel.
Yazeid Suhaimi
Extremely attentive to visual details and storytelling, Yazeid Suhaimi is proficient in directing and cinematography roles especially in short film, commercial, photography, and music video.
Content Warning: depictions of guns, violence, and self-harm
This film is part of the Shorts Presentation: S-EXPRESS MALAYSIA shorts programme.
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This film is presented with English subtitles.
Starring Jerry as Himself shakes up notions of traditional storytelling in a genre-bending mystery that centres on Jerry Hsu. Jerry is a loving father of three, a recent divorcé, and has been keeping a secret.
Step into the thrilling world of TV writing with a range of talented writers as they share their insights into crafting a successful TV series, advancing careers in the writers' room, and promoting diversity in showrunning.
Hmm … this doesn’t seem right?! This programme asks us to sit with the discomforting feelings that arise when we begin to confront the unknown in what we believe to know.
Malaysia202212 minCantonese with English subtitlesDirected By Women, Documentary, Family-friendly
Unaware it's her dementia-ridden grandmother’s final months, a filmmaker documents her grandmother's physical changes.
Mickey Lai
Mickey Lai is an emerging filmmaker who is interested in developing stories about diverse cultural values, mortality, and self-identity.
This film is part of the Shorts Presentation: S-EXPRESS MALAYSIA shorts programme.
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This film is presented with English subtitles.
Be warmed by friendship and held by the depth of feelings in this collection of wholesome shorts for all ages in a relaxed screening environment. Stick around to participate in fun and simple art activities post-screening.
Explore this app for mobile devices that shares the journey of a child refugee, activated by the steps you take.
When Azra, a queer Muslim grad student, hears of her father’s sudden death, she flies back to her ancestral home in Karachi, Pakistan for the funeral, where she is received by her conservative mother, Mariam, perpetually disappointed by Azra’s choices. As a self-assured Azra wrestles with Karachi’s customs and norms, we time travel back to Mariam’s own life in the city 30 years ago, a remarkably different era in Pakistan’s political and cultural history.
Malaysia202211 minMandarin with English subtitlesDirected By Women, Drama
On her 21st birthday, A Xin, who studied abroad in Taiwan, meets her brother who came from Malaysia.
Pei Szi Wong
From learning how to shoot to archiving a film, Wong Pei Szi is a Malaysian student who studies abroad in Taiwan.
This film is part of the Shorts Presentation: S-EXPRESS MALAYSIA shorts programme.
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This film is presented with English subtitles.
The Sari-Sari Xchange is a project that seeks to amplify Asian representation in the creative emerging media industries in Canada, particularly through a community-building residency program that engages artists with digital and extended reality (XR) technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, 360 cinema, game-engine animation, and 3D scanning.
Starring Jerry as Himself shakes up notions of traditional storytelling in a genre-bending mystery that centres on Jerry Hsu. Jerry is a loving father of three, a recent divorcé, and has been keeping a secret.
Initiated in 2002 by Yuni Hadi (Singapore), Amir Muhammad (Malaysia) and Chalida Uabumrungjit (Thailand), S-Express has become an annual showcase of programming from Southeast Asia, spotlighting the abundant filmmaking talent and a nuanced insight into the stories of each participating region. This year, Reel Asian presents S-Express Malaysia, programmed by Chong Lee Yow of Mini Film Festival, featuring five films depicting one's ability to (un)trap themselves from limitations set upon them, be it bodily, mind, or soul, to achieve relief and victory.
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.
9 Nov, 2022
to 20 Nov, 2022
OnlineRated G
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is not captioned.
Content warning: depictions of death/dying
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.
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.
This year’s Reel Ideas Conference gathers industry professionals, filmmakers, and performers to reflect on the specificity in their works, representing their own nuances along with their communities' lived experiences.
Hye-jeong leaves a protest group of closely knit families, mourning the victims of an industrial accident, to which she also lost her husband.
Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea202275 minutesEnglish and other languages with English subtitlesAnimation, Docu-fiction, Drama, Experimental, Women Filmmakers
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.
South Korea202226 minutes Korean and Jeju dialect with English subtitlesDrama, Women Filmmakers
Deep in the dry stream, Yu-bin and Geon are each other’s only friends. To them, this place is the best hideout and playground—but no one seems to understand.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
Kang Ji-hyo
Kang Ji-hyo majored in film studies in college. Her previous short film Interpreting Hyun-ju (2020) won the Grand Prize at Aichi International Women’s Film Festival, and screened in festivals locally and internationally.
Canada, USA202111 minutesEnglish and Uchinaaguchi with English and Japanese textDocumentary, Experimental, Family
Director Shō Yamagushiku presents a poetic and sensorial tribute to ancestors in Okinawa: “Our uyafaafuji (ancestors) appear to intervene in our daily lives, refusing to let us forget, refusing to let us compromise, and refusing to let us live restrained by the laws of the nations that seek to claim us.”
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED G
Shō Yamagushiku
Shō Yamagushiku’s creative practice is grounded in a diasporic islander consciousness. He is committed to cultivating the space to tell difficult and complicated stories in hopes of dismantling the separation and stagnation that inform the world he was born into.
Malaysia202216 minutes English, Malay, Tamil and Mandarin with English subtitlesDocu-fiction
In the aftermath of the world's greatest financial sham in 2015, this docu-fiction follows a Malaysian child who finds solace and guidance from an unlikely figurehead.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Trauma, Criminality
Ananth Subramaniam
Ananth Subramaniam is a Malaysian-based filmmaker and architect. His films often explore his ancestral identity and family within the context of a multi-layered genre.
Canada20223 minutesTamil with English subtitlesExperimental
A feller cuts down a forest until he arrives at the last tree standing. The tree confronts the feller.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
Kalainithan Kalaichelvan
Kalainithan Kalaichelvan is a Toronto-based filmmaker known for directing music videos for some of Toronto’s leading artists, and was nominated for a Juno Award for Music Video of the Year in 2022.
Australia20224 minutesEnglish, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Cantonese with English subtitlesAnimation, Women Filmmakers
Snippets of daily lives and sensory experiences, children and the elderly, workers, gossiping aunties and the overwhelming feeling you get when you’re in Cabramatta that memories are constantly being created all around you.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
Anna Phuong Nguyen, Winston Liu, Lilian Yu Wen Cao
Lilian Yu Wen Cao, Winston Liu and Anna Phuong Nguyen are all recent graduates of University of Technology Sydney. Filled with childhood memories and nostalgia, 2166 is a love letter to Cabramatta and Canley Vale.
Philippines202115 minutes Ilokano with English subtitlesDrama
Lynn leaves her family behind and traverses the harrowing roads of the Cordilleran highlands to try her luck in the city as a country singer.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
Rated PG
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan is an independent filmmaker born of Ifugao and Visayan descent. The Headhunter’s Daughter premiered at Sundance 2022, where it won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize.
10 Nov, 2022 6:30 pm
OnlineThe screening for Moving On will be shown at TIFF Bell Lightbox 4.
This shorts programme will also be shown as an online screening from Nov 14 – 20. Purchase the shorts VOD pass to watch this programme online and all other shorts in selection at the festival.
Rated PG
Join us for a Q&A immediately after the theatrical presentation with attending guests from this shorts programme, moderated by Julienne Discutido.
Julienne Discutido
Julienne (she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian film programmer dedicated to elevating the work of emerging filmmakers. She is currently a programming assistant at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, involved with the Canadian Screen Awards and Talent Development programs. This is her third year as part of Reel Asian’s Programming Committee. Her favourite things to watch are horror, documentary, and cult films. She is also a strong enthusiast of any potato dish.
When reserved, late-bloomer Grace gets passed up for a major promotion at work, she tries to break out of her shell by pursuing a one-night stand at the club.
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.
Malaysia202216 minutes English, Malay, Tamil and Mandarin with English subtitlesDocu-fiction
In the aftermath of the world's greatest financial sham in 2015, this docu-fiction follows a Malaysian child who finds solace and guidance from an unlikely figurehead.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Trauma, Criminality
Ananth Subramaniam
Ananth Subramaniam is a Malaysian-based filmmaker and architect. His films often explore his ancestral identity and family within the context of a multi-layered genre.
This film is part of the Moving On shorts programme.
Malaysia202184 minMalay, English, Chinese with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDrama
Aman, a young aspiring writer, moved to Kuala Lumpur to follow his dreams, but all he has is his late father’s old car and nowhere to live. To make ends meet, he uses his room on wheels to illegally earn money through a driving-service app. This is how he meets Bella, a student from Penang. When Bella asks Aman to become her private driver for her night job in return for a place to stay, Aman agrees.
The two lost souls form an unlikely solidarity in front of the beautiful yet stark black and white backdrop of Kuala Lumpur. Its unique imagery could be a reflection of how Aman sees the world as a colourblind person, but also a metaphor for his bleak and bittersweet reality as he struggles to find a place he can call home. Will things turn out for the better?
- June Kim
Amerul Affendi
Mei Fen Lim
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, 2020
Udine Far East Film Festival, 2021
Muzzamer Rahman
Muzzamer Rahman is a rising filmmaker and a name to watch. When Hail, Driver! was put on hold due to financial restraints, he filmed Takut Ke Tak (2020), which was completed and released just before it.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
This presentation has no captions.
This presentation has English subtitles.
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.
Follow Canadian Spotlight artist Ali Kazimi on a deep dive into his archive-infused films Continuous Journey and Random Acts of Legacy. Topics will include technical looks at film preservation, editing, music composition, and creative considerations of perspective and collaboration.
After being met with the destabilizing news of her parents’ divorce, Angie, a teenage, mixed-race Asian girl, reckons with her multiracial identity and sexual awakening in this quirky coming-of-age story.
France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, South Korea, USA, Vietnam202177 minEnglish, various languages with English subtitles Animation, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
How does one trace lineages and map origins? Derailing form and convention, each of these films paves new pathways of understanding by reconceptualizing the relations between pasts, presents, and futures.
Canada20218 min Indonesian with English subtitlesDrama, Women Filmmakers
A modern retelling of an Indonesian myth of the same name, Anjani struggles to regain control as her mother tries to sell the house that doubled as her father's puppetry studio.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto is an Indonesian filmmaker based in Vancouver. She is currently in development for her first feature film.
Peru20219 min Spanish with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDocumentary, Experimental
After 91 years of continuous operation, a camera captures the last breath of Nakagawa Photo Studio, the first photo studio in northern Peru founded by Masao Nakagawa.
Hideki Nakazaki
Hideki Nakazaki is studying directing at EICTV. Nakazaki develops cultural-management projects in northern Peru linked to the Nikkei community in Latin America.
Japan202110 min Japanese with English subtitlesAnimation, Family, Women Filmmakers
Painstakingly detailed, director Honami Yano tells the story of a little girl who reflects on the last summer with her father.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Honami Yano
Honami Yano was born on a small island in Japan. Besides attending an exchange program at the Rhode Island School of Design, Yano received a master’s degree at the Tokyo University of the Arts’s Graduate School of Film and New Media.
Vietnam202015 min Vietnamese with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDrama, Women Filmmakers
What would you do if you bumped into your high school sweetheart? On a peculiar tour bus to Mekong Delta, 50-year-old Tam is hopeful for a chance of reconciliation—or maybe he's not.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Linh Duong
Linh Duong is a Vietnamese filmmaker fascinated with sad, angsty, and naggy middle-aged women. She just completed a series of shorts tackling this topic with a quirky sense of humour.
Germany, South Korea, USA20216 min No dialogueToronto PremiereAnimation, Experimental, Women Filmmakers
Visually transformative, Eyes and Horns is a captivating and immersive experience that delves into the destruction of gender binaries and boundaries.
This presentation has no captions.
Chaerin Im
Chaerin Im is an experimental filmmaker from South Korea, living and working in Los Angeles and Ann Arbor. Through craftsmanship and distinctive materials, she explores gender issues and sexual imagery.
Malaysia, USA202114 min EnglishInternational PremiereDocumentary, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner
Combining multiple artistic formats, this intimate portrait is a transnational meditation through time and space of an international art student studying abroad in the United States.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Emory Chao Johnson
Emory Chao Johnson (they/them) is an artist settled on the land of the Tongva working primarily in documentary filmmaking. Their approach to documentary is grounded in empathy and compassion.
France202115 min French with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereAnimation, Women Filmmakers
After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Thao and Sao Maï, two sisters separated by the war, exchange letters to connect and relieve their loneliness.
This presentation has English subtitles.
An Active Listener will be available to offer one-on-one peer support for viewers who may find the content of this presentation triggering. More info on how to access here.
This film contains the potentially triggering topics of war and intergenerational trauma.
Sandra Desmazières
Sandra Desmazières studied at the École Duperré and the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, where she discovered animation. Desmazieres is also an illustrator of children’s books and a comic-book colourist.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
PG
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.
Ali Kazimi is Reel Asian’s Canadian Artist Spotlight in 2021. Appropriately for our 25th festival, the documentary filmmaker, media artist, activist, author, and educator has been a fixture in the Asian Canadian community, and we celebrate his over three decades of vital contributions to Canadian media.
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.
Malaysia201914 min Chinese with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereFantasy, Horror, Women Filmmakers
A fresh take on the Malaysian female monster Penanggalan, Chin is an overworked nurse at the maternity ward who finds joy when she is alone and can finally eat.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Amanda Nell Eu
A graduate of the MA in filmmaking at the London Film School, Amanda Nell Eu has directed short films based in the U.K. and Malaysia. She is developing her first feature film, Tiger Stripes.
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
