DIGITAL SHORTS
All shorts are available online via a Shorts VOD Pass. Valid from 10AM on Monday, Nov 18 thru 11:59PM on Sunday, Nov 24, 2024.
Canada, Taiwan, USA2022-2024TRT: 87 minVarious languages
Family dynamics are complicated. No matter how intimately familiar kin can feel, there's room for surprise to the point where we wonder if we even knew them at all. Which stories and emotions do we hold inside, and which are we ready to share?
For: active listeners; anyone ready for change, healing, and acceptance; multigenerational audiences
Canada202416 MinEnglishAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Drama, History
On the evening of the 1987 "Easter Epic" hockey playoff game, a young Cambodian girl grapples with her Canadian identity in a small town in rural Ontario.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
Alejandro Yoshizawa & Y-Dang Troeung
Alejandro Yoshizawa is a Vancouver-based filmmaker specializing in grassroots and marginalized people’s stories, oral histories, and community documentaries.
Y-Dang Troeung (張依蘭) (ទ្រឿងអ៊ីដាង) was a writer and scholar based in Vancouver, who passed away in fall 2022 of pancreatic cancer.
Canada202419 MinEnglishAvailable Online
For her next standup routine, Filipino Canadian comedian Alia Rasul reconnects with her dad to mine stories about the ridiculous ways he almost died — but it unexpectedly turns into a record-scratch moment.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
ONLINE : This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
Sura Mallouh
Sura Mallouh is a Palestinian Canadian filmmaker. In 2021, she was listed as a 40 under 40 documentary star to watch, co-presented by HBO Documentary Films and DOCNYC. Mallouh’s work amplifies underrepresented stories.
Taiwan20239 MinMandarinAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly, Music
Returning to a house that holds nothing, a mother misses her own mother.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: this film is scheduled to be presented with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated)
*Ji-Tian Li
Ji-Tian Li graduated from Taipei National University of the Arts and participated in the AVU exchange program in Prague in 2021, focusing on materials and installations. She is now a full-time artist exploring space through gardening, ceramics, painting, music, and performance.
USA202414 MinFarsi, EnglishAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Drama, Experimental, Romance
On a seemingly prosaic day, Bita, an Iranian woman with terminal cancer, comes to grips with her changing relationships with her family as life transforms and slips away.
This film is scheduled to be presented with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated)
*Sara Boutorabi
Sara Boutorabi is an Iranian American filmmaker based in New York City, and originally from California. She graduated from UC Berkeley and is an MFA candidate in screenwriting at Columbia University.
Canada202315 MinEnglishAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Documentary, Experimental
Follow filmmaker Anna Quon as she journeys from her childhood conviction regarding her own specialness, symbolized by her “perfect” teeth, into the throes of mental unwellness.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: this film is scheduled to be presented with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated)
Anna Quon
Mad, mixed-race, and middle-aged, Anna Quon is a novellist, poem-film maker, and current poet laureate for Halifax. She works in mental health as a creativity connector for a local not-for-profit.
USA202414 MinEnglish, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin2slgbtq+, Available Online, Directed By Women, Drama, Experimental
Today is Parents' Day at the Sweetwater Boarding School for English Learners. When A, B, C, and D discover that none of their families are coming, they decide to hatch a different plan.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
ONLINE : This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
Yvonne Zhang
Yvonne Zhang is a British Chinese director and writer who uses fables, dream logic, and digital worlds to explore the diasporic experience.
16 Nov, 2024 12:00 pm
TIFF Lightbox C4PG
DIGITAL SHORTS
All shorts are available online via a Shorts VOD Pass. Valid from 10AM on Monday, Nov 18 thru 11:59PM on Sunday, Nov 24, 2024.
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This programme is presented with a mix of open captions, English subtitles, and no captions. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
After a mysterious encounter leaves her daughter Sumi in a coma, Sara rushes from South Korea to Winnipeg to be by her side. As Sumi heals, Sara begins to unpack details of her life that her daughter never shared with her. On a mission to find a husband to take care of Sumi when she wakes, Sara ventures into the daunting unknowns of dating apps and Winnipeg winters, and finds out more about herself than she planned.
Seemingly stagnant on the surface, in motion underneath. These five short films trace and retrace what movements and stories might exist within us and beyond, pulling us in unexpected directions.
At the heart of this captivating coming-of-age sports film is Ashley Chea, a Cambodian American basketball marvel whose high school career we follow. Hailing from a lower-class immigrant family that sought safety in the U.S. after the Khmer Rouge came to power, Chea is given the opportunity to attend a private school and thus pursue a coveted college basketball career. While her parents work vigorously at their doughnut store and can’t attend her games, Chea bonds with her Japanese American coach, who helps her with doctor's appointments and even attaining her driver’s licence.
Poland, Singapore, Taiwan2024104 minMandarinToronto Premiere2slgbtq+, Directed By Women, First Feature, Sports
Trouble seems to follow Jie and his family. Training to be a competitive fencer, Jie is lost, haunted by the childhood memory of a near-drowning incident with his menacing older brother Han. Years later, a teenage Han is imprisoned after killing a competitor during a fencing match (by accident, he swears). Meanwhile, Jie's mother has been spiteful and distant ever since, with no love to give her younger son. So when Han is finally released from prison, Jie is desperate to have some family love restored — and eager for some helpful fencing and boyfriend dating tips, too. But is Han’s reformed presence for real?
Director Nelicia Low draws on her experience as a competitive fencer to set this simmering pulp thriller of attacks, parries, and ripostes amidst a familial drama, while presenting a dilemma on forgiveness: How far do you extend your familial love to those who cause harm?
– Aram Siu Wai Collier
Liu Hsiu-Fu
Tsao Yu-Ning
Ding Ning
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2024
New York Asian Film Festival, 2024
AWARDS
Best Director (Crystal Globe), Karlovy Vary, 2024
Nelicia Low
Writer-director Nelicia Low grew up in Singapore, where she represented her country as a national fencer for five years. She retired after the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, to chase her childhood dream of being a filmmaker. Pierce is Low’s first feature film.
14 Nov, 2024 5:30 pm
TIFF Lightbox C4AA
CONTENT ADVISORY
Violence; depictions of mental illness, death and dying, blood and gore
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This film is scheduled to be presented with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated). Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats
Information on available captions will be added soon, thank you for your patience.
Amir is an aspiring chef trying to get ahead, but he can’t seem to break out and meet his own expectations or those of his parents, while his favoured younger brother Mahyar can seemingly do no wrong. When news from Iran arrives that a family friend has died and passed his entire inheritance solely to Mahyar, the mystery of the gift’s provenance begins to unravel the family's story, the image of their parents, and the relationship between the two brothers.
Join us for an evening of quiet time records! Kid Koala hosts a "quiet time" event, playing hours of his favorite music to work, draw, code, write or knit to. Bring your creative projects.
Join us for Festival Happy Hour between film screenings! Open to the public, come participate in casual activities every day.
Taiwan, USA20235 minEnglishAnimation, Comedy, Directed By Women, Family-friendly, Music
Nonoko the cat and Haro the rabbit dance to share a bittersweet goodbye on their graduation day.
Wanci Hua
Wanci Hua is a Taiwanese animator, currently studying at California Institute of the Arts. She loves telling whimsical and tender stories through the art of animation.
This film is part of the WEE ASIAN shorts programme.
Explore this app for mobile devices that shares the journey of a child refugee, activated by the steps you take.
There’s no need to be certain about what’s next as this collection of shorts places us in a position to face specific pivotal moments of reckoning. Whether we’re feeling stuck or turbulent in the chaos of transition, can we remain gentle to ourselves?
Catch author Jeff Yang in conversation with RepresentASIAN Project's EIC and founder Madelyn Chung about his new book, THE GOLDEN SCREEN. Purchase a copy and get it signed!
Taiwan202298 minutesOriginal Mandarin version with Chinese and English subtitlesCanadian PremiereRomance
In this oddly sweet and gentle story, Hong, a shy young man, opens his eyes to love when he coincidentally meets Lele, the mistress of a sex worker business.
After a disastrous blind date set up by his mother, Hong is dragged to Lele’s hotel by his cousin. Not yet ready to lose his virginity to one of Lele’s girls, Hong finds himself strangely attracted to the older woman instead. This comes as a revelation for Hong, who has been under the thumb of his mother Meiling all of his life, and has never acted out of his own will. Little does Meiling know that the spark in Hong’s heart for this older, experienced, and unapproved woman will truly mark the beginning of Hong’s growth into adulthood.
Two multi-talented singer-actor heartthrobs from different generations, Kai Ko and Vivian Hsu, play the awkward yet warm couple who find comfort in each other. After a break of almost 10 years since Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, Mama Boy is a welcomed return for Arvin Chen that will bewilder you with its magical colour palettes and characters that grow in you as well as on the screen.
- June Kim
Kai Ko
Vivian Hsu
Yu Tzu-yu
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Udine Far East Film Festival, 2022
Taipei Film Festival, 2022
New York Asian Film Festival, 2022
Arvin Chen 陳駿霖
Arvin Chen is a Taiwanese American director and a familiar name to Reel Asian. He attended the festival with his debut feature, Au Revoir Taipei, which was invited as the closing film for the 14th festival in 2010. Chen has been recognized and awarded by many festivals, including the Berlinale, where he won the NETPAC Award for Au Revoir Taipei.
12 Nov, 2022 9:00 pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox 4The screening for Mama Boy will be shown at TIFF Bell Lightbox 4.
RATED PG
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.
Following her previous basketball documentary Finding Big Country (2018), Kat Jayme embarks on an equally quixotic journey to find out why the Grizzlies abandoned Vancouver.
So You Think You Can Pitch is back in person for Reel Asian’s 26th annual festival! Catch the live showdown between finalists as they pitch their short-film projects to a jury for a chance to win our amazing prize package to kickstart or finish their film.
Canada, China, Japan, Taiwan, USA2022English and other languages with English subtitlesAnimation, Experimental, Family, Horror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
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.
Japan, Taiwan202122 minutesTaiwanese with English subtitlesHorror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Xue-Lan, a striving actress, is invited to a mysterious gourmet club only to discover that her competition has prepared a horrifying banquet.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Blood, drugs
Mai Nakanishi
Born in Tokyo but spent most of her youth abroad, Mai Nakanishi is a filmmaker who focuses on genre films. In 2013, she launched Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo to amplify the voices of female genre filmmakers.
USA20226 minutesNo Dialogue Animation, Horror, Women Filmmakers
During a peaceful school lunchtime, children discover they can transform into animals—the only problem is will they ever stop?
ACCESSIBILITY
This film has no dialogue and is not captioned.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Violence, gore, extreme audio
Cho Yoon Hei
An animator and director from Korea, Cho Yoon Hei is located in Los Angeles and creates horrifying hand-drawn animations.
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.
Canada20222 minutesEnglishAnimation, Horror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Tired of her date’s racist and sexist comments, a woman decides to liberate his tongue.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Nudity, racist situation, sexist situation
Kaho Yoshida
Kaho Yoshida is a director and animator with a special passion for stop motion and mixed media. Her fresh aesthetics and sense of humour bring life to every frame, and her love for storytelling makes her work relatable and approachable.
Canada, USA202210 minutesEnglishFamily, Horror, Women Filmmakers
Following the death of her mysterious amah (grandma), Kat is haunted during her first night of dinner service at a high-pressure Michelin-star kitchen.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Sexist language and situations, racist language and situations, blood
Christianne Cruz
Christianne Cruz is a Filipinx writer, director and independent producer born in Toronto and based in LA. She is the mother of two young daughters and producing/life partner to Alex Ott.
China202213 minutesMandarin with English subtitlesExperimental, Women Filmmakers
As the flashy life of the influencer 33 becomes more intense, the canker sore inside her lower lip keeps growing larger…
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Lin Tu
Lin Tu is a writer and director based in Beijing whose previous short films have screened internationally on the festival circuit. She is a BIFAN Fantastic Film School (2020) alumni.
The screening for Midnight Snack 2.0 will be shown at TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
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.
PG
Join us for a Q&A immediately after the theatrical presentation with attending guests from this shorts programme, moderated by Kelly Lui.
Six first-time and emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online with Reel Asian's Unsung Voices Youth Video Production Workshop. We’re proud to present their world premieres here.
Following three Muslim women activists who have come of age since 9/11, An Act of Worship is a unique glimpse into the lives of a new generation of American Muslims deeply impacted by over 40 years of history that has shaped their lives and trajectories in powerful and irreversible ways.
Romeo Candido’s latest musical foray Topline takes us into the world of topliners: the people who write the lyrics, melodies, and hooks for the industry’s biggest stars.
Japan, Taiwan202122 minutesTaiwanese with English subtitlesHorror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Xue-Lan, a striving actress, is invited to a mysterious gourmet club only to discover that her competition has prepared a horrifying banquet.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Blood, drugs
Mai Nakanishi
Born in Tokyo but spent most of her youth abroad, Mai Nakanishi is a filmmaker who focuses on genre films. In 2013, she launched Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo to amplify the voices of female genre filmmakers.
This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme.
Following her previous basketball documentary Finding Big Country (2018), Kat Jayme embarks on an equally quixotic journey to find out why the Grizzlies abandoned Vancouver.
Tune into this beloved section online to access free programming for all ages that will spark joy, inspire creativity, and encourage wonder.
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.
Taiwan2021119 minMandarin, Taiwanese with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDrama, Fantasy, Romance
Hsiao-chi has never been an ordinary girl. She is always a step faster than everyone else, perhaps too fast for her to connect with anyone romantically. With Valentine’s Day approaching, Hsiao-chi’s anxious about finding someone. When she finds herself the dream date, she goes to bed looking forward to Valentine’s Day. But to her surprise and disappointment, she wakes up on February 15. Maybe A-tai, the bus driver who is a step slower than everyone else, has the answer to her missing Valentine’s Day.
This whimsical and heartwarming love story will take you on a journey to find Hsiao-chi’s missing Valentine’s Day. As you piece the puzzle together through the two different perspectives of Hsiao-chi and A-tai, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its fairytale-like way of unfolding a story about “bad timing.” A talented cast, including rookie Patty Lee, will make you wish the tale would last a bit longer.
- June Kim
Patty Lee
Liu Kuan-ting
Duncan Chou
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Busan International Film Festival, 2020
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 2020
Far East Film Festival, 2021
AWARDS
Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, 2020
Audience Choice Award, Asian Pop-up Cinema, 2021
Crystal Mulberry Award, Black Dragon Award, Far East Film Festival, 2021
Chen Yu-hsun
After receiving much acclaim with his first feature Tropical Fish (1995), Chen Yu-hsun left the film scene and focused on advertisements until he returned to filmmaking in 2013. My Missing Valentine, his fifth feature, won multiple awards at various festivals including the Golden Horse Awards.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
PG
Community Supporter
This presentation has English subtitles.
A mysterious tiger walks through the forest, barely revealing itself, save for a few rare and magical glimpses. This allegorical fiction begins Pallavi Paul’s description of systemic police violence in Delhi, India, based on events suppressed from official history.
Racialized filmmakers often wrestle with the narrative limits of identity politics when wanting to celebrate and push for complexity and abundance. Join us in conversation with filmmakers working in different mediums for various platforms on how they negotiate their relationships with storytelling and identity politics within Canadian filmmaking.
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.
Taiwan202045 minTaiwanese Mandarin with English subtitlesToronto PremiereDrama, Reel Asian Award Winner
In a society different from what we know, a hotel in Taipei welcomes suicidal people and assists them in committing the act by providing several methods that they can choose from. Over the course of one night, a receptionist starts to defy the rules and develops an unusual friendship with a hotel guest who can't make up her mind on whether she wants to live or die.
Thoughtful and poetic, Taipei Suicide Story uses a few glimpses of grim dystopia to enforce transcendental and deeply human connections. The narrative explores the suffocating sensation of loneliness with a casual, empathetic and sweet approach, thus removing the social stigma and neutralizing the fleeting experiences between the two characters. KEFF's new film reflects on the mundanity of existence, the possibility of death or the opportunities of life, and the gift of choice—and the difference it makes.
- Roland Basmayor
Vivian Sung
Tender Huang
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Cinéfondation Selection, Cannes Film Festival, 2020
Fantasia Film Festival, 2021
Golden Harvest Short Film Festival, 2021
AWARDS
Grand Jury Prize (Narrative Features), Audience Award (Narrative Features), and Acting Award (Tender Huang), Slamdance Film Festival, 2021
Emerging Director for Narrative Feature Award, Asian American International Film Festival, 2021
KEFF
KEFF is a Taiwanese American multidisciplinary artist, and lives in New York and Taipei. He is an open-format DJ and producer, as well as a writer and film director. His first short film, Secret Lives of Asians at Night, was supported by the Spike Lee Film Fellowship and won the Jury Award for Best Asian American Film from the Director’s Guild of America. His second short film and NYU thesis, Taipei Suicide Story, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (Cinéfondation) and won the Grand Jury Prize (Narrative Feature) at the Slamdance Film Festival.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
AA
Community Supporter
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 topic of suicide.
Racialized filmmakers often wrestle with the narrative limits of identity politics when wanting to celebrate and push for complexity and abundance. Join us in conversation with filmmakers working in different mediums for various platforms on how they negotiate their relationships with storytelling and identity politics within Canadian filmmaking.
Absence|Presence is a series of panel conversations, screenings, and workshops reintroducing Desh Pardesh to Reel Asian’s audiences and community. Desh Pardesh was a multidisciplinary arts and culture festival that engaged with the political issues of South Asia and its diasporas through a multi-day festival and conference.
Continuous Journey is a complex tale of hope, despair, treachery, and tragedy. It is a revealing Canadian story with global ramifications, set in a time when the British Empire seemed omnipresent and its subjects were restless and seeking self-determination.
Canada, South Korea, Taiwan65 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Starting from a place of silence, these five films poignantly position the ways intergenerational trauma is held and healing can begin. Includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 SING ME A LULLABY.
Canada202015 minEnglish with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
Pairing personal home videos with audio-recorded stories from Katherine Chun, Wenda Li, Tamai Kobayashi, and Nancy Seto - four queer Asian women recall, relive, and reflect upon their adolescent years.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Inside Out Film Festival, 2020
Iris Prize Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Nominated, Iris Prize, 2020
Amanda Ann-Min Wong
Amanda Ann-Min Wong is a filmmaker, writer, and musician originally from Singapore who now lives in Toronto. In her free time, she loves jamming out with her queer alt-rock band, cutsleeve.
Canada20208 minEnglishAnimation, Documentary, Family, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
Tenderly crafted, director Anne Koizumi recounts a shameful childhood memory spurring conversation and a self-realization that which felt out of reach was there all along.
AWARDS
Honorable Mention – Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary, Hot Docs, 2020
Best Canadian Animation Winner, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, 2020
Anne Koizumi
Anne Koizumi’s films have screened nationally and internationally. Additionally, Koizumi teaches stop-motion animation workshops across Canada and is currently a media arts educator at the NFB.
Canada20194 minEnglishToronto PremiereDocumentary, Family
Rated PG
Drawing parallels between ikebana and finding belonging, Japanese Canadian elder Kaz Takahashi shares stories of her upbringing.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Seattle Asian American Film Festival, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
Alejandro Yoshizawa
Alejandro Yoshizawa is a filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia and currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Theatre and Film as well as the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program.
South Korea20198 minKorean with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereAnimation, Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG-13
Confronting patriarchy and societal gender norms aside, Tiger and Ox is about a fraught yet loving relationship between mother and daughter.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca, 2020
Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, 2020
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020
Seunghee Kim
Seunghee Kim has pursued a career as an animation filmmaker since 2014. Her previous films Mirror in Mind and SimSim (The Realm of Deepest Knowing) won awards and screened at numerous international film festivals.
Canada202029 minEnglish, Taiwanese with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
A film that began over 15 years ago, Sing Me a Lullaby is a heartachingly touching story of a daughter’s attempt to piece together the missing parts in her mother’s history.
AWARDS
Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award, Toronto International Film Festival, 2020
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Tiffany Hsiung
Tiffany Hsiung is an international award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. Her approach to storytelling is driven by the relationship that is built with the people she meets both in front and behind the lens.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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 18, 2020 at 9PM
Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, U.K., USAEnglish and Various Languages Action, Animation, Comedy, Dance, Experimental, Family, Family-friendly, Open Captions, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Free programming dedicated to sparking joy, creativity, and fun for little ones and families to enjoy together. Short film selection includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 ISLE OF CHAIR.
CREATE:
Now available on Reel Asian’s YouTube channel
Get your creativity on with these pre-recorded short and sweet arts activities led by our line-up of local artists!
All selections are made accessible with closed captions. Click on YouTube’s “CC” icon to turn on captions.
Sam Dizon
Storyteller and origami artist Sam Dizon shows multiple ways one can play with and fold paper.
Anne Koizumi
Create your own self or family portrait with animator and arts-educator Anne Koizumi.
PUFF Paddy
Transform coffee filters into art with queer Asian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist and arts educator, PUFF Paddy.
Sennah Yee
Author of My Day with Gong Gong (Annick Press), Sennah Yee shares a map making activity with her little sister and Early Child Educator, Quincy Yee.
WATCH: Short Films
A collection of shorts filled with wonder, love, and pure excitement that will surely resonate with audiences of all ages.
Canada20203 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Comedy, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
No matter what she tries, a bunny witch can’t seem to get her vegetable-themed broomstick to fly.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Forest City Film Festival, 2020
The Short Film Festival, 2020
Emma Momoko Frew
Emma Momoko Frew is a recent graduate of the Sheridan Animation program, she is currently working in the animation industry as a storyboard artist.
USA20206 minNo DialogueCanadian PremiereAction, Animation, Family, Family-friendly
Rated G
The pressure is on for Arthur to prove himself to his father at an upcoming martial arts competition.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Asian Film Festival LA, 2020
IndieX Film Fest, 2020
Silicon Valley Asian Film Festival, 2020
Justin Bruce Lee
Justin Bruce Lee graduated from San Jose State University majoring in animation/illustration with a focus on storyboarding. He is currently an associate storyboard artist for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Taiwan, U.K.20206 minutesNo dialogueAnimation, Experimental, Family-friendly, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
Gentle and mindfully aware, this contemplative animation wonders what happens when a chair falls on a secluded island.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
TAIS Animation Showcase, 2020
Encounters Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Best Animation, Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival, 2020
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Ivyy Chen
Originally from Tainan, Taiwan, Ivyy Chen is an animation director and illustrator, currently living in London where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration Animation at Kingston University.
South Korea, USA20203 minNo DialogueCanadian PremiereAnimation, Family-friendly
Rated G
At night the magic happens when a wheelchair races against other toys in the hospital hallway.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Bucheon International Animation Film Festival, 2020
Spark Animation Film Festival, 2020
Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, 2020
Jinuk Choi
Jinuk Choi is a Korean filmmaker & artist based in New York City. Choi is interested in depicting the world from a child’s point of view and hopes his animations could bring people joy and happiness.
USA20206 minNo dialogueCanadian PremiereAnimation, Family, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
Combining 2D animation with stop-motion, Felt Love is a touching story about the love between a mother and son.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Moscow Shorts, 2020
San Jose International Short Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Best Animated Short, Changing Face International Film Festival, 2020
Angeline Vu, Arlene Bongco
Angeline Vu draws inspiration from her mom, three cats, and her jungle of a backyard, and is interested in both fairy tales and family tales.
Heartwarming narratives and handmade crafts inspire Arlene Bongco, who’s interested in exploring different roles in animation.
South Korea201925 minNo Dialogue, Korean with English SubtitlesNorth American PremiereComedy, Dance, Family-friendly, Open Captions
Rated G
Bursting with joy and fantastic dance sequences, you’ll be sure to find yourself tapping along with Yuwol as he inspires (or infects) others to dance.
Sim Hyun-Seo
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Busan International Short Film Festival, 2019
Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, 2019
Seoul Independent Film Festival, 2019
Beff
Born in Seoul, Beff (aka Byungyun Lee) grew up in the States making home movies with his 8mm camcorder, writing songs for piano, and drawing cartoons.
Tony Kim of CBC Kids chats with our Wee Asian filmmakers about their films. Included with the Wee Asian Shorts Programme on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
Tony Kim
CBC Kids Host
Tony Kim is an actor, voice actor and current host of CBC Kids and The Studio K Show. He has always had a passion for performing and entertaining and the bustling acting scenes in both Vancouver (where he was born and raised) and Toronto (where he currently based) has undoubtedly continued to stoke that fire! As a lover of film and the theatrical arts, he is not only thrilled that asian representation in media is increasing, but is proud that he is part of that equation and hopefully inspiring younger POC to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Check out the Wee Asian short films on the CineSend Reel Asian portal:
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
