Accessibility
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.
Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, U.K., USA2018–202560 minVarious languages with English SubtitlesAvailable Online
Through animation’s unique ability to push boundaries and reimagine narratives, this programme reflects the formative dreams that continue to shape Inside Out and Reel Asian. Step into this chaotic but tender journey with us.
For: time travellers; plane counters; animation lovers; dancers; weirdo blobs; fans of Lu and Kelly
*Directors in attendance starred.
Lu Linares
Co-Curator
Lu Linares is a Peruvian Canadian festival programmer and arts administrator whose work is shaped by their experiences as a queer immigrant. They are currently the programming and industry manager at the Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Germany202413 minEnglishAnimation, Available Online, Non-binary, Queer, Transgender
Sam, a deviant artist and proud flower person, is spending one last day in a flower spa with his mother before his final performance act.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
ONLINE: This film is fully captioned in closed captions (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
Ariel Victor Arthanto
Ariel Victor Arthanto is an Indonesian-born animation filmmaker and illustrator based in Berlin, crafting vibrant 2D worlds that mix playful compositions, bold figures, and character-driven storytelling across film and illustration.
South Korea20203 minKorean with English subtitlesAnimation, Available Online, Music, Queer
One night, while Seolgi is lying on a grass field with friends, a shooting star falls and dark intrusive thoughts hit her, bursting with movement and blooming bright colours.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film is being presented with English subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated).
Sasha Lee
Sasha Lee is an animator who likes plants and animals.
Taiwan, U.K.20246 minMandarin with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Gay
I’ve practised these words for 20 years now, but maybe being candid isn’t the best idea. I’m starting my countdown again — another 20 years. Maybe it will be the right time by then.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film is being presented with English subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated).
WeiFan Wang
WeiFan Wang is an animation director based in Taipei and London. His practice consists of self-reflective animations that explore intimate and unspoken emotions.
Singapore, USA20238 minNo dialogue2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Experimental, Non-binary, Queer
One night, a person brushes a dog's teeth and turns into a bus.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film has no dialogue (no audio + visual descriptions).
Exyl
Exyl is a filmmaker working under the umbrella of experimental animation. They love work that is cheap. They care about being honest. They hate thinking about being marketable.
Taiwan, UK2018 6:00No dialogue2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Experimental, Gay, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary, Queer, Transgender
Comprising over 2,000 hand-painted frames, Adorable presents a journey of a queer person, illustrating modern queer society, where discrimination, freedom, and love coexist.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
ONLINE: This film is fully captioned in closed captions (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
Cheng-Hsu Chung
Cheng-Hsu Chung is a Taiwanese animation artist and director based in Berlin. Chung’s artistic practice focuses on surreal images and character performances in animation to articulate the changing nature of emotion, modern love, and the experiences queer bodies encounter.
Canada20196 minEnglishAvailable Online
With pulsating neon-light animation, Reviving the Roost is about community complexity and longing — an elegy to a lost space as much as it is director Vivek Shraya’s ode to a now-closed iconic Edmonton gay bar.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
ONLINE: This film is fully captioned in closed captions (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
Vivek Shraya
A three-time Canadian Screen Award winner, Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, TV, film, and fashion.
Malaysia, Sweden20229 minNo dialogue2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Environment, Family-friendly, Queer, Romance
Newly orphaned and freshly wounded from a loss, a boy lends his companion a prosthetic arm for the day. This is a slow and meditative film about everyday gestures of love, communicated through our universal understanding of body language.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film has no dialogue (no audio + visual descriptions).
Gabriel Gabriel Garble
Gabriel Gabriel Garble works across animation, film, and geology, exploring how imagery and material ecologies intertwine.
South Korea20259 minKorean with English subtitlesAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Drama
A girl unexpectedly bumps into her childhood best friend and finds herself torn between rekindling their lost connection or letting the moment slip away forever.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
ONLINE: This film is fully captioned in closed captions (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).
Hanna Kang
Hanna Kang is a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts.
6 Nov, 2025 8:30 pm
TIFF Lightbox C4PG
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.
All short films are available digitally through our Digital Shorts Pass
CONTENT ADVISORY
Flashing strobe lights; depictions of violence
Feng Xia, 53, lives a modest but decent life in Montreal: She has a house and is married with two children. But she finds herself growing dissatisfied with her loveless marriage and cloistered life of obligation. After taking a conversational French class, Feng Xia finds the city has opened up to her in new ways, including curious dalliances with dating apps. There, she meets Camille, a Quebecois woman who challenges her spiritually and sexually. Their affair awakens Feng Xia’s long-buried desires during a glowing Montreal summer.
Kana, a struggling visual artist, returns to Japan after years away in Vancouver to attend her beloved grandmother’s funeral. The familiar cadence of family dynamics endure and yet, everything feels different. While in Tokyo, Kana discovers her grandfather had a love of his life outside of his arranged marriage to her grandmother. Meanwhile, Kana reluctantly confronts her own messy romantic past with old flame Hiro to see if the embers of their love still flicker.
How far would you go to uncover a family history that has been purposefully buried? What are the consequences of resurfacing these stories to fulfil your own? In an extremely candid documentary, filmmaker Tony Nguyen embarks on a scrappy investigation to reconnect to his father, who was estranged from his family due to the Vietnam War.
Taiwan, U.K.20246 minMandarin with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Gay
I’ve practised these words for 20 years now, but maybe being candid isn’t the best idea. I’m starting my countdown again — another 20 years. Maybe it will be the right time by then.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film is being presented with English subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated).
WeiFan Wang
WeiFan Wang is an animation director based in Taipei and London. His practice consists of self-reflective animations that explore intimate and unspoken emotions.
6 Nov, 2025 8:30 pm
TIFF Lightbox C4PG
Canada, Taiwan, U.K., USA2023-2024TRT: 49 minVarious languages
Loud and expressive, reflexive yet playful, this programme, in the spirit of Creatura, makes room for all our mushy and monstruous emotions. Come for the screening, stick around for the delightful arts activities for all ages to enjoy together!
For: family gatherings; those seeking a relaxed screening; reruns; hands-on
USA202311 MinEnglishAction, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly, Science Fiction
Tessie, a 13-year-old science prodigy, journeys into her grandma's deteriorating mind to save one precious memory they have together.
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 with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated)
Grace Hanna
Grace Hanna is a Filipino American filmmaker. Their film, Halcyon Days, is sponsored by Film Independent and received Panavision’s NFP Grant. Their short, Lola, won the Directorial Debut Award at Indy Shorts.
USA20245 MinMarathi2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly, First Films, Music, Romance
This Bollywood-inspired hybrid animated music video features Aadarshini, an anxious Indian American girl who feels out of place at an Indian wedding, until she learns to make space for herself in her culture through Parvati, a traditional dancer who catches her eye.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: No dialogue (No audio + visual descriptions)
Nimisha Mahatme
Nimisha Mahatme is a Bay Area visual development artist working in film and television. She enjoys creating characters and worlds! She loves having characters that range from different diversities, cultures, and sexualities.
USA20237 MinNo DialogueAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly
A little girl shoots down from the heavens to spend her birthday with her family.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: this film is scheduled to be presented with no dialogue (No audio + visual descriptions)
Mitra Shahidi Malus
Mitra Shahidi is an award-winning Iranian American story artist, director, and screenwriter, born and raised in Istanbul. She currently works for Pixar and lives in the Bay Area.
South Korea20234 MinNo DialogueAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly
A young girl's birthday overlaps a memorial service, and she struggles to blow out her candles while avoiding adults who prioritize rituals over birthday celebrations.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: No dialogue (no audio + visual descriptions)
Kim Jungsoo
Kim Jungsoo is an animator based in Seoul. Her filmography includes Insomnia (2017) and Dear. J (2021).
Canada20235 MinNo Dialogue2slgbtq+, Animation, Available Online, Experimental, Family-friendly, Horror, Science Fiction
Gaze into a wondrous abyss. But what happens when you look at something too hard for too long?
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
ONLINE: No Dialogue
Constant Yen
Constant Yen is a Toronto-based artist and animator. Their practice involves creating spontaneous and playful experimental work combining analog and digital mediums.
Canada20242 MinNo DialogueAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly
For people living with structural dissociation, falling asleep can be a challenge, as multiple contradictory thoughts conspire to keep them awake. Director Michelle Ku draws on her experience with somatic healing to put these thoughts to rest, in a few vivid minutes of hand-painted animation.
IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)
ONLINE: No dialogue (no audio + visual descriptions)
Michelle Ku
Michelle Ku is a visual artist and animation filmmaker living in Mohkinstsis/Calgary. Mainly working with acrylic paint and traditional materials, Ku explores her personal healing journey, the mind-body-spirit connection, and childhood memories.
Taiwan, UK20234 MinEnglishAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women
A poetic narrative and self-portrait through experimentation in 2D animation, stop-motion and sound, this short film delves into a self-searching and healing journey, exploring the relationship between emotion and space.
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)
Chu-Chieh Lee
Chu-Chieh Lee is a Taiwanese animation director and illustrator based in London, U.K. She finished her master’s in narrative animation at the Royal College of Art. Her clients include LinkedIn, Google, Nestlé, and BBC.
Canada202411 MinNo DialogueAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Family-friendly
A road trip traces a transition from grief to acceptance, through valleys, junctions, and detours. Detours Ahead reflects the director's meditation on solitude, and articulates her shifting relationship with place.
IN PERSON & ONLINE: No dialogue (audio + visual descriptions)
Esther Cheung
Esther Cheung is a filmmaker and director from Toronto. She is known for her poetic approach to story and is inspired by her relationship with place. Currently based in Vancouver, she is working on the animated feature Tangles.
23 Nov, 2024 10:00 am
to 23 Nov, 2024 3:00 pm
Innis Town HallWee Asian is free and drop-in. Screenings take place at 10AM and 1:00 PM.
No tickets required!
Wee Asian short films and digital colouring pages are available online with a FREE Wee Asian 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.
Cozy up in the cinema with these two read-along sessions by two local authors!
A fun and touching debut that explores the power of finding your voice.
Rudābeh (Rudy for short) loves to talk, sing, jump and shout. There’s just one problem: the adults in her life are always telling her that she is SO LOUD. When her grandmother (Māmān Bozorg) visits from Iran for the first time, Rudy worries that she might be too loud for her. But as she tries to be quieter, Rudy starts to feel less and less like herself. Listening closely to the many sounds in her world—from husky howls and streetcar chimes to Māmān Bozorg’s roaring sneezes—Rudy tries to figure out the full range of her own voice, discovering along the way the joy in being loud.
Post-reading, stick around for a fun creative workshop with author Sahar Golshan!
11:30AM–12:30PM
Sahar Golshan
Sahar Golshan is the author of So Loud! a picture book published in 2024 with Annick Press. So Loud! is illustrated by Shiva Delsooz. Sahar is a writer, a language learner, and the director of the short documentary KAR (2019). She is a winner of the Marina Nemat Award for Creative Writing in Non-Fiction and the Air Canada Short Film Award. Her writing has appeared in Room, Taclanese, Shameless, The Ex-Puritan, and Tongues: On Longing and Belonging through Language. She has enjoyed teaching and facilitating workshops in academic and community spaces like the University of Toronto, the University of Guelph, and the Toronto Public Library.
“Wherever he goes, Rain Boy brings wet—which means he’s not very popular. Sun Kidd brings sunshine everywhere she goes, so everyone loves her. Only Sun Kidd sees what’s special about Rain Boy. But when she invites him to her birthday party, disaster strikes, and Rain Boy storms. Now the world is nothing but rain. Will the other kids ever love Rain Boy for being himself? And. more importantly, can Rain Boy learn to love his rain?
3–3:30PM
Dylan Glynn
Dylan Glynn is a painter, author and animator based out of Toronto, Canada. His multidisciplinary practice which includes a broad selection of traditional media (watercolour, oils, pen and ink, collage), 2d cel-animation, and Photoshop is unified by Glynn’s signature application which they describe as “one-shot, first-thought best-thought, perfectly imperfect”. The immediacy of Glynn’s work also lends itself to a sense of naivety as seen in their debut picture book Rain Boy, released in the spring of 2020 by Chronicle Books.
From 12-4pm, participate in a range of delightful arts activities on a drop-in basis!
Come and meet your new companion, Beanie Munster. Together, you can customize, accessorize, and discover its full characteristics and backstory!
12–4PM Drop-In
Boris Yu
Boris Yu is an ENTP-T Debater (last checked 2022) who straddles the realms of art and design imagining speculative futures related to space, emotions, and systems. He’s learning to approach the eddies in his day to day as moments to build stillness within the chaotic pressures of our current culture.
Colour in your own troupe of fantastical creatures in mid-flight, dreamed up by artist Wenting Li as part of the RA:X Creatura installation. Transform them into keychains so that they may fly with you home and wherever else you journey to.
12–4PM Drop-In
Wenting Li
Wenting Li is an artist and illustrator born in Sichuan, China, and living in Tkaronto/Toronto. Working across multiple mediums including installation, print + digital publications, drawing and painting, comics and murals, Li is currently thinking about communally possible futures, everyday routines, scifi and fantasy, specificity within the telling of stories, and leaving the door open to creatures.
Add fragments of your memory and stories of Reel Asian along with your personal archives into this year's festival creative IMAGE LULLABY
12–4PM Drop-In
Agnes Wong
Agnes Wong is a multidisciplinary designer, artist, and curator based in Tkaronto/Toronto and Hong Kong. Through an experimental approach, Agnes’ creative practice seeks to integrate themes of displacement, fragmentation, and temporality together in an interdisciplinary blend of digital and moving image, photography, graphic design, text, and print matter. She holds a BFA (Honours with Distinction) in Publications from OCAD University (2023) and has completed her propaedeutic studies at Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands. She is also the founder of Forever Gift Shop.
Courtesy of The Beguiling and Annick Press, discover a new world or meet your next favourite author from this selection of books!
12–4PM Drop In
Animator Akash shows you that getting a start in animation is as easy as using LEGO and things at home that will help you learn fundamentals and understand stop-motion.
ONLINE
Akash Jones
Akash Jones is an emerging director/animator whose work tells stories true to his culture and brings worlds to life. A TMU graduate currently making his mark in the industry.
We’re excited to be presenting “Bestiary” at this year’s festival, featuring a troupe of fantastical creatures in mid-flight, dreamed up by artist Wenting Li. Come experience them in transit, full of whimsy and uncanny energy at The Commons, at 401 Richmond during festival hours.
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.
Through the lens of directors Tadashi Nakamura and Quyên Nguyen-Le, this compelling documentary captures the bold journey of visionary artist-activist Nobuko Miyamoto. From her upbringing in a Japanese American internment camp to her breakthrough as a performer in films and on Broadway, Miyamoto reflects on how her personal encounters with racial injustice inspired her blending of artistic endeavours with Asian American advocacy. Her thoughtfully created music, dances, and theatre productions carry on to bridge cultural divides and facilitate mutual support among BIPOC communities.
U.K.202499 minEnglish, ArabicToronto Premiere2slgbtq+, Drama, First Feature, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Romance
Layla is a struggling Palestinian drag queen who often finds creative ways to make ends meet, surrounded by a small, supportive group of close friends within the North London queer scene. A stuffy corporate event performance goes terribly wrong, making Layla and their outrageous antics go viral, and they meet the seemingly-dull-in-comparison marketing executive Max. Despite their very different worlds, a transformative love affair ensues, much to the annoyance of their close friends, who are highly skeptical of how healthy or affirming this relationship could possibly be.
Amrou Al-Kadhi’s assured direction shines just as brightly as Bilal Hasna’s breakout performance in this fun, flashy, and tender directorial debut packed with the catchiest club hits and an abundance of sparkles. As a complicated and lovable Layla navigates familial expectations, close friendships, and their own identity, what emerges is a proud queer love story that at its core celebrates self-love, freedom, and community.
– Mariam Zaidi
Bilal Hasna
Louis Greatorex
Safiyya Ingar
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Sundance, 2024
BFI London, 2024
Vancouver Queer, 2024
Amrou Al-Kadhi
Amrou Al-Kadhi is a writer, performer, and filmmaker. Al-Kadhi has written episodes for Little America (Apple TV), The Watch (BBC America), Hollyoaks (Channel 4), and has several TV shows and feature films in development. Al-Kadhi’s drag show, GLAMROU, recently had a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre. It received rave reviews and will continue to tour next year.
15 Nov, 2024 8:00 pm
TIFF Lightbox C3AA
CONTENT ADVISORY
Nudity, coarse language; depictions of sex
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This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated). Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Six emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey. We’re proud to present their world premiere here, in the 13th edition of Reel Asian’s filmmaking program.
Experience a poetic journey of connection and entanglement inspired by the philosophies of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Set in the famous Tai-An teahouse, SEN takes us from joy and wonder, through carelessness and confusion, to peace and renewal, in a lush, visual homage to the expansive emotional interior
This programme invites audiences into a storytelling dialogue between imagineNATIVE and Reel Asian on the solidarity between Indigenous and settler Asian people. Tenacious and confrontational, this collection transports resilience from the past and into the present.
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:
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, U.K., USA66 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Each of these extraordinary films call upon the act of remembrance as important and timely work for community care, knowledge, and abundance. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 I BOUGHT A TIME MACHINE and I DREAM OF VANCOUVER.
Canada, Germany20207 minMongolian with English subtitlesAnimation, Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
Steadily narrated by the director’s grandmother, The Fourfold imbues an indigenous worldview and wisdom based on the ancient shamanic rituals and animistic beliefs in Mongolia and Siberia.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2020
Ottawa International Animation Festival, 2020
Vancouver International Film Festival, 2020
Alisi Telengut
Alisi Telengut is a Canadian artist of Mongolian descent. She creates animation frame by frame under the camera, with painting as the medium, to generate movement and explore hand-made and painterly visuals.
India, Singapore2019 9 minEnglish and Punjabi with English subtitlesWorld PremiereDocumentary, Family, Open Captions
Rated PG
At 62, Samriti visits her late father’s home in Amritsar, India - a place that only existed in retellings of the past - for the very first time.
GurJeevaan Singh BalRose
GurJeevaan Singh BalRose enjoys storytelling because it’s a powerful tool to bring people together and evoke emotions. He hopes to make more films about Sikh history and culture in Singapore and India.
USA2019 5 min English and Vietnamese with English SubtitlesInternational Premiere Documentary, Experimental, Family, Open Captions
Rated PG
“Where do you want to start?” The relationship between mother and son, uttered and silent, what’s known and forgotten, archival footage and public spaces are strewn into this affecting elliptical portrait of Orange County’s Little Saigon touching upon the history of war, displacement, and colonialism.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2019
Chris Nguyen
Chris Nguyen is a documentarian & community builder based in Los Angeles. He is currently a production coordinator on Equal, and volunteers with A-Doc, the Asian American Documentary Network.
South Korea, USA202015 minEnglish and Korean with English subtitlesToronto Premiere Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
What does it take to open conversation and unpack your family’s past? Playful and unabashed, director Yeon Park sets off to do so by purchasing a time machine off eBay.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Visions du Réel, 2020
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, 2020
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020
AWARD
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Yeon Park
Yeon Park is a filmmaker from Seoul, Korea, who continued her studies at Stanford. Her ultimate goal as a filmmaker is to make documentaries that encourage empathy through capturing people’s emotions.
Canada20207 minEnglishDocumentary, Experimental, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner
Rated PG
I Dream of Vancouver interrogates alienation from the lived experience of spaces as they are subsumed by algorithms and mediated images, linking corporate technologies and gentrification with the erasure of populations that don’t fit Google’s agenda.
AWARDS
Winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020.
Warren Chan
Warren Chan is an MA student at York University, where he researches usage of A.I. generated images in experimental cinema. Outside of his studies, he also interrogates the role of new media technologies in film and video.
USA2019 8 minEnglishInternational Premiere Documentary, Family-friendly
Rated G
Learning from and caring for the land she farms on, Catherine Nguyen owns two-thirds of an acre by herself growing and selling annual vegetables while challenging the industrialization of food in Portland, Oregon.
OFFICIAL SCREENINGS
Oregon Documentary Film Festival, 2020
DC Asian Pacific American Film, 2020
Anthony Newen
Anthony Newen started making films when he got bored of doing magic tricks and needed a new hobby. He now makes films telling stories that deal with themes of love, loneliness, place, identity, and sometimes a bit of comedy to keep things lighthearted.
Japan, U.K.2019 15 minEnglish and Japanese with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereDocumentary, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
A breathtaking and touching documentary alerting the urgency to care for our habitats and preserve the incredible knowledge of the Ama, a tradition of women divers spanning over thousands of years in Japan, weaving the director’s personal connection to it all.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, 2020
The People’s Film Festival, 2020
Under Wire Festival, 2019
Georgie Yukiko Donovan
Georgie Yukiko Donovan is a Japanese-English documentary filmmaker with a multidisciplinary approach inspired by a diverse background in theatre, television and film.
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 17, 2020 at 11:30AM
Japan, U.K.2019 15 minEnglish and Japanese with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereDocumentary, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
A breathtaking and touching documentary alerting the urgency to care for our habitats and preserve the incredible knowledge of the Ama, a tradition of women divers spanning over thousands of years in Japan, weaving the director’s personal connection to it all.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, 2020
The People’s Film Festival, 2020
Under Wire Festival, 2019
Georgie Yukiko Donovan
Georgie Yukiko Donovan is a Japanese-English documentary filmmaker with a multidisciplinary approach inspired by a diverse background in theatre, television and film.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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
