Having its world premiere at TIFF 2025, Mary Stephen’s latest film, Palimpsest: the Story of a Name, uncovers the long-hidden origins of her Western surname and reflects on the process of creating, dismissing and recreating our own histories.
Join us for a free panel with Mary Stephen, the recipient of the 2023 Fire Horse Award, moderated by 2025 Fire Horse Award winner, Ali Kazimi. They’ll discuss the making of the film, the personal discoveries behind it, and their long-standing creative friendship that led to Reel Asian discovering her work. They will also reflect on the impact of the Fire Horse Award, which provided support that enabled Stephen to bring the project to completion.
Attend the insightful conversation before watching the film on the big screen. We will be giving away a limited number of tickets to the premiere of Palimpsest: the Story of a Name at TIFF from Thursday, Sept 11 at8:30PM and Friday, Sept 12 at 12:25PM.
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
2:30PM ET
FREE TO ATTEND
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
The Commons @ 401 Richmond
401 Richmond, 4th Floor
Mary Stephen
Director
Mary Stephen was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Canada, and lives in France. She was Eric Rohmer’s film editor for several decades. In recent years, she has worked extensively as editor, associate producer and script advisor. Her directorial work includes Ombres de soie (78), Justocoeur (80) Vision from the Edge: Breyten Breytenbach Painting the Lines (98), and the short The Memory of Water or Jeanne Moreau and Steamed Fish (18). Palimpsest (25) is her latest film.
Ali Kazimi
Moderator
Born and raised in India, Ali Kazimi came to Canada in 1983 to pursue film production at York University. He has since emerged as a provocative and celebrated force in documentary film and media art. His award-winning, globally recognized work probes the intersections of race, social justice, migration, history, and memory, giving voice to often-unheard narratives. Kazimi’s profound impact is underscored by Canada’s highest artistic honour: the 2019 Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Arts, the same year he received a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa from the University of British Columbia. In 2022 he was elected Senior Fellow at Massey College and in 2023 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2025 he was honoured by the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival with its annual Fire Horse Award. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Arts at York University.
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from Asia and the Asian diaspora. Works include films and videos by artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world. As Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival, Reel Asian provides a public forum for Asian media artists and their work, and fuels the growing appreciation for Asian cinema in Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
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