Join us for a conversation with directors and filmmakers Mayumi Yoshida, Janus Victoria, Timothy Yeung, and Nach Dudsdeemaytha on the creative, logistical, and personal realities of co-producing films across borders. Each filmmaker brings a unique perspective on how shooting overseas shaped their debut features - from financing and creative collaboration to the evolution of personal and cultural perspective.
The discussion will explore what makes co-productions appealing to filmmakers, and how working under different cultural and industrial systems can influence both storytelling and process. Panelists will share how international collaboration reshaped their scripts, informed their visual worlds, and expanded their understanding of creative partnership.
Learn with us as each filmmaker reflects on their filmmaking journey and how they navigated the world of co-productions from development to post - and how much this formed their debut feature films.
Jay Wu
Creative Producer, Writer & Director
Named to Playback’s 10 to Watch in 2024, Jay Carolyn Wu is a creative producer who leads scripted series and features, including a sitcom with CBC Comedy and Tyra Banks’s SMiZE Productions, and other projects with partners like Crave, Pageboy Productions, and Bruce McCulloch, with two features shooting in 2026.
Mayumi Yoshida
Director, AKASHI
Mayumi Yoshida 吉田真由美 is a Vancouver-based director, actor, and writer whose global upbringing shapes her “in-betweener” storytelling. An alum of TIFF Writer’s Studio and Warner Bros. Discovery Access, she directed the Juno-nominated Different Than Before, has won SXSW’s Jury Award, and screened at Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying festivals.
Janus Victoria
Director, DIAMONDS IN THE SAND
Janus Victoria, a Manila-based writer-director, creates documentaries and films on human-place connections. She’s made six shorts, including Myth of Manila, as well as the documentary Encounters with Silence. Diamonds in the Sand is her debut feature.
Timothy Yeung
Director, FINCH & MIDLAND
Timothy Yeung is a Canadian-born Chinese filmmaker and holds a master of fine arts from New York University. A TIFF Filmmaker Lab alumnus, his short 90 Days was acquired by Sundance Selects. He won the MAS Award at the Busan Asian Project Market in 2018.
Nach Dudsdeemaytha
Producer, AKASHI
Nach Dudsdeemaytha is a Thai-Canadian filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. He holds over a dozen producer credits on award-winning films and web series. Nach is a recent alumni of the NSI / EAVE ACCESS Producer Program. Outside of Musubi Arts, Nach works as a Line Producer and Production Manager for independent feature films.
9 Nov, 2025 1:30 pm
Commons Lobby at 401 Richmond Street
The building is wheelchair and step-free accessible via a ramp & button operated door. The event space is on the 4th floor accessible by an elevator, with accessible washrooms located on the same floor. This event will feature a d/Deaf panelist and ASL interpretation will be provided.
If you require accessibility accommodation for this event, please click the link below.
If you require any accessibility accommodations or have questions about venue accessibility, please contact Samir at samir@reelasian.com.
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11 Nov. 6:30 pm
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14 Nov. 7:30 pm
Reel Ideas presents a rich programme of conversations, panels, and networking sessions for filmmakers and artists at every stage of their careers.
6 Nov.
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
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
