Accessibility
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This screening is presented with English subtitles. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Japan202390 minJapanese with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDrama, History, Romance
You rarely couple poop and romance together, but Okiku and the World does it effortlessly in the most genuine and adorable way.
Set near the end of the Edo period, the film presents a fresh take on the time and on samurai culture. Okiku (Haru Kuroki) is the daughter of a fallen samurai. The two of them now live in a tenement far from luxury. One day, she meets Chuji (Kanichiro) and love blooms. The problem is that Chuji is a manure man who collects excrement to sell to farmers. Despite the downfall of samurais, there is still a social gap between them. Will this come between the Edo-period Japanese Romeo and Juliet?
Junji Sakamoto uses a stationary camera and black and white cinematography to create picturesque, painting-like scenes. Audiences may be grateful for this choice, too, as it helps reduce any repulsion for the less glorified scenes of the toilets. Sprinkled with colour and bitter humour, the film gives us a breath of hope within despair. Although life can be sh*tty, spring will surely come.
– June Kim
Haru Kuroki
Kanichiro
Sosuke Ikematsu
OFFICIAL SELECTION
International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2023
Jeonju International Film Festival, 2023
New York Asian Film Festival, 2023
Junji SAKAMOTO
Junji Sakamoto is an internationally renowned filmmaker of titles that premiered at festivals such as Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, and Berlin. He won multiple awards, namely from the Japan Director’s Guild and the Japan Academy Film Prize. Okiku and the World is his 30th film.
PG
9 Nov, 2023 8:00 pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox C4–
This screening is presented with English subtitles. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
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.
8 Nov. 7:30 pm
For our Closing Night Event, come celebrate the live So You Think You Can Pitch competition at the 27th Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Reception to follow.
19 Nov. 5:00 pm
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.
15 Nov. 4:30 pm
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.
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Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
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info@reelasian.com
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