This event will have open seating – sit anywhere in the venue that isn’t specifically reserved.
Join us for the live So You Think You Can Pitch competition at the 28th Reel Asian Film Festival! This is a fantastic opportunity to support emerging filmmakers as they showcase their projects to our distinguished jurors. Watch the five finalists compete for an incredible prize package to help launch or complete their films. Come cheer on the next generation of talent and get inspired by the future of Asian Canadian cinema!
Pitch Winner Prize Package
Pitch Finalist Package
Andrew Phung
Actor, Host, and Comedian
Andrew Phung is an award-winning actor, host, and comedian, known for the comedy series Kim’s Convenience. He won five Canadian Screen Awards as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for that role. He’s currently the co-creator and star of the comedy series Run the Burbs on Hulu/CBC.
Amanda De Souza
Director/Producer
Amanda de Souza is a Canadian Director/Producer with a career spanning over 15 years in the entertainment industry including Advertising in Toronto, PR for Broadway theatre and design for W Magazine in NYC, and film marketing/distribution in LA. Her contributions as an Assistant to Directors, Producers and Showrunners in Canada includes series and feature films with Netflix, Disney, Lionsgate and Universal with extensive experience in every step of filmmaking from the writers’ room to post-production. She is currently a Producer for Apartment 3C Productions in Los Angeles, under founder and Director/Actress Jennifer Morrison.
Meelad Moaphi
Filmmaker
Meelad Moaphi is a Toronto-based filmmaker. Born in Iran, Meelad spent most of his childhood in Japan and has also worked in Spain. In 2024, he completed his directorial feature debut, entitled His Father’s Son. Meelad was Associate Producer on Antoine Bourges’ feature Concrete Valley, which screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2023 Berlinale. Meelad’s short film credits include Arrhythmia (2009), Republic of God (2010), A Scene (2018), and Worth (2019). He is also an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid-Laurier University’s Department of English and Film Studies.
Sami Khan
Filmmaker
Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller
Filmmaker
Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller is a mixed-race Palestinian filmmaker whose work explores fragmented identity, grief & post-traumatic growth through “oh no, should I laugh?” comedy. Fateema is a WIDC and CFC Directors’ Lab alumni and recently completed a fellowship for Middle Eastern writers at USC. She is a firm believer in resistance through laughter.
Priscilla Galvez
Filmmaker
Priscilla Galvez is a Toronto-based director, producer and co-founder of the production company Silent Tower. Her latest short film ‘A Fermenting Woman’ world premiered at REGARD Festival and was recently awarded Programmer’s Choice at Minikino Film Festival.
23 Nov, 2024 5:00 pm
Annex TheatreThis event will have open seating – sit anywhere in the venue that isn’t specifically reserved.
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Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this event – click below to book accessible seats.
Pitch Project Title: The Frontrunner
Oshini Wanigasekera
Director, Producer, & Animator
Oshini Wanigasekera is a Toronto based actor, animator, dancer, and filmmaker. She wrote and directed the award-winning film, What I Meant To Say, I Can’t Do This Anymore, and a solo stage show. Her television appearances include The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), Titans (HBO), Workin‘ Moms (CBC), and Good Sam (CBS). She has animated for Disney and Netflix series, video games, short films and feature films.
Pitch Project Title: Hiroshimas Per Second
Ella Saini
Director & Animator
Ella Saini (she/they) is a Filipino-Indian Canadian filmmaker based in Scarborough, ON. She captures the intricate connections between people and their environments, highlighting the often overlooked narratives within urban communities. Their current short unhome has been screened at F-O-R-M Festival of Recorded Movement and 2024 TIFF Next Wave.
Chen Sing Yap
Director & Editor
Chen Sing Yap (he/him) is a Singaporean-born GTA-based editor, director, and writer. His work often leans into stark juxtapositions and graphic matches to bring mental health issues to light. He is the director and editor of Feeling the Apocalypse, a climate anxiety documentary that has played over a hundred venues.
Pitch Project Title: Transparenthood
Weiye Su
Director, Producer, & Writer
Weiye Su is a Canadian-Chinese documentarian and photographic artist. Weiye’s dedication to storytelling and capturing personal narratives within cultural contexts shines through their films, including Jia (2020), A Passage Beyond Fortune (2022), offering nuanced insights into the ever-evolving values of our society.
Pitch Project Title: The Piano
Jenny 진희 Lee
Director & Writer
Jenny 진희 Lee is a Korean Canadian TV writer and filmmaker. She was most recently co-producer and writer on Murdock Mysteries (CBC). Jenny likes to create character-driven works that examine family, society, and mental well-being and madness – all from a perspective grounded in the experiences of women.
Pitch Project Title: Tears Burn To Ash
Natalie Murao
Director, Producer, & Writer
Natalie is a yonsei (fourth generation) Japanese Canadian filmmaker and educator based in “Vancouver”. She aims to expand the notion of Asian diasporic cinema by creating an in-betweenness of styles that embody the diaspora itself. Her films have played at Sundance, TIFF Next Wave, Palm Springs ShortFest and more. In tandem with filmmaking, she has facilitated educational programs for local institutes such as The Cinematheque and VIFF.
Join us at CSI Annex for the Festival Closing Party following the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN PITCH? LIVE FINALE
7–11PM at CSI Annex
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This space is wheelchair and step-free accessible via a staff-operated lift.
The rest of the venue, including the accessible washrooms, is all on one level.
This event may include loud music, flashing lights, and crowds. A calmer,
quieter respite room is available for those with environmental sensitivities.
Click below to advise us of your access needs.
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.
20 Nov. 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Fresh off its world premiere at TIFF, Amar Wala’s SHOOK serves as an ideal case study for filmmakers, particularly those transitioning from shorts to feature films. Set in Scarborough, Ont., the film captures the area's multicultural essence and reflects on identity, place, and personal growth through rich, site-specific details. This panel explores the craft of the film, the intricate score, and the writing process, capturing a slice of life that local audiences can resonate with. As a family story, SHOOK presents a narrative that showcases the beauty of everyday life, balancing complex personal narratives with broader cultural commentary. By examining Wala’s experience with Shook, we'll shed light on how an honest love letter to a city and its diverse communities can be crafted.
14 Nov. 5:30 pm
Join us for an exclusive Work-In-Progress presentation of SPACE CADET, a captivating animated film directed by Kid Koala. Work-In-Progress events at Reel Asian give audience members a chance to explore the development stages of a piece of work. In this session, we will hear insights from the creative team of SPACE CADET, including director Kid Koala, head of story and production designer Lillian Chan, and artistic director Corinne Merrell, who will guide us through the artistic process and illustrate how animation brings this heartfelt narrative to life.
21 Nov. 7:00 pm