IN PERSON ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions (all dialogue subtitled and sound cues indicated).
Canada202685 minEnglish, Punjabi with English Subtitles Comedy, Drama, First Feature
Ian Bawa expands his short of the same name into his feature debut, continuing a body of work that explores family, masculinity, and mental health. At its centre is Harvinder “Harvey” Singh (Mandeep Sodhi), a former bodybuilder now caring for his aging father. Early on, his father tells him he needs to grow his legs — a seemingly simple piece of advice that carries the weight of a lifetime of ideas about what it means to be a strong man.
But what is strength? Building big legs? Or finding the courage to ask out your work crush? As Harvinder confronts the fears that have held him back, he takes new risks, from discovering a passion for pro wrestling to seeking mental health support. With warmth and humour, Bawa brings us closer to Harvinder and the complicated bond between father and son, offering a moving portrait of two men learning that strength can also mean vulnerability, change, and letting others in.
– Samir Ballou
Mandeep Sodhi
Amrit Parbhakar
Raj Dhesi
Michaela Kurimsky
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Toronto International Film Festival, 2026
Ian Bawa*
Ian Bawa is a South Asian filmmaker based in Winnipeg. His work has screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Slamdance Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, and others around the world, earning multiple awards and Vimeo Staff Picks. An alumnus of the TIFF Filmmaker Lab, now the TIFF Directors’ Lab, and the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors’ Lab, Bawa makes his feature directorial debut with Strong Son, which premiered at TIFF.
*In attendance
14 Nov, 2026 3:30 pm
TIFF Lightbox C3PG
IN PERSON ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions (all dialogue subtitled and sound cues indicated).
Join us for a Q&A immediately after the screening with director Ian Bawa, moderated by Reel Asian industry and education manager Samir Ballou.
Drop by for the Means to Enfold opening reception featuring live music and refreshments and bring your infectious energies to the SSX Sing-Along Karaoketo to end the evening at a high note (all singing styles and music genres welcome!).
13 Nov. 7:30 pm - 13 Nov. 11:00 pm
Sun-woo and Byung-jin, a couple in their 30s, move to Byung-jin’s hometown in the countryside, hoping it will help Sun-woo’s depression. But a zombie virus disrupts their plans — and Sun-woo gets infected.
14 Nov. 12:15 pm
Start off #ReelAsian30's festival closing day over brunch with Queens of Dim Sum, Toronto's ONLY dim sum drag brunch serving gag worthy Asian drag queens and kings! Join us at Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant on Sat, Nov 21 at 12PM.
21 Nov. 12:00 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, Asian diasporic, and Asian Canadian 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
