An intimate and joyful documentary profiling the emerging ballroom scene across Southeast Asia, 10s Across the Borders captures what it means to come from a long lineage of LGBTQ+ trailblazers, and how to carry the torch onto untested grounds.
13 Nov. 8:15 pm | TIFF Lightbox C3
Using a remarkable wealth of archival material seamlessly woven into a creative, scrapbook-style tapestry, AN INCOMPLETE CALENDAR centres on a rare and surprising artifact: the vinyl record of Rhymes and Songs for OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
18 Nov. 7:00 pm | Innis Town Hall
11-year-old Cyrus Sundar Singh joined an after-school film club whose members all happened to be the children of immigrants.
While learning to love film, they also grappled with their identities — were they Chinese, Indian, or Italian? Were they Canadian? Together, they made a short film that explored these ideas and more.
14 Nov. 10:00 am | TIFF Lightbox C4
Directed by renowned American filmmaker Rea Tajiri and co-written by award-winning Canadian author Kerri Sakamoto, Strawberry Fields is a daring dive into the traumas of the Sansei generation. This narrative feature film is as daring today as it was 30 years ago in 1997, when it had its Canadian premiere at the first Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
17 Nov. 7:30 pm | Innis Town Hall
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 | TIFF Lightbox C3
It’s the hottest day of the year. The popsicles are dripping, the pimples are popping, and the power is out. Taking a classic "day-in-the-life" form, we are treated to vignettes and conversations that on the surface seem ordinary but build to reveal each young character’s anxiety about the clash between their carefree present and uncertain future.
15 Nov. 7:00 pm | TIFF Lightbox C2
Win is a struggling gig worker whose mom is sick — and the hospital bills are about to force them out of their home. By chance, an old schoolmate gives Win the opportunity to make a quick buck by fighting in an underground MMA venue.
19 Nov. 7:00 pm | Innis Town Hall
In an exquisite pairing of sight and sound, Bảo Lê lures us into his sophomore feature, where vibrations define the existential rhythm of a rural Vietnamese outpost. Ninh, a mechanic who installs decibel meters across public and private spaces, is trapped in his own personal silence, caring for his ailing mother while estranged from his wife and children.
12 Nov. 7:45 pm | TIFF Lightbox C4
With a strong belief in mythmaking to process realities, director Julien Chheng and co-writer Sujuan Xu transport us into the lush
and exhaustive world of Muyi, a spunky girl who is raised in a secluded village on a mountaintop where men are forbidden.
14 Nov. 10:00 am | TIFF Lightbox C3
As the sole camerawoman at Kabul’s state television network, Naru navigates a daily battleground of misogyny just to hold her rightful place. She is hardened by her realities and her worldview is absolute: There are no good men left.
14 Nov. 8:45 pm | TIFF Lightbox C3
Filmmaker Ashley Duong had always wondered about her father’s story of escaping Vietnam and then the revolution in Iran, eventually finding his way to Canada. Unable to get answers, she made multiple trips to Vietnam, until to her surprise her father sent her an entire memoir of his experiences. Duong responded to the book with more questions — and this remarkable documentary,
Ba’s Book.
11 Nov. 7:30 pm | Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Yosef, 19, is caught in the friction of a fractured, first-generation identity, longing to anchor himself to his roots while navigating a world that demands he forget them. While his parents encourage a path that promises security over fulfilment, his younger sister, Azra, returns to Egypt and discovers a liberating sense of belonging, giving Yosef new perspective.
14 Nov. 5:15 pm | TIFF Lightbox C4
Harvinder “Harvey” Singh, a former bodybuilder now cares 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.
14 Nov. 3:30 pm | TIFF Lightbox C3
Sunny Park’s world is … complicated. She discovers her life partner is cheating on her, and leaves both him and her job. With more time on her hands, Sunny is challenged by her hyper-critical mother to take over the cooking for her family’s upcoming CHUSEOK celebration — and the family restaurant.
13 Nov. 5:15 pm | TIFF Lightbox C3
Bryce and Mei Lee make home movies with a video camera, at their uncle's Chinese Restaurant in Vancouver island to pass the time. Bryce wants to level up, make some new friends, and get super popular through filmmaking. The quickest way to do that? Tell everyone he knows Bruce Lee.
14 Nov. 6:00 pm | TIFF Lightbox C3
Nestled in the lively, bustling neighbourhood of Karachi’s Machar Colony (also known as Fisherman Colony) is a school for girls, where they learn to read, write, and — on their own insistence — learn gymnastics.
15 Nov. 4:15 pm | TIFF Lightbox C2
