The 2023 Fire Horse Jury

Introducing the 2023 Fire Horse Award Recipient

Mary Stephen

Mary Stephen photographed by Mike Tjioe

Born in Hong Kong, Mary’s family immigrated to Canada where she finished high school and went to Loyola College of Concordia University for Communication Arts. Moving to Paris for graduate studies, Mary became French New Wave director Eric Rohmer’s film editor and occasional co-composer for several decades. In the last 15 years, she worked extensively with fiction and documentary filmmakers from several continents as film editor, associate-producer or script advisor. A partial list of these include Yoïchiro Okutani’s Nude At Heart, Japan-France coproduction for Arte; Ann Hui’s Love After Love (Venice Biennale 2020 Life Achievement Award), Our Time Will Come, Septet, a story of Hong Kong (Cannes 2020); Nicole Shafer’s Buddha In Africa (NHK Award); Tiffany Hsiung’s The Apology (Peabody Award); Seren Yüce’s Majority (Venice Lion of the Future); Du Haibin’s Umbrella, 1428 (Venice Biennale Orizzonti Doc Award), and A Young Patriot; Lixin Fan’s Last Train Home (IDFA Grand Prize); Li Yang’s Blind Mountain (Cannes Un Certain Regard) ; Hüseyin Karabey’s My Marlon and Brando (Tribeca Best New Director), and Do Not Forget Me Istanbul omnibus film with directors from the Baltic region: Hany Abou-Assad (Palestine), Aida Begic (Bosnia), Stefan Arsenijevic (Serbia), Stergios Niziris (Greece), Eric Nazarian ( Armenia)

Nominated for Golden Horse, Independent Eye, and HK and Turkish film awards, Mary also directs her own films, guest-teaches in institutions, takes part in juries and forums, and mentors young filmmakers in many countries. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the French Académie des Césars, the CCE (Canadian Cinema Editors), the SOCAN and Rough Cut Service. She has been named Chevalier in the Order of Letters and Arts of the French Cultural Ministry in 2018.

“The jury celebrates Mary’s grit in building her illustrious career on an international stage despite the steep challenges faced by women, especially women of colour in the industry,” said Jury Members Ananya Ohri, Tiffany Hsiung and Nobu Adilman. “Her journey is an inspiration for future generations to dare and forge new professional and collaborative communities, globally. We celebrate her skill as a film editor and her generosity in nurturing Asian talent. We also acknowledge that Mary has occupied a supporting role, even when her contributions are considered defining to the art produced. The jury recognizes that the Fire Horse spirit of originality, creative thinking and trailblazing is not always drawn to the limelight. Mary Stephen embodies all these qualities and we are thrilled to draw back the curtain to celebrate her today as the Fire Horse Award recipient for 2023.”

The Fire Horse Award recognizes one Asian Canadian member of the film and media arts community. Created on Reel Asian’s 25th anniversary in 2021, this award honours Reel Asian founder Anita Lee whose groundbreaking work and determination have made Reel Asian a staple in Canada’s festival landscape.

The name of the award was inspired by Anita’s story — according to the Asian zodiac, she was born in the year of the fire horse, which only occurs once every 60 years. People born in those years are said to be change makers: original and creative thinkers, independent and mission-driven leaders.

The Fire Horse Award will recognize the award recipient’s remarkable body of work and its significant impact on the larger community, and anticipation of future contributions to the fields of film, television, media arts, and other screen-based practices, which have a powerful influence on how Asians see ourselves and how others see us—making the support of authentic voices vital.

We’re currently accepting ongoing contributions to ensure the sustainability of the award for years to come. We invite you to make a donation to support this cause. 

All donors will receive a full tax receipt* and receive recognition on the Fire Horse Award page.

*Reel Asian is a registered charity based in Canada. The tax receipt issued by Reel Asian can only be used for the Canadian tax reporting purpose. For international donors, a gift acknowledgement receipt is available upon request for gifts of $100 CAD+. Please contact development@reelasian.com should you have any questions or requests.