Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, U.K., USAEnglish and Various Languages Action, Animation, Comedy, Dance, Experimental, Family, Family-friendly, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Free programming dedicated to sparking joy, creativity, and fun for little ones and families to enjoy together.
CREATE: Arts Channel
Coming soon to Reel Asian’s YouTube channel
Get your creativity on with these pre-recorded short and sweet arts activities led by our line-up of local artists:
Sam Dizon
Storyteller and origami artist Sam Dizon shows multiple ways one can play with and fold paper.
Anne Koizumi
Create your own self or family portrait with animator and arts-educator Anne Koizumi.
PUFF Paddy
Transform coffee filters into art with queer Asian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist and arts educator, PUFF Paddy.
Sennah Yee
Author of My Day with Gong Gong (Annick Press), Sennah Yee and her sister share a map making activity.
WATCH: Short Films
A collection of shorts filled with wonder, love, and pure excitement that will surely resonate with audiences of all ages.
Canada20203 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Comedy, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
No matter what she tries, a bunny witch can’t seem to get her vegetable-themed broomstick to fly.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Forest City Film Festival, 2020
The Short Film Festival, 2020
Emma Momoko Frew
Emma Momoko Frew is a recent graduate of the Sheridan Animation program, she is currently working in the animation industry as a storyboard artist.
USA20206 minNo DialogueCanadian PremiereAction, Animation, Family, Family-friendly
Rated G
The pressure is on for Arthur to prove himself to his father at an upcoming martial arts competition.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Asian Film Festival LA, 2020
IndieX Film Fest, 2020
Silicon Valley Asian Film Festival, 2020
Justin Bruce Lee
Justin Bruce Lee graduated from San Jose State University majoring in animation/illustration with a focus on storyboarding. He is currently an associate storyboard artist for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Taiwan, U.K.20206 minutesNo dialogueAnimation, Experimental, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
Gentle and mindfully aware, this contemplative animation wonders what happens when a chair falls on a secluded island.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
TAIS Animation Showcase, 2020
Encounters Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Best Animation, Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival, 2020
Ivyy Chen
Originally from Tainan, Taiwan, Ivyy Chen is an animation director and illustrator, currently living in London where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration Animation at Kingston University.
South Korea, USA20203 minNo DialogueCanadian PremiereAnimation, Family-friendly
Rated G
At night the magic happens when a wheelchair races against other toys in the hospital hallway.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Bucheon International Animation Film Festival, 2020
Spark Animation Film Festival, 2020
Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, 2020
Jinuk Choi
Jinuk Choi is a Korean filmmaker & artist based in New York City. Choi is interested in depicting the world from a child’s point of view and hopes his animations could bring people joy and happiness.
USA20206 minNo dialogueCanadian PremiereAnimation, Family, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
Combining 2D animation with stop-motion, Felt Love is a touching story about the love between a mother and son.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Moscow Shorts, 2020
San Jose International Short Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Best Animated Short, Changing Face International Film Festival, 2020
Angeline Vu, Arlene Bongco
Angeline Vu draws inspiration from her mom, three cats, and her jungle of a backyard, and is interested in both fairy tales and family tales.
Heartwarming narratives and handmade crafts inspire Arlene Bongco, who’s interested in exploring different roles in animation.
South Korea201925 minNo Dialogue, Korean with English SubtitlesNorth American PremiereComedy, Dance, Family-friendly, Open Captions
Rated G
Bursting with joy and fantastic dance sequences, you’ll be sure to find yourself tapping along with Yuwol as he inspires (or infects) others to dance.
Sim Hyun-Seo
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Busan International Short Film Festival, 2019
Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, 2019
Seoul Independent Film Festival, 2019
Beff
Born in Seoul, Beff (aka Byungyun Lee) grew up in the States making home movies with his 8mm camcorder, writing songs for piano, and drawing cartoons.
Tony Kim of CBC Kids chats with our Wee Asian filmmakers about their films. Included with the Wee Asian Shorts Programme on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
Tony Kim
Q&A Moderator
Tony Kim is an actor, voice actor and current host of CBC Kids and The Studio K Show. He has always had a passion for performing and entertaining and the bustling acting scenes in both Vancouver (where he was born and raised) and Toronto (where he currently based) has undoubtedly continued to stoke that fire! As a lover of film and the theatrical arts, he is not only thrilled that asian representation in media is increasing, but is proud that he is part of that equation and hopefully inspiring younger POC to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Check out the Wee Asian short films on the CineSend Reel Asian portal:
Starting from a place of silence, these five films poignantly position the ways intergenerational trauma is held and healing can begin.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
In a world that feels ever so divisive, these three documentaries take a closer look at what it means to create new pathways for community mobilizing, recognize shortcomings of identity markers, and acknowledge the solidarity work that remains undone.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Each of these extraordinary films call upon the act of remembrance as important and timely work for community care, knowledge, and abundance.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
USA20206 minNo DialogueCanadian PremiereAction, Animation, Family, Family-friendly
Rated G
The pressure is on for Arthur to prove himself to his father at an upcoming martial arts competition.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Asian Film Festival LA, 2020
IndieX Film Fest, 2020
Silicon Valley Asian Film Festival, 2020
Justin Bruce Lee
Justin Bruce Lee graduated from San Jose State University majoring in animation/illustration with a focus on storyboarding. He is currently an associate storyboard artist for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, USA64 minEnglish and various languages with English subtitlesAction, Closed Captions, Comedy, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Horror, Open Captions, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
A retired hitman, telephone counselor, Ronggeng dancer, and pug take the lead in these four cult-worthy shorts that are bound to make you question everything you thought you knew.
Hong Kong, USA2020 14 minCantonese, Mandarin with English SubtitlesToronto PremiereDrama, Open Captions
Rated 14A
CW: Guns
Our focus shifts from the oversaturated cityscape of Hong Kong to the mundane, yet peaceful fisherman’s life of a retired hitman. When his apprentice arrives unannounced, will the tranquility last?
Tai Bo 太保
Wang Yang 汪洋
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Tribeca Film Festival, 2020
Cannes Cinéfondation, 2020
Palm Springs Shorts Fest, 2020
Calgary International Film Festival, 2020
Linhan Zhang 張林翰
Linhan Zhang 張林翰 is a film and television undergraduate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, a 2017-2018 Sundance Ignite Fellow, and a recipient of the 2019 Adobe Creativity Scholarship.
Canada2020 15 minEnglish with English Subtitles World PremiereClosed Captions, Horror, Thriller
Rating 14A
CW: Psychological horror, Manipulation
Addressing the harm racialized women as professional and informal caregivers face and can internalize, Tahirih Vejdani delivers a resonating performance as Sriyani, an overtaxed social care worker.
Tahirih Vejdani
David Tompa
Cavan Campbell
Raised on Prince Edward Island by his Island father, a painter, and his Sri Lankan mother, a writer, Cavan Campbell has worked on It, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and Star Trek: Discovery.
Indonesia2019 13 minIndonesian with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereFantasy, Horror, Open Captions, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Rating 18A
CW: Sexual assault and violence, Genital mutilation
Blending Indonesian tradition and culture with fantasy and mysticism, RONG is a terrifying yet satisfying take on a girl who walks home alone at night as the hunted becomes the hunter.
Maryam Supraba
Ancoeamar
Indira Iman
Indira Iman is a director and writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia, who believes film can inspire social change.
South Korea2019 22 minKorean with English SubtitlesInternational PremiereComedy, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Open Captions
Rated PG
If three dogs who dabble with dog-ception to save their fellow four-legged friend isn’t enticing enough, it’s also a musical with some animation and features Donggyu Lee, the Korean Benedict Cumberbatch.
Kang Chan
Lee Donggyu
Park Shinyoung
Ko Hyungkyung
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Chungmuro International Musical Film Festival, 2020
Hyungnam Pak 박형남
Born in 1990, Hyungnam Pak is a film major at the Korea National University of Arts. His previous films include Sailing A Paper Boat and When We Meet Us.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Join us in conversation with directors and special guests in attendance! ASL interpretation will be made available thanks to Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Services. Ticket holders can watch on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
November 15, 2020 at 10am
Catch Oliver Husain's Lenticular Lecture this year at the festival, featuring a digital installation of "French Exit" and an artist talk.
1 Nov. 12:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Join the CBC as they discuss new opportunities and methods for pitching digital content. This event is part of the Reel Ideas Symposium.
16 Nov. 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Four fearless emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online. We’re proud to present their world premiere here.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Canada, China, South Korea, USA202055 minutesEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAction, Animation, Comedy, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Fantasy, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Sci-fi, Women Filmmakers
Abundant with hope, desire, and resiliency, all six of these films make a statement to queer histories, presents, and futures—in front of and behind the screen.
Canada2019 6 minEnglishAnimation, Experimental, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
With pulsating neon-light animation, Reviving the Roost is about community complexity and longing—an elegy to a lost space as much as it is director Vivek Shraya’s ode to a closed popular Edmonton gay bar.
Vivek Shraya
Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. She is also the founder of the publishing imprint VS. Books.
USA2019 3 minEnglish and Mandarin with English subtitlesInternational Premiere Drama, Family, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers
Rated PG
Though brief and contained, Bind provides an extensive glimpse into the trans Asian diaspora when Jules is confronted by a surprise visit from their mother with their chest binder.
Hua Chai
Kate Chang
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Frameline, 2020
NewFilmmakers LA, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
Emory Chao Johnson
Emory Chao Johnson is a MFA film student at the University of California. They were a Trans Filmmaking Fellow on director Sam Feder’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen in 2018 and an intern on director Lisa Leeman’s Trans*Formed in 2019.
Canada20203 minEnglishDocumentary, Experimental, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG-13
An unapologetic statement about queer joy, resistance, and resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, and transphobia.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival, 2020
Social Justice Film Festival, 2020
Asian American International Film Festival, 2020
Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is my favorite movie. Fight me.” Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim is a Toronto-born, U.S.-raised filmmaker, dog mom, and aspiring graphic novelist passionate about empowering marginalized communities through art.
Canada20187 minEnglishAction, Comedy, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG-13
This action-comedy short features Sedina Fiati as Super Zee, a kickbutt queer Black superhero who swoops in to save her crush from the microaggressions at the office.
Sedina Fiati
Christina Song
Kevan Kase
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Outfest Fusion, 2020
Caribbean Tales International Film Festival, 2020
Women’s International Film & Arts Festival, 2019
Nathalie Younglai
TV writer and director, Trini Chinese provocateur, and founder of BIPOC TV & Film, Nathalie Younglai hauled her parents to the Daytime Emmys after being nominated for her writing on “Dino Dana.” She supports Black Lives Matter.
USA20199 minEnglish and Mandarin with English subtitlesDrama, Experimental, Family, Fantasy, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Sci-fi
Rated 14A
Filled with evocative imagery, this queer futuristic short follows Jia, who develops the ability to teleport when she dissociates and must learn how to control her powers.
Poppy Liu
Lea Cai
Vera Lam
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Blackstar Film Festival, 2020
Outfest Fusion, 2020
CAAMfest, 2020
LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
Jess X. Snow
Jess X. Snow is a director, artist, poet and community arts educator creating queer Asian immigrant stories that transcend borders, binaries, and time. They are currently a guest on the unceded traditional land of the Lenape people (Lenapehoking/Brooklyn, NY).
South Korea202025 minEnglish and Korean with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDance, Drama, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Open Captions
Rated 14A
CW: Transphobic comments
Shin-mi, a dancer, bravely faces forward with grace and style as she takes the physical examination at the Military Manpower Administration.
Choi Haejun
Kim Wookyum
Lim Hojun
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, 2020
Sungbin Byun 변성빈
Born in 1991, Sungbin Byun studied film, TV & multimedia and eastern philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University. His films Horn (2014), The Chicken of Wuzuh (2015), and Hands and Wings (2018) have screened at festivals internationally.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Join us in conversation with directors and special guests in attendance! ASL interpretation will be made available thanks to Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Services. Ticket holders can watch on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
November 13, 2020 at 8PM
Son of a prominent family in Vietnam, Van returns from America for the first time in nine years with his partner, Ian. Coming back to a community with expectations of patriarchy and legacy, Van tries to find the right moment to tell his mother, Mrs. Hanh, about his love for Ian.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
A cowardly horse robbery ends in murder, leaving a boy fatherless and his family in disarray. When the boy’s mother is forced to move the family out of their village, a mysterious man arrives who might be able to help restore order. What may appear to us as a “Western,” with its familiar framing of vast vistas and sublime steppes, is really a story about fractured families and survival in the wake of violence.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music gather for the start of the school day. They laugh, practice, and take tests while preparing for a concert celebrating 100 years of Afghanistan's independence. Ranging from five-year-olds to young adults, some are middle-class kids and others are orphans, and they come from Afghanistan's many ethnic groups.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Canada20187 minEnglishAction, Comedy, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG-13
This action-comedy short features Sedina Fiati as Super Zee, a kickbutt queer Black superhero who swoops in to save her crush from the microaggressions at the office.
Sedina Fiati
Christina Song
Kevan Kase
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Outfest Fusion, 2020
Caribbean Tales International Film Festival, 2020
Women’s International Film & Arts Festival, 2019
Nathalie Younglai
TV writer and director, Trini Chinese provocateur, and founder of BIPOC TV & Film, Nathalie Younglai hauled her parents to the Daytime Emmys after being nominated for her writing on “Dino Dana.” She supports Black Lives Matter.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South KoreaEnglish and Various Languages Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Experimental, Horror, Thriller
Caught in a standstill, these films follow the choices made and risks taken by characters to impel even the smallest of pivots.
Award
Award Description
Students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music gather for the start of the school day. They laugh, practice, and take tests while preparing for a concert celebrating 100 years of Afghanistan's independence. Ranging from five-year-olds to young adults, some are middle-class kids and others are orphans, and they come from Afghanistan's many ethnic groups.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Son of a prominent family in Vietnam, Van returns from America for the first time in nine years with his partner, Ian. Coming back to a community with expectations of patriarchy and legacy, Van tries to find the right moment to tell his mother, Mrs. Hanh, about his love for Ian.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
This panel brings together programmers from festivals and ARCs to discuss the radical possibilities and limitations of arts programming and its relationship and responsibility to socio-political events. This event is part of the Reel Ideas Symposium.
18 Nov. 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from the Asian diaspora. Works include films and videos by East, South and Southeast Asian artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world. As Canada’s largest 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.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
