Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, U.K., USAEnglish and Various Languages Action, Animation, Comedy, Dance, Experimental, Family, Family-friendly, Open Captions, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Free programming dedicated to sparking joy, creativity, and fun for little ones and families to enjoy together. Short film selection includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 ISLE OF CHAIR.
CREATE:
Now available on 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!
All selections are made accessible with closed captions. Click on YouTube’s “CC” icon to turn on captions.
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 shares a map making activity with her little sister and Early Child Educator, Quincy Yee.
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, Reel Asian Award Winner, 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
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 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
CBC Kids Host
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:
Each of these extraordinary films call upon the act of remembrance as important and timely work for community care, knowledge, and abundance. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 I BOUGHT A TIME MACHINE and I DREAM OF VANCOUVER.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
A quick-and-easy exercise for you to test how our ticketing (powered by Elevent) works and how you can access the viewing portal (powered by CineSend)
3 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
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. Includes National Film Board of Canada Best Canadian Short Film Award, Reel Asian 2020 winner SAFE AMONG STARS and winner of Change Connect Award, Reel Asian 2020 GOD'S DAUGHTER DANCES.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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.
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, Descriptive Captions, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Horror, Open Captions, Reel Asian Award Winner, 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. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 RECEIVER and RONG.
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, Descriptive Captions, Horror, Reel Asian Award Winner, 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
AWARDS
Winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
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, Reel Asian Award Winner, 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
AWARDS
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
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
Free programming dedicated to sparking joy, creativity, and fun for little ones and families to enjoy together. Includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 ISLE OF CHAIR.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Broke and evicted from their basement apartment in Seoul, teenager Okju, her little brother Dongju, and their divorced father must move in with their ailing grandfather at the city’s outskirts. Soon joined by an aunt reeling from her own failed marriage, they spend the summer getting reacquainted with each other as an ad hoc multigenerational family unit, which was the norm just a generation ago. Recently awarded winner of the Osler Best Feature Film Award, Reel Asian 2020.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
The 2020 Canadian Spotlight features not one but three Canadian media artists who work at the intersections of experiential, experimental moving image and narrative.
1 Nov. - 19 Nov.
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, Reel Asian Award Winner, 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, Reel Asian Award Winner, 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
AWARD
National Film Board of Canada Best Canadian Short Film Award, Reel Asian 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 minKorean with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDance, Drama, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Open Captions, Reel Asian Award Winner
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
AWARDS
Change Connect Award, Reel Asian 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
This panel reflects on the necessity and challenges of archives and archival work, inviting members of community archive initiatives to discuss their work and process. This event is part of the Reel Ideas Symposium.
15 Nov. 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
A right-wing government controls Quebec, closing its borders and pushing immigrants to leave. Widower Hiên lives a meager life running a dépanneur. Enticed by his daughter Phuong’s move to Vietnam, Hiên makes arrangements to leave everything behind. But when a neighbourhood boy is left under the temporary care of Phuong’s aimless Quebecois boyfriend, Hiên is driven to solve the mystery of the boy’s missing mother.
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
Canada, China, USA58 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesComedy, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
From the mundane to the spectacular, our characters in these five films pave their own paths as some take matters into their own hands, while others come across new points of understanding and acceptance. Includes winner of WIFT-T Film Award, Reel Asian 2020 LOLA'S WAKE.
USA202015 minEnglish, Pashto with English SubtitlesInternational Premiere Drama, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
Beautifully shot against visceral landscapes of New Mexico, Ayah is a 10-year-old refugee on her first camping trip who ends up finding connection to ancestral memory even in the most unfamiliar of places.
Huda Wahidy
Hameed Sheikh
Sana A. Malik
Sana A. Malik is a Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker and journalist who has reported on immigration, detention, and gender since 2011. In 2017, she founded This is Worldtown, a platform that supports women of colour visual storytellers.
Canada202015 minEnglish, Tagalog with English Subtitles World PremiereDrama, Family, Family-friendly, Open Captions
Rated PG
Meticulously detailed and choreographed, director Kyle Credo delivers an authentic snapshot into Justin, a timid Filipino boy, and his afternoon.
Daynon Toledo
Kyle Credo
Kyle Credo is a Filipino-Canadian director born and raised in Ontario. He has been practicing his craft since 2012 when he made his first short film, Scum at Centennial College.
Canada, China20203 minCantonese, Mandarin with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, Family-friendly, Open Captions
Rated G
In this light, yet deeply moving short, Dva Liu returns home to Shaoguan with the wish of taking “couple portraits” with her aging grandfather.
Hao Cheng 程顥
Hao Cheng 程顥 is a commercial and documentary director who lives in Toronto. Influenced by his family background, Cheng developed a passion for photography and eventually developed his directing skills.
Canada2019 10 minEnglish, Tagalog with English SubtitlesWorld PremiereDrama, Family, Fantasy, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG-13
Joelle is determined to uphold a Filipino tradition even if it means spending the night in a funeral home. Loosely based on the director’s own experiences.
Gianelle Miranda
Carolyn Fe
Chelsea Muirhead
AWARDS
WIFT-T Film Award, Reel Asian 2020
Tricia Hagoriles
Tricia Hagoriles is an award-winning, Toronto-based filmmaker. Hagoriles was a resident of the 2019 Director’s Lab at the Canadian Film Centre and recipient of Inside Out + OUTtv Outspoken Documentary Fund for her upcoming work, The Archivist.
Canada2019 15 minEnglish, Cantonese, Mandarin with English SubtitlesToronto Premiere Drama, Family, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
Accurately awkward, Rose attends a karaoke party and hears a voice louder than her own in this subtly nuanced take on navigating adulthood and finding independence.
Kimberley Yip
Kimberly Ho
Nan Chen
OFFICIAL SELECTION
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020
Natalie Murao
Natalie Murao is an award-winning filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada. Murao’s films draw from her Japanese-Canadian heritage and childhood experiences, which include themes of memory and the mundane.
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 1PM
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. Includes National Film Board of Canada Best Canadian Short Film Award, Reel Asian 2020 winner SAFE AMONG STARS and winner of Change Connect Award, Reel Asian 2020 GOD'S DAUGHTER DANCES.
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
A quick-and-easy exercise for you to test how our ticketing (powered by Elevent) works and how you can access the viewing portal (powered by CineSend)
3 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, U.K., USA66 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
Each of these extraordinary films call upon the act of remembrance as important and timely work for community care, knowledge, and abundance. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 I BOUGHT A TIME MACHINE and I DREAM OF VANCOUVER.
Canada, Germany20207 minMongolian with English subtitlesAnimation, Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
Steadily narrated by the director’s grandmother, The Fourfold imbues an indigenous worldview and wisdom based on the ancient shamanic rituals and animistic beliefs in Mongolia and Siberia.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2020
Ottawa International Animation Festival, 2020
Vancouver International Film Festival, 2020
Alisi Telengut
Alisi Telengut is a Canadian artist of Mongolian descent. She creates animation frame by frame under the camera, with painting as the medium, to generate movement and explore hand-made and painterly visuals.
India, Singapore2019 9 minEnglish and Punjabi with English subtitlesWorld PremiereDocumentary, Family, Open Captions
Rated PG
At 62, Samriti visits her late father’s home in Amritsar, India - a place that only existed in retellings of the past - for the very first time.
GurJeevaan Singh BalRose
GurJeevaan Singh BalRose enjoys storytelling because it’s a powerful tool to bring people together and evoke emotions. He hopes to make more films about Sikh history and culture in Singapore and India.
USA2019 5 min English and Vietnamese with English SubtitlesInternational Premiere Documentary, Experimental, Family, Open Captions
Rated PG
“Where do you want to start?” The relationship between mother and son, uttered and silent, what’s known and forgotten, archival footage and public spaces are strewn into this affecting elliptical portrait of Orange County’s Little Saigon touching upon the history of war, displacement, and colonialism.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2019
Chris Nguyen
Chris Nguyen is a documentarian & community builder based in Los Angeles. He is currently a production coordinator on Equal, and volunteers with A-Doc, the Asian American Documentary Network.
South Korea, USA202015 minEnglish and Korean with English subtitlesToronto Premiere Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated PG
What does it take to open conversation and unpack your family’s past? Playful and unabashed, director Yeon Park sets off to do so by purchasing a time machine off eBay.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Visions du Réel, 2020
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, 2020
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020
AWARD
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Yeon Park
Yeon Park is a filmmaker from Seoul, Korea, who continued her studies at Stanford. Her ultimate goal as a filmmaker is to make documentaries that encourage empathy through capturing people’s emotions.
Canada20207 minEnglishDocumentary, Experimental, LQBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner
Rated PG
I Dream of Vancouver interrogates alienation from the lived experience of spaces as they are subsumed by algorithms and mediated images, linking corporate technologies and gentrification with the erasure of populations that don’t fit Google’s agenda.
AWARDS
Winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020.
Warren Chan
Warren Chan is an MA student at York University, where he researches usage of A.I. generated images in experimental cinema. Outside of his studies, he also interrogates the role of new media technologies in film and video.
USA2019 8 minEnglishInternational Premiere Documentary, Family-friendly
Rated G
Learning from and caring for the land she farms on, Catherine Nguyen owns two-thirds of an acre by herself growing and selling annual vegetables while challenging the industrialization of food in Portland, Oregon.
OFFICIAL SCREENINGS
Oregon Documentary Film Festival, 2020
DC Asian Pacific American Film, 2020
Anthony Newen
Anthony Newen started making films when he got bored of doing magic tricks and needed a new hobby. He now makes films telling stories that deal with themes of love, loneliness, place, identity, and sometimes a bit of comedy to keep things lighthearted.
Japan, U.K.2019 15 minEnglish and Japanese with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereDocumentary, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Rated G
A breathtaking and touching documentary alerting the urgency to care for our habitats and preserve the incredible knowledge of the Ama, a tradition of women divers spanning over thousands of years in Japan, weaving the director’s personal connection to it all.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, 2020
The People’s Film Festival, 2020
Under Wire Festival, 2019
Georgie Yukiko Donovan
Georgie Yukiko Donovan is a Japanese-English documentary filmmaker with a multidisciplinary approach inspired by a diverse background in theatre, television and film.
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 17, 2020 at 11:30AM
These six dynamic films touch upon art not solely as a creative practice for self expression but an integral force in making space, along with the responsibilities that come with it.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Starting from a place of silence, these five films poignantly position the ways intergenerational trauma is held and healing can begin. Includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 SING ME A LULLABY.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
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. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 RECEIVER and RONG.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
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
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
What does a hot bowl of lovingly prepared soup remind you of? The taste of home? The warm embrace of a loved one? For Long, a widower and cook at a Vietnamese restaurant in Warsaw, his famous pho is his pride, and his grade-school daughter Mia is his joy. But their world changes when the restaurant is sold, forcing Long to learn to make sushi. Meanwhile, Mia is frustrated by her father's caring but old-fashioned ways, while fearing he is moving on from the memory of her late mother.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Free programming dedicated to sparking joy, creativity, and fun for little ones and families to enjoy together. Includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 ISLE OF CHAIR.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
Broke and evicted from their basement apartment in Seoul, teenager Okju, her little brother Dongju, and their divorced father must move in with their ailing grandfather at the city’s outskirts. Soon joined by an aunt reeling from her own failed marriage, they spend the summer getting reacquainted with each other as an ad hoc multigenerational family unit, which was the norm just a generation ago. Recently awarded winner of the Osler Best Feature Film Award, Reel Asian 2020.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm