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TEHURA

Canada, French Polynesia202212 minutesEnglish and French with English subtitlesAnimation, Dance, Drama

A Tahitian dancer tries to reclaim her identity by confronting a tourist audience with a dance of her own.

ACCESSIBILITY

This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.

RATING

RATED PG

Content Warning: Sexist situations

Directors Bio

Wei Li

Wei Li is an Emmy-winning storyboard and comic artist. His work includes Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego, Cleopatra in Space, and Blue Eye Samurai. Tehura is his debut film.

This film is part of the Muscle Memory shorts programme.

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Features
IF FROM EVERY TONGUE IT DRIPS

If From Every Tongue It Drips is a documentary constructed between three locations that follows Ponni, who writes a form of 19th-century queer Urdu poetry called Rekhti, and her lover Sarala, a camera operator.

Shorts Programme
MIDNIGHT SNACK 2.0

Festival favourite Midnight Snack returns for another bite! This time, 2.0 features six talented female directors who cook up tales full of intrigue and awareness, boldly confronting themes that are often left indigestible.

Canadian Spotlight
Canadian Spotlight: Romeo Candido

Challenging norms, paving the road, and telling fresh stories, our Canadian Spotlight Artist program is dedicated to a member of the dynamic and talented Asian Canadian film community. This program celebrates a selected artist by activating their journey, process, and future works.

PRISON DANCER

Canada, Philippines201260 minComedy, Dance, Drama

Inspired by the real-life dancing rehabilitation program that became a worldwide viral sensation on YouTube, Prison Dancer details the poignant and hilarious stories of six prison dancers who turned a maximum-security prison into a world stage.

 

Romeo Candido is a CSA winner and proud Filipino Canadian story teller with experience in film, television, theatre, documentary and advertising.  Recent credits include writing / directing a film for the NBA called SHORTY, directing on S29 of THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES, directing two episodes of the upcoming CIRCUIT BREAKERS for Apple TV and writing an episode of the hit comedy SON OF A CRITCH.  He is currently the co-showrunner of S8 of popular dance series The Next Step for CBBC and YTV.  His ten part musical series TOPLINE, which he serves as creator, writer, director and composer premiered to rave reviews on CBC Gem March 31 2022.  His original musical PRISON DANCER will  have its world premiere as a stage musical at the Citadel Theatre in spring of 2023.

Rating

PG

This film is a part of the Retro Screenings Online programme presenting a collection of short and mid-length work from Candido’s career.

PAPAYA

Canada202211 minutesFrench with English subtitles World PremiereDance, Experimental, Women Filmmakers

A dancer breaks the silence of incest by responding to her family archives through dance. In the ritual sacrifice of a papaya, she reenacts her traumatic past to emancipate her adult self.

Directors Bio

Dédé Chen

Born in Nanchang, China in 1995, Dédé Chen now lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal where she creates works about the performance of filiation. As an anthropologist, she is interested in autoethnography as a source of creative writing.

 

12 Nov, 2022 3:45 pm

Online
TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

Rating

Rated PG

Content Warning: Trauma, sexual violence

This film is a part of the Unsung Voices 11 shorts programme. Director will be present for the Q&A following the film.

HEART IS A WITNESS

Canada20215 minutesEnglish with English subtitlesDance, Family-friendly, Non-binary Filmmakers

A young boy looks for love from his older self, while seeking sanctuary in nature.

Directors Bio

Mirusha Yogarajah

Mirusha Yogarajah is a writer, filmmaker, and housing advocate based in Toronto.

9 Nov, 2022

to 20 Nov, 2022

Online

Rating

Rated G

ACCESSIBILITY

This film is presented with open English subtitles digitally.

Wee Asian

Tune into this beloved section online to access free programming for all ages that will spark joy, inspire creativity, and encourage wonder.

Wee Asian Shorts Collection

Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, USA2022English and other languages with English subtitlesAnimation, Dance, Experimental, Family, Family-friendly, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers

Short and sweet, this delightful collection of films presents stories of tenderness, curiosity, and possibility.

Tarun Padmakumar Profile Image

Canada20222 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Family-friendly

A newcomer to the city tries to figure out their commute.

Director Bio

Tarun Padmakumar

Tarun Padmakumar is a Toronto-based animator who hails from the state of Kerala in South India. Though he’s worked with many mediums, he enjoys creating with animation above all.

Kay Chan Profile Image

Canada20223 minutesEnglish, Cree, and Cantonese with English subtitlesAnimation, Experimental, Family-friendly, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers

A pair of Two-Spirit Métis Chinese youth soften a deer hide together.

Director Bio

Kay Chan

Kay Chan (they/he/she) is a Two-Spirit and non-binary Tkaronto-based artist who was raised across Turtle Island/Canada. With their mixed Métis Chinese heritage, Chan transforms their many experiences, passions, and identities into a vision while weaving together the traditional and digital art mediums they have accessible.

Wendy Lu, Natalie Tran, & Cindy Zhi Profile Image

Australia20216 minutesEnglish with English subtitlesAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers

Charlie and her dog, Doug, set out on a journey up a mountain to shoot down the brightest star in the sky.

Director Bio

Wendy Lu, Natalie Tran, & Cindy Zhi

Wendy Lu,Natalie Tran, and Cindy Zhi are an Asian Australian group of motivated ragtag animators from Sydney, Australia. With hopes of creating a story that would matter to themselves and others, the three teamed up to create In Sight.

Wanci Hua Profile Image

USA20224 minutesEnglishAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers

Aki, a beginner chef, must make a delicious meal for the emperor’s banquet, however, things don’t go as planned.

Director Bio

Wanci Hua

Currently studying at the California Institute of the Arts, Wanci Hua is a Taiwanese animator who loves creating whimsical worlds and sharing tender stories.

Jeon Seung-bae Profile Image

South Korea20216 minKorean with English subtitlesAnimation, Family, Family-friendly

Battery Dad is in charge of every corner of the house from children’s toys to remote controls and door locks. What can Battery Dad do when a sudden downpour floods the valley?

Director Bio

Jeon Seung-bae

Jeon Seung-bae graduated from Chung-Ang University of Advanced Imaging Science in multimedia and film. He works at Toyville Animation Studio as an animation director.

Juhaidah Joemin & Sandra Khoo Profile Image

Malaysia202218 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers

A recently orphaned rhino tries to find a new home in the wilds of the Borneo rainforest.

Director Bio

Juhaidah Joemin & Sandra Khoo

The first generation of filmmakers in her native Borneo family, Juhaidah Joemin draws inspiration from her rich cultural heritage and vast natural surroundings where she grew up.

Sandra Khoo is a director by day and works on her own pet projects and animated shorts by night.

Mirusha Yogarajah Profile Image

Canada20215 minutesEnglish with English subtitlesDance, Family-friendly, Non-binary Filmmakers

A young boy looks for love from his older self, while seeking sanctuary in nature.

Director Bio

Mirusha Yogarajah

Mirusha Yogarajah is a writer, filmmaker, and housing advocate based in Toronto.

Rayhan Dharmawan Profile Image

Indonesia202214 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesFamily, Family-friendly

Abbas and his friends are out to create the most epic action film in 2005! What will Abbas encounter along the way?

Director Bio

Rayhan Dharmawan

Rayhan Dharmawan is a freelance screenwriter for feature films and a director of independent short films and music videos under the collective, Poolside Studios. He may have not determined his true path yet but he’s enjoying every step of the way.

9 Nov, 2022

to 20 Nov, 2022

Online

Rating

Rated G

Funders

CREATE: Wee Asian Arts Channel

Season 3 brings together four spectacular local artists who will guide you through simple and playful pre-recorded activities all from the comfort of your home.

Puppet pals and character making with Maryanna Chan!

Maryanna Chan will show you how to take everyday objects around you and transform them into fun characters and puppet pals.

Maryanna Chan (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian Illustrator and Scenographer from Treaty 6 Territory (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). She studied Illustration at the Alberta College of Art + Design, and graduated in 2018. In 2021 she graduated from the Scénographie program at the National Theatre school of Canada. Her work focuses on representation, cultural identities, equality, and liberation. She aims to highlight and uplift the stories of underrepresented and marginalized communities in her work.

Blanket-fort skill sharing with Catherine Hernandez!

Author and screenwriter Catherine Hernandez will share her blanket-fort building skills.

Catherine Hernandez‘s novel, Scarborough, won the Jim Wong-Chu Award and was a finalist for Canada Reads 2022. Her children’s books include M Is for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book, I Promise and Where Do Your Feelings Live? She wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Scarborough, which won 8 including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Express movement through sequential art making with Brian Jiang!

Illustrator and official 2022 Reel Asian Festival Creative Artist Brian Jiang shows you how to express movement through sequential art-making.

Brian Jiang (they/them) is a queer interdisciplinary artist of Chinese descent based in Tkaronto aka Toronto. Their multidisciplinary arts practice comprises of painting, illustration, animation and design. Jiang’s work explores topics such as speculative worlds, the natural world, identity and community-building.

Celebrate your festival spirit and make parols with Maria Patricia Abuel!

Show your sparkle and festive spirit with artist Maria Patricia Abuel as you create star ornaments inspired by the parol, a traditional Filipino star lantern!

Maria Patricia Abuel (she/her) is a Toronto/Tkarón:to born and raised Filipina multidisciplinary artist. Her practice questions issues of hybrid identity, femininity, and conservative expectations. She challenges traditional frameworks within cultures and artistic practices with a playful irony, with a focus on family history, pop culture, and the body.

LISTEN: Wavelength Music

Our friends Kat Estacio and Tara Hejazi at Wavelength Music curate a special playlist for Wee Asian featuring independent artists to listen, dance, or relax to! Share your playlist favourites by tagging @wavelengthmusic and @reelasian.

Kat Estacio is a Tkaronto-based creative and recovering overachiever. An experienced administrator, Kat has a B.Comm and over a decade on-the-ground work with community non-profits and arts organizations. They previously worked as managing director at Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, and continues to be involved in different capacities throughout the years as an arts mentor, committee member, and consultant.

Tara Hejazi is a huge music enthusiast and loves curating playlists and discovering new music. Her favourite genres are altrnb and hip-hop.

COLOUR: Festival Creative

Reel Asian’s festival creative Brian Jiang transforms their animation into a colouring sheet! Show off your artistry and share your colouring sheet with us by tagging @reelasian on social media.

Arrow Link

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Features
Retrospective Screenings – ANG PAMANA: THE INHERITANCE

Inspired by age-old Filipino folklore, this frightening thriller is a chilling story about the resurfacing of dark family secrets.

Features
FREE CHOL SOO LEE

The story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American who was falsely convicted of a 1973 murder in San Francisco. After activists led a pan-Asian American movement to free him, he was finally released after 10 years in prison.

Features
BEYOND EXTINCTION: SINIXT RESURGENCE

When a man from the “extinct” Sinixt people in what’s called British Columbia’s Slocan Valley challenges his deportation to the United States, the question arises: How can his people be extinct when he is very much alive? This feature film will also be shown as an online screening.

November 17th to 20th, 2021 | 5pm to 8pm | Fairview Library

See the city in a new light! Reel Asian is thrilled to partner with the City of Toronto’s BigArtTo, a city-wide initiative involving large-scale projections across 25 wards in the city, to represent Routes & Rituals. Mark your calendars for November 17 to 20 as Routes & Rituals will be projected onto Fairview Library from 5pm to 8pm. 

Routes & Rituals is originally a program contributed to Critical Distance Centre for Curator’s large-scale durational project Phase I of Place Settings. The program features video-based works by artists Nelson Wu, Farrah Miranda, and Basil AlZeri who approach food through bodied, material sites that reflect our relationships to one another, the land, and ourselves. These works expand beyond food as the act of consumption, contemplating varying pathways food is brought into existence, whether through kitchen utensils from a beloved store, repetition and stillness in sites of food preparation, or collective movement as resistance. Beyond the content, the respective formats of each video-based work further interrogate and negotiate the complexity and fluidity of food relationships. 

Looking to see more? Viewable online alongside the works are in-depth artists talks that share further insight on the process, themes, and reflections of the project. Audio description are available for all works and Q&As for free online through VUCAVU.

Presenting Partners

Audio descriptions by

Nelson Wu
Artist, Tuesday

Nelson Wu is a Chinese Canadian artist who creates pixel art and illustration. Graduating from OCAD University, he is currently working in the video game and entertainment industry. He has produced a variety of illustrations, pixel art, and animations. He is inspired by his experiences in Asia; a sense of nostalgia and surrealism are often themes present in the work.

Farrah Miranda
Artist, Speaking Fruit

Born in the Gulf to parents who were migrant workers, Farrah Miranda’s lived experience has confronted her with the way people, places, objects and experiences are bordered. This inspires aspects of Miranda’s artistic practice in which she questions how borders are enacted through processes of categorization, securitization, censorship and control.

Moving between the gallery and the public sphere, Miranda creates situations that actively engage the viewer. With mediums that range from manipulated found objects to performance, installation and new media, she experiments with the pedagogical possibilities of art in undoing colonial borders, citizenships and illegalities.

Basil AlZeri
Artist, a recipe for a bleeding heart

Basil AlZeri is a cross-disciplinary visual artist living and working between Toronto and Waterloo region, Canada. AlZeri’s practice involves the intersection of art, education, and food, taking multiple forms, such as performance, drawing, video, and ephemeral installation. His ongoing research and practice examine the politics and significance of work in our lives. Issues he addresses include professionalization, careerism, emotional/immaterial/unrecognized labour, and the co-optation of relational practices by socially engaged art. AlZeri’s work has been exhibited in Amman, Dubai, Halifax, Mexico City, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Regina, Rome, Santiago, Tartu and Toronto.

familycore

Canada, Malaysia, USA202182 minEnglish and various languages with English subtitlesComedy, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Sci-fi, Women Filmmakers

Amid the abundance of narratives revolving around kin, this presentation of shorts brings refreshing and surprising takes into the un/intentional family-centric storytelling landscape, offering room for possibilities and reimaginings.

POSTERITY

Audrie Yeo Profile Image

Malaysia202110 minTeochew, Mandarin with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDrama, Family, Women Filmmakers

While offering a proper funeral to a severed bird’s head, Ah Ger is unexpectedly visited by the ghost of her grandmother, who urges her to help find and care for her egg.

Accessibility

This presentation has English subtitles.

Active Listener symbol  An Active Listener will be available to offer one-on-one peer support for viewers who may find the content of this presentation triggering. More info on how to access here.

Content Warning:

This film contains the potentially triggering topic of domestic aggression.

 

Director Bio

Audrie Yeo

Audrie Yeo is a Malaysian Chinese filmmaker of Teochew descent who graduated from the National Academy of Arts Culture and Heritage with a major in film and video directing.

LOLO

Keone Madrid, Mari Madrid Profile Image

USA202111 minEnglish, Tagalog with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDocumentary, Family, Women Filmmakers

76-year-old Arturo Madrid reminisces on the hardships, wonders, and realities of migrating from the Philippines to the United States in this tender and poetic documentary.

Accessibility

Closed Cqptions symbol  This presentation has closed captions.

Director Bio

Keone Madrid, Mari Madrid

Keone and Mari Madrid take an approach to utilizing human movement in visual and emotional ways through their inventive dance vocabulary.

FICTIONS

Alice Charlie Liu Profile Image

Canada202113 minEnglish, Chinese with English subtitles World PremiereDrama, Family, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers

Struggling with finding her artistic voice, Jessie is an aspiring photographer and art student trying to balance her role as a daughter in her larger family.

Accessibility

This presentation has English subtitles.

 

Director Bio

Alice Charlie Liu

Alice Charlie Liu is a photographer, designer, and director based in Toronto and New York City. She is an alumni of TIFF Next Wave, Telluride Film Festival’s Student Symposium, and a Tribeca Film Institute Film Fellow.

STRONG SON

Ian Bawa Profile Image

Canada20203 minEnglishFamily

An endearing portrait of director Ian Bawa’s father as he attempts to give life and marital advice to his bodybuilding and image-obsessed son in this hybrid semi-autobiographical short.

Accessibility

  This presentation has no captions.

 

Director Bio

Ian Bawa

Ian Bawa is a filmmaker from Winnipeg. Bawa is currently adapting Strong Son into a feature film, set to shoot in 2022.

PERFECT DAUGHTER

Jasleen Kaur Profile Image

Canada202114 minEnglish, Punjabi with English subtitlesFamily, Sci-fi, Women Filmmakers

When a highly respectable family moves into the neighborhood, Kira grows suspicious of her new neighbors' seemingly flawless daughter.

Accessibility

This presentation has English subtitles.

Director Bio

Jasleen Kaur

Jasleen Kaur is an award-winning filmmaker based in Vancouver, best known for directing Maple and producing the Blumhouse film, Pharma Bro, chronicling the rise and fall of the infamous pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

 Profile Image

Canada20216 minEnglish, Tagalog with English subtitlesCanada PremiereComedy, Family

Independence Day takes a shallow-end dive in presenting what a picnic might look like within the Filipinx diasporic experience in North America.

Accessibility

 This presentation has English subtitles.

Director Bio

Tier Zero is a set of individuals who collectively agree on finding synergies between clients, ourselves, and talent. Expect fun, loose banter, and intention.

POST OFFICE

Courtney Loo, David Karp Profile Image

USA202114 minEnglish, Mandarin with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDrama, Women Filmmakers

When Frances and her children come upon a seemingly abandoned little girl, their attempts to help have unforeseen consequences.

Accessibility

Closed Cqptions symbol  This presentation has closed captions.

 

 

Director Bio

Courtney Loo, David Karp

Courtney Loo and David Karp are a directing duo based in New York. They co-founded Thrice Cooked Media, a music-management and film-production company, representing Pink Sweat$ and KIRBY.

THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT

Fawzia Mirza Profile Image

Canada, USA202111 minEnglishComedy, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers

All cards are on the table when Noor brings Luz home for the first time on the family's annual game night.

Accessibility

Closed Cqptions symbol  This presentation has closed captions.

This presentation has English subtitles.

Director Bio

Fawzia Mirza

Fawzia Mirza is a queer, South Asian, Muslim (she/they) writer and director. Her feature Me, My Mom & Sharmila, inspired by her one-woman play, has been supported by Telefilm Canada and will enter production in 2022.

10 Nov, 2021

to 19 Nov, 2021

BUY TICKETS
BUY STUDENT • SENIOR • ARTS WORKER • UN(DER)WAGED TICKETS

Rating

PG

Community Supporter 

Sber Vancouver

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Waikiki

Kea can’t make ends meet, even while working as a luau dancer, karaoke-bar hostess, and elementary school Hawaiian-language teacher. After a violent altercation with her boyfriend, Kea accidentally hits a homeless man with her car. Not wanting to involve the authorities, she decides to take care of the mysterious man herself.

Features
Inbetween Girl

After being met with the destabilizing news of her parents’ divorce, Angie, a teenage, mixed-race Asian girl, reckons with her multiracial identity and sexual awakening in this quirky coming-of-age story.

Reel Ideas
Narrative in Other Mediums

Narrative in Other Mediums is a panel that brings together creatives working in formats like video games, music videos, and commercials to discuss their experience and expertise with narrative construction and creative direction.

Side by Side

Canada, South Korea, Taiwan65 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers

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.

The Way We Are

Amanda Ann-Min Wong Profile Image

Canada202015 minEnglish with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG

Pairing personal home videos with audio-recorded stories from Katherine Chun, Wenda Li, Tamai Kobayashi, and Nancy Seto - four queer Asian women recall, relive, and reflect upon their adolescent years.  

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Inside Out Film Festival, 2020
Iris Prize Film Festival, 2020

AWARDS
Nominated, Iris Prize, 2020

Directors Bio

Amanda Ann-Min Wong

Amanda Ann-Min Wong is a filmmaker, writer, and musician originally from Singapore who now lives in Toronto. In her free time, she loves jamming out with her queer alt-rock band, cutsleeve.

In the Shadow of the Pines

Anne Koizumi Profile Image

Canada20208 minEnglishAnimation, Documentary, Family, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG

Tenderly crafted, director Anne Koizumi recounts a shameful childhood memory spurring conversation and a self-realization that which felt out of reach was there all along.

Recognitions

AWARDS
Honorable Mention – Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary, Hot Docs, 2020
Best Canadian Animation Winner, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, 2020

Directors Bio

Anne Koizumi

Anne Koizumi’s films have screened nationally and internationally. Additionally, Koizumi teaches stop-motion animation workshops across Canada and is currently a media arts educator at the NFB.

Ikebana

Alejandro Yoshizawa Profile Image

Canada20194 minEnglishToronto PremiereDocumentary, Family

Rated PG

Drawing parallels between ikebana and finding belonging, Japanese Canadian elder Kaz Takahashi shares stories of her upbringing.

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Seattle Asian American Film Festival, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020

Directors Bio

Alejandro Yoshizawa

Alejandro Yoshizawa is a filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia and currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Theatre and Film as well as the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program.

Tiger and Ox
호랑이와 소

Seunghee Kim Profile Image

South Korea20198 minKorean with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereAnimation, Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG-13

Confronting patriarchy and societal gender norms aside, Tiger and Ox is about a fraught yet loving relationship between mother and daughter.

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca, 2020
Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, 2020
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020

Directors Bio

Seunghee Kim

Seunghee Kim has pursued a career as an animation filmmaker since 2014. Her previous films Mirror in Mind and SimSim (The Realm of Deepest Knowing) won awards and screened at numerous international film festivals.

Sing Me a Lullaby

Tiffany Hsiung Profile Image

Canada202029 minEnglish, Taiwanese with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG

A film that began over 15 years ago, Sing Me a Lullaby is a heartachingly touching story of a daughter’s attempt to piece together the missing parts in her mother’s history.

Recognitions

AWARDS
Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award, Toronto International Film Festival, 2020
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020

Directors Bio

Tiffany Hsiung

Tiffany Hsiung is an international award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. Her approach to storytelling is driven by the relationship that is built with the people she meets both in front and behind the lens.

12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am

to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm

BUY STUDENT • SENIOR • ARTS WORKER • UN(DER)WAGED TICKETS

Community Partner

ASL Interpretation provided at live Q&A by
Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Service

Live online Q&A with special guests

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 18, 2020 at 9PM

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Artistic Statement

Canada, China, USA65 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers

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.

Dancing On My Own

Alexandra Cuerdo Profile Image

USA202013 minEnglishInternational Premiere Dance, Documentary, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG

A love letter to the queer Asian community, director Allie Cuerdo finds the strength to come out and rebuild a relationship with her mom with a little help and inspiration from New York’s radical dance party Bubble_T.

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Bentonville Film Festival, 2020
Asian American International Film Festival, 2020

Directors Bio

Alexandra Cuerdo

Alexandra “Allie” Cuerdo is an award-winning Filipino-American director, writer and producer recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women In the World by the Filipina Women’s Network.

Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town

Tadashi Nakamura, Akira Boch Profile Image

USA202010 minEnglishInternational Premiere Documentary

Rated PG

Hardcore and punk to the max, this electric documentary shares the story of Atomic Nancy and the infamous Atomic Café in L.A.

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020

Directors Bio

Tadashi Nakamura, Akira Boch

Tadashi Nakamura was named one of CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” for being the youngest filmmaker at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and listed as one of the “Top Rising Asian American Directors” on IMDb.

Akira Boch is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and Director of the Watase Media Arts Center at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

Margo

Steffi Tupe Profile Image

Canada201914 minEnglishDrama, Family, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG-13
CW: Sexual harassment

A newcomer to the film industry, Margo’s careful and cautious actions make clear the insidious traces of misogyny that permeate through.

Cast

Maya Wong
Anthony Caputo
Logan Freeman
Sam
Emily Bolanos

Directors Bio

Steffi Tupe

Steffi Tupe is a first-generation Filipino-Canadian writer, director and producer with three dramatic short films under her belt Two Ladies, Sister and Margo.

Novena

Shirley Camia Profile Image

Canada20202 minEnglish with English SubtitlesInternational Premiere Animation, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG

Created by a community of local Filipinx creatives, Novena is an affectingly crafted poetry animation touching upon grief, mourning, and healing.

Director Bio

Shirley Camia

Born in Winnipeg, Shirley Camia is a Filipina-Canadian poet who has lived across Canada, the Philippines, Japan and Kenya. Novena, based on her poem of the same name, is her debut poetry film.

Father Figure

Tanya Hoshi Profile Image

Canada20195 minEnglishWorld Premiere Documentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG

Pakistani-Canadian artist Wahab Jaffer endearingly retells his journey from collector to artist and imparts the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Director Bio

Tanya Hoshi

Tanya Hoshi is a Pakistani-Canadian film and web series producer/director based in Toronto, Canada. When she’s not working, Hoshi is mentoring emerging filmmakers by helping them find their footing in the industry.

Handscape
夏青

Yiru Chen 陈伊如 Profile Image

China202019 minChinese Sign Language and Shanghainese with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereDance, Drama, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG-13
CW: Homophobic statements

Beautifully poetic, Handscape tells the story of Xia Qing and his desire to dance despite his mother’s outright disapproval.

Cast

Zhenyu Tang

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Show Low Film Festival 2020
National Film Festival for Talented Youth, 2020

Directors Bio

Yiru Chen 陈伊如

Yiru Chen is a film director, artist, and poet. Her goal is to promote education and art of sign languages – an essential key to Deaf culture, along with members of both communities.

12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am

to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm

BUY STUDENT • SENIOR • ARTS WORKER • UN(DER)WAGED TICKETS
ASL Interpretation provided at live Q&A by
Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Service

Live online Q&A with special guests

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 16, 2020 at 8PM

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No recommended event under this criteria

Handscape
夏青

China202019 minChinese Sign Language and Shanghainese with English SubtitlesCanadian PremiereDance, Drama, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers

Rated PG-13
CW: Homophobic statements

Beautifully poetic, Handscape tells the story of Xia Qing and his desire to dance despite his mother’s outright disapproval.

Cast

Zhenyu Tang

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Show Low Film Festival 2020
National Film Festival for Talented Youth, 2020

Director Bio

Yiru Chen 陈伊如

Yiru Chen is a film director, artist, and poet. Her goal is to promote education and art of sign languages – an essential key to Deaf culture, along with members of both communities.

12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am

to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm

BUY STUDENT • SENIOR • ARTS WORKER • UN(DER)WAGED TICKETS
Open Tickets Cart