USA202083 minEnglish, Cantonese, Mandarin with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers

ONLY AVAILABLE IN ONTARIO

Down a Dark Stairwell takes a nuanced and careful look at the events following the 2014 case where Akai Gurley was shot and killed in the stairwell of an apartment building by Chinese-American NYPD officer Peter Liang.

Director Ursula Liang (no relation to Peter) and her crew follow the Black Lives Matter protests rallying around Gurley’s family to support a conviction, while also following various predominantly Asian American communities’ protest responses to what they deem an unfair trial.

In our current context of urgent calls for accountability around excessive police violence, Down A Dark Stairwell’s raw and honest witness to the ways racial politics fissure and divide us feels timely and necessary. In documenting multiple communities’ response to every new development from the event, the film contends with how fraught and limited notions of justice can be, and the devastating violence that the policing system inflicts on Black communities.

- Jasmine Gui

Canada, South Korea, Taiwan65 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, LQBTQ+ 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.

Canada202029 minEnglish, Taiwanese with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, LQBTQ+ 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.

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.

Canada20194 minEnglishToronto PremiereDocumentary, Family

Rated PG

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

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.

Canada202015 minEnglish with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Family, LQBTQ+ 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.  

Canada, China, USA65 minEnglish and various languages with English SubtitlesAnimation, Dance, Documentary, Drama, Family, LQBTQ+ 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.

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.

Directors 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.

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.