Content warning: Events surrounding killing by police
Live Panel Discussion, November 12 at 8:45PM
Contact Active Listener (November 12, 8:30-11:30PM)
USA202083 minEnglish, Cantonese, Mandarin with English SubtitlesDocumentary, Reel Asian Award Winner, Women Filmmakers
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
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
True/False Film Festival, 2020
Visions du Réel, 2020
Blackstar Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Best Documentary, Ashland Independent Film Festival 2020
The Truth to Power Award, Reel Asian 2020
Ursula Liang
Ursula Liang is a journalist-turned-filmmaker. After working in print (ESPN The Magazine, T: The New York Times Magazine), she directed two critically-acclaimed feature documentaries, 9-Man and Down a Dark Stairwell. Ursula lives in the Bronx, N.Y.
12 Nov, 2020 7:00 pm
to 13 Nov, 2020 7:00 pm
Content warning: Events surrounding killing by police
Live Panel Discussion, November 12 at 8:45PM
Contact Active Listener (November 12, 8:30-11:30PM)
Accompanying our opening night screening presentation of Down a Dark Stairwell is a live online discussion with special guests.
ASL interpretation supported and made available by Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Services. Active listener available from 8:30PM – 11:30PM.
Click here to contact the Active Listener. Contact and communication is confidential.
Nataleah Hunter-Young, Writer and Film Curator
Moderator
Nataleah Hunter-Young is a writer, film curator, and PhD candidate researching Black aesthetic practice and representations of mediated police brutality in contemporary art. She has supported festival programming for TIFF, Hot Docs, and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.
Syrus Marcus Ware, Activist and Artist
Panelist
Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator. Syrus uses painting, installation and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture. He is part of the Performance Disability Art Collective and a core-team member of Black Lives Matter – Toronto.
Ursula Liang, Director of Down A Dark Stairwell
Panelist
Ursula Liang is a journalist-turned-filmmaker. After working in print (ESPN The Magazine, T: The New York Times Magazine), she directed two critically-acclaimed feature documentaries, 9-Man and Down a Dark Stairwell. Ursula lives in the Bronx, N.Y.
J.M. Harper, Co-writer and Editor of Down a Dark Stairwell
Panelist
J.M. Harper is a documentarian. Down A Dark Stairwell is his third documentary feature as editor. He’s currently editing a feature documentary about Kanye West. His work has been featured on AdWeek, Vimeo Staff Picks, FADER and the Guggenheim.
Michelle Chang, Co-writer and Editor of Down a Dark Stairwell
Panelist
Michelle Chang is a Brooklyn-based editor of documentary features as well as short form projects. Feature credits include When Claude Got Shot, Harbor From the Holocaust, 9-MAN, Like Any Other Kid, (A)Sexual, American Promise (Additional Editor for POV Broadcast, Emmy nomination). Before becoming an editor, Michelle was an associate producer for ABC News “20/20” and “Primetime.”
This case captured the attention of national media and highlighted what we in our respective communities have known for a long time: we are not united. In fact, in low whispers with problematic language, we often talk about one another. But what we are not talking about is the many reasons why this space between us exists: bubbles created by social media filters and propaganda, white supremacy, structural oppression, social inequality and isolation.
I want to learn from these conversations. To look at how the complexities of this case reflect the complexities of our fight for humanity, agency and respect. To talk about whether the battles we fight bring us power or dissipate it. And to examine who really benefits when marginalized groups are divided.
- Ursula Liang
This is a non-exhaustive community resource list to complement the discussion around Down a Dark Stairwell (2020).
Purpose
This short resource guide makes clear the importance of human engagement with the politics of living in the world around us. As a pan-Asian-centered festival, we have human relations with the world around us behind the screen and view our programming as an important public-facing conversation that moves us towards deep thinking and the work of repair.
Books:
Video/Zine:
News Articles:
Podcasts:
Key Toronto based Organizations:
Resources:
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
On the brink of his first international tour, Zed, a British Pakistani rapper, decides to fly home to the U.K. to reconnect with his family, only to find out his first big international break could be jeopardized by an unexpected and quickly debilitating autoimmune disease.
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
This conversation invites emerging thinkers, artists and community cultural workers to consider digital futures for those without access to the city arts landscape, and by extension, digital opportunities. This event is part of the Reel Ideas Symposium.
19 Nov. 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
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.
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.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Inside Out Film Festival, 2020
Iris Prize Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Nominated, Iris Prize, 2020
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.
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.
AWARDS
Honorable Mention – Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary, Hot Docs, 2020
Best Canadian Animation Winner, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, 2020
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.
Canada20194 minEnglishToronto PremiereDocumentary, Family
Rated PG
Drawing parallels between ikebana and finding belonging, Japanese Canadian elder Kaz Takahashi shares stories of her upbringing.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Seattle Asian American Film Festival, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
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.
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.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca, 2020
Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, 2020
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020
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.
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.
AWARDS
Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award, Toronto International Film Festival, 2020
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
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
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
Four fearless emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online. We’re proud to present their world premiere here. Includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 일요일 (Sunday).
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
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.
AWARDS
Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award, Toronto International Film Festival, 2020
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
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
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.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca, 2020
Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, 2020
San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2020
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
Canada20194 minEnglishToronto PremiereDocumentary, Family
Rated PG
Drawing parallels between ikebana and finding belonging, Japanese Canadian elder Kaz Takahashi shares stories of her upbringing.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Seattle Asian American Film Festival, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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.
AWARDS
Honorable Mention – Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary, Hot Docs, 2020
Best Canadian Animation Winner, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, 2020
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Inside Out Film Festival, 2020
Iris Prize Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Nominated, Iris Prize, 2020
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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.
USA202013 minEnglishInternational Premiere Dance, Documentary, Family, LQBTQ+ 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.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Bentonville Film Festival, 2020
Asian American International Film Festival, 2020
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.
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.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
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.
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.
Maya Wong
Anthony Caputo
Logan Freeman
Sam
Emily Bolanos
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Zhenyu Tang
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Show Low Film Festival 2020
National Film Festival for Talented Youth, 2020
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
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
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.
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
Four fearless emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online. We’re proud to present their world premiere here. Includes winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 일요일 (Sunday).
12 Nov. 10:00 am - 19 Nov. 11:59 pm
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.
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
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.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm