Japan202512 minJapanese with English subtitlesAnimation, Available Online, Drama, Family-friendly

At a midnight highway rest area, weary travellers quietly relax their minds.

IN PERSON & ONLINE: This film is being presented with English subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated).

Directors Bio

Saki Muramoto

Born in Japan, Saki Muramoto graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts’ Graduate School of Film and New Media, in the animation department, in 2013. She now works as a freelance animation director and illustrator.

Norway, Romania202598 minKurdish, Norwegian with English subtitlesToronto PremiereAvailable Online, Comedy, Drama

Akam’s comfortable routine as a literature teacher in Oslo is disrupted by an uncle he’s never met, Khdr, who overstays his welcome on an unannounced visit from Iranian Kurdistan. Familial obligations take hold as Akam offers his uncle a space to stay in the cramped room of his shared co-op flat. Overlooking the unspoken rules of life in the West, Khdr becomes more comfortable than his nephew would like in shared spaces and while interacting with his roommates. The tense stay grows even more strained when Akam learns authorities are after Khdr, and that his uncle may not be who he says he is.

With cleverly timed situational comedy, Brwa Vahabpour’s feature directorial debut puts a finger on the diasporic experience of being sheltered from the challenging realities of life in our ancestral lands. My Uncle Jens playfully depicts situations familiar to first- and second-generation youth in predominantly white societies, examining assimilation and borders with levity and heart.

– Amreen Kullar

India2024108 minAssamese with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Drama, Family-friendly

Reuniting with the cast of her highly acclaimed 2017 festival hit, Village Rockstars, Rima Das returns with a standalone sequel centering Dhunu, now a teenager, who lives in a small village in Assam, India, and dreams of becoming a musician. While Dhunu and her friends navigate the vulnerable transition between childhood and adulthood, weighing new responsibilities and priorities, the elders around them face harsher circumstances brought on by predatory land developers and climate change, affecting their livelihoods and sense of community.

The impeccable camerawork of director and cinematographer Das oozes poetic beauty and electric energy at every turn, in this intuitive and lyrical story showcasing the rich and diverse cultural landscape of Assam, where ancient traditions meet contemporary aspirations. Evocative, tender, and deeply human, Village Rockstars 2 solidifies Das as a singular voice in independent Indian cinema, committed to capturing the bittersweetness of life and the understated courage of daily survival with profound authenticity and grace.

– Mariam Zaidi

Canada2025116 minFrench, Mandarin with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Directed By Women, Drama, Lesbian, Reel Asian Award Winner, Romance

Feng Xia, 53, lives a modest but decent life in Montreal: She has a house and is married with two children. But she finds herself growing dissatisfied with her loveless marriage and cloistered life of obligation. After taking a conversational French class, Feng Xia finds the city has opened up to her in new ways, including curious dalliances with dating apps. There, she meets Camille, a Quebecois woman who challenges her spiritually and sexually. Their affair awakens Feng Xia’s long-buried desires during a glowing Montreal summer.

The iconic Joan Chen fearlessly takes on the challenging role of Feng Xia, dexterously shifting between timid matron and sensuous explorer. Director Xiaodan He creates no easy answers, though, determined to show the complexities and conflicts of being a middle-aged Chinese mother in Montreal who yearns to break out. For those like Feng Xia who carry the weight of life’s duties, self-discovery can have collateral damage.

– Aram Siu Wai Collier

Japan, Philippines2024102:00Tagalog, JapaneseNorth American PremiereAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Drama, First Feature

In Japan’s aging society, kodokushi — the lonely death of the elderly — has become disturbingly common. Divorced salaryman Yoji (Lily Franky) is confronted with this reality when he discovers his neighbour’s decomposing body. The shocking experience forces him to face his solitude, deepened by his own mother’s ageing. Seeking escape and connection, he follows a caretaker to Manila, where his choice takes an unexpected turn.

Diamonds in the Sand explores the contrasts between two distinct Asian cultures. While reflecting on the isolation faced by many people in modern society, the film also captures the warmth, vitality, and complexity of family life in the Philippines. Within this vibrant setting, bonds bring both joy and hardship, connection and obligation. This is a bittersweet story of acceptance, the courage and impact of our personal choices, and the search for meaning within oneself and community alike.

– Rolando Basmayor

South Korea20259 minKorean with English subtitlesAnimation, Available Online, Directed By Women, Drama

A girl unexpectedly bumps into her childhood best friend and finds herself torn between rekindling their lost connection or letting the moment slip away forever.

IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).

ONLINE: This film is fully captioned in closed captions (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated).

Directors Bio

Hanna Kang

Hanna Kang is a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts.

Canada20248 minEnglish, Farsi, DariWorld PremiereAvailable Online, Directed By Women, Drama

When his health starts to decline, a young man spirals into paranoia, and he blames a growing mould problem for his issues.

IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated)

ONLINE : This film is scheduled to be presented with subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated)

Directors Bio

*Sofia Habib

Sofia Habib is an Afghan actor, writer, and arts worker based in Ontario. She performs both on stage and screen and has played the lead role in two films that premiered at Reel Asian Film Festival.

Canada20247 minEnglishWorld PremiereAvailable Online, Drama, Experimental

A burgeoning artist reckons with the struggle to find an audience for his art and his desire to reconnect with his mother in the afterlife.

IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)

ONLINE: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)

Directors Bio

*Liam Ma

Liam Ma (he/him) is an award-winning actor and filmmaker currently based on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tseil-Waututh) peoples, known as Vancouver.

USA201912 minEnglishAboriginal + Indigenous, Available Online, Directed By Women, Drama

The lives of a Native woman and a troubled young boy intersect over the course of a school day on a reservation in Oklahoma.

 IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)

 ONLINE : This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)

Directors Bio

Erica Tremblay

Erica Tremblay’s films have played at Sundance and SXSW. She was a director and writer on the FX show Reservation Dogs, and her first feature film, Fancy Dance, is now streaming worldwide on Apple TV.

Canada202319 minEnglish, ArabicAboriginal + Indigenous, Available Online, Directed By Women, Drama

Together, Nawal, a young Palestinian woman, and Tanya, an older Indigenous woman, start a guerrilla garden on the lawn of their apartment building and battle middle management to make it to harvest.

 IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)

 ONLINE : This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)

Directors Bio

*Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller

Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller is a mixed-race Palestinian Canadian filmmaker whose work explores themes of fragmented identity, grief, and post-traumatic growth, through “oh no, should I laugh?” comedy.

IN PERSON: This film is scheduled to be presented fully captioned (all dialogue subtitled + sound cues indicated)