ACCESSIBILITY
This film is available with closed English subtitles digitally.
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?
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.
9 Nov, 2022
to 20 Nov, 2022
OnlineG
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?
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
OnlineRated G
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is available with closed English subtitles digitally.
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.
Canada20222 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Family-friendly
A newcomer to the city tries to figure out their commute.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Malaysia202218 minutesNo DialogueAnimation, Family-friendly, Women Filmmakers
A recently orphaned rhino tries to find a new home in the wilds of the Borneo rainforest.
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.
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.
Mirusha Yogarajah
Mirusha Yogarajah is a writer, filmmaker, and housing advocate based in Toronto.
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?
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.
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 Bree Jiang!
Illustrator and official 2022 Reel Asian Festival Creative Artist Bree Jiang shows you how to express movement through sequential art-making.
Bree 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.
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.
Reel Asian’s festival creative Bree 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.
Six first-time and emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online with Reel Asian's Unsung Voices Youth Video Production Workshop. We’re proud to present their world premieres here.
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.
The Class of 2019 at Cawthra Park Secondary School is gearing up for their senior year. Friends Ethan and Justin set out to shoot a film under the pretense of being a yearbook project, recording pivotal moments and character portraits during this tumultuous stage of adolescence.
Canada, USA202111 minutesEnglish and Uchinaaguchi with English and Japanese textDocumentary, Experimental, Family
Director Shō Yamagushiku presents a poetic and sensorial tribute to ancestors in Okinawa: “Our uyafaafuji (ancestors) appear to intervene in our daily lives, refusing to let us forget, refusing to let us compromise, and refusing to let us live restrained by the laws of the nations that seek to claim us.”
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED G
Shō Yamagushiku
Shō Yamagushiku’s creative practice is grounded in a diasporic islander consciousness. He is committed to cultivating the space to tell difficult and complicated stories in hopes of dismantling the separation and stagnation that inform the world he was born into.
This film is part of the Moving On shorts programme.
Canada2022117 minutesEnglish, Korean with English subtitles Drama, Family
Set in the 1990s, South Korean immigrant and single mother So-young looks to make a fresh start in a West Coast Canadian suburb with her son Dong-hyun. Despite encountering the challenges of immigrant life at every step, they try their best to fit in at school and at work. As the angstful Dong-hyun grows up and grows apart from his mother, events propel them to deal with unspoken truths from the past.
A deeply personal second feature from writer-director-actor Anthony Shim, Riceboy Sleeps features dynamic performances from Seung-yoon Choi and Ethan Hwang as So-young and Dong-hyun, respectively. Their performances are enabled by precise but organic 16 mm compositions by Shim and cinematographer Christopher Lew. A commanding performance of Canadian film, Riceboy Sleeps is epic yet intimate, and ambitious yet simple in its truths that belonging is more important than fitting in.
- Aram Siu Wai Collier
Seung-yoon Choi
Ethan Hwang
Dohyun Noel Hwang
Anthony Shim
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Toronto International Film Festival, 2022
Busan International Film Festival, 2022
Anthony Shim is a Canadian actor and director, based in Vancouver. His films include Daughter (2019) and Riceboy Sleeps (2022).
9 Nov, 2022 7:00 pm
Hot Docs Ted Rogers CinemaThe screening for Riceboy Sleeps will be shown at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. This screening has now gone to rush.
Rated PG
Content warning: Racist language/situations, sexist language/situations, drug use, mental illness
This film is presented with open captions.
Following the screening we will have a special Q&A with director Anthony Shim and actors Seung Yoon Choi and Ethan Hwang.
Join us for our Opening Night Gala Party after the RICEBOY SLEEPS screening at CLIO. Only $10 at the door or free for badgeholders & ticketholders of the Opening Night Gala Screening. See you there!
10PM-12AM at CLIO
A recent report released by the DOC Institute points to the lack of data on funding for documentary content produced by Indigenous, Black or racialized filmmakers. This panel will discuss why it's important for agencies and broadcasters to collect and share race based data in order to achieve their stated equity goals. The panel will also analyze the stories and experiences shared by BIPOC filmmakers which speak of systemic barriers to funding.
Inspired by age-old Filipino folklore, this frightening thriller is a chilling story about the resurfacing of dark family secrets.
Join us for a deep-rooted dive into Uprooted: The Plantemic, a show about houseplants surviving the pandemic. We’ll explore the narrative of this CBC Gem short-form series, the development from concept art to animation, and contextualize the series not only in its time, but also in contemporary conversations, as storytelling methods evolve. In an era of remote working, what would my houseplants think of me? Do they root for me? Find out from the creative team behind Uprooted.
Canada, China, Japan, Taiwan, USA2022English and other languages with English subtitlesAnimation, Experimental, Family, Horror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
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.
Japan, Taiwan202122 minutesTaiwanese with English subtitlesHorror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Xue-Lan, a striving actress, is invited to a mysterious gourmet club only to discover that her competition has prepared a horrifying banquet.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Blood, drugs
Mai Nakanishi
Born in Tokyo but spent most of her youth abroad, Mai Nakanishi is a filmmaker who focuses on genre films. In 2013, she launched Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo to amplify the voices of female genre filmmakers.
USA20226 minutesNo Dialogue Animation, Horror, Women Filmmakers
During a peaceful school lunchtime, children discover they can transform into animals—the only problem is will they ever stop?
ACCESSIBILITY
This film has no dialogue and is not captioned.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Violence, gore, extreme audio
Cho Yoon Hei
An animator and director from Korea, Cho Yoon Hei is located in Los Angeles and creates horrifying hand-drawn animations.
Canada, Indonesia202217 minutesIndonesian with English subtitlesHorror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
When polar-opposite sisters Nur and Karina reunite for their grandparents’ wedding anniversary dinner, Karina starts to itch and blames Nur for putting garlic in her food.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Eating disorder, body dysmorphia
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto is an Indonesian writer and director currently residing in Vancouver, Canada. Her works explore genre films as a medium to depict the current condition surrounding political, social, and cultural issues.
Canada20222 minutesEnglishAnimation, Horror, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Tired of her date’s racist and sexist comments, a woman decides to liberate his tongue.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Nudity, racist situation, sexist situation
Kaho Yoshida
Kaho Yoshida is a director and animator with a special passion for stop motion and mixed media. Her fresh aesthetics and sense of humour bring life to every frame, and her love for storytelling makes her work relatable and approachable.
Canada, USA202210 minutesEnglishFamily, Horror, Women Filmmakers
Following the death of her mysterious amah (grandma), Kat is haunted during her first night of dinner service at a high-pressure Michelin-star kitchen.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Sexist language and situations, racist language and situations, blood
Christianne Cruz
Christianne Cruz is a Filipinx writer, director and independent producer born in Toronto and based in LA. She is the mother of two young daughters and producing/life partner to Alex Ott.
China202213 minutesMandarin with English subtitlesExperimental, Women Filmmakers
As the flashy life of the influencer 33 becomes more intense, the canker sore inside her lower lip keeps growing larger…
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Lin Tu
Lin Tu is a writer and director based in Beijing whose previous short films have screened internationally on the festival circuit. She is a BIFAN Fantastic Film School (2020) alumni.
The screening for Midnight Snack 2.0 will be shown at TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
This shorts programme will also be shown as an online screening from Nov 14 – 20. Purchase the shorts VOD pass to watch this programme online and all other shorts in selection at the festival.
PG
Join us for a Q&A immediately after the theatrical presentation with attending guests from this shorts programme, moderated by Kelly Lui.
From dusk ‘til dawn, the night takes centre stage as a mood, setting, tone, and place for our characters’ lives and their environments to be illuminated on screen.
How do our bodies and environments absorb and hold onto repetitive patterns, habits, and routines? This presentation of shorts exercises the capacity to confront harmful structures, encourage reflexivity, and affirm the embodied knowledge we carry. This shorts programme is available online.
In 1993, UFOs suddenly appeared over key cities around the world. The huge structures remained in the sky, stationary, silent, and unknown. Twenty-nine years later, with neither the origins nor the intentions of their arrival deciphered, humanity succumbs to speculations that aliens are walking among us. This feature film will also be shown as an online screening.
Canada, USA202210 minutesEnglishFamily, Horror, Women Filmmakers
Following the death of her mysterious amah (grandma), Kat is haunted during her first night of dinner service at a high-pressure Michelin-star kitchen.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content Warning: Sexist language and situations, racist language and situations, blood
Christianne Cruz
Christianne Cruz is a Filipinx writer, director and independent producer born in Toronto and based in LA. She is the mother of two young daughters and producing/life partner to Alex Ott.
This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme.
In this reflective documentary, director Quen Wong turns the lens toward the intimate and vulnerable in her own life as a trans woman in Singapore.
Following her previous basketball documentary Finding Big Country (2018), Kat Jayme embarks on an equally quixotic journey to find out why the Grizzlies abandoned Vancouver.
Join us for a deep-rooted dive into Uprooted: The Plantemic, a show about houseplants surviving the pandemic. We’ll explore the narrative of this CBC Gem short-form series, the development from concept art to animation, and contextualize the series not only in its time, but also in contemporary conversations, as storytelling methods evolve. In an era of remote working, what would my houseplants think of me? Do they root for me? Find out from the creative team behind Uprooted.
Canada202220:00English and Urdu with English subtitlesComedy, Drama, Family, Sci-fi
When Imran suddenly loses his dad, an opportunity to travel back in time for an evening gives him a chance to face him again.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open English subtitles in-person and digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Kashif Pasta
Kashif Pasta is an award-winning director, writer, and producer using film and storytelling to tell character-driven stories centered on South Asian and Muslims with a sense of joy and wonder.
This film is a part of the Encounters shorts programme.
Canada202213 minutesEnglish and Tagalog with English subtitlesDrama, Family, Women Filmmakers
Musician and songwriter Kimmortal stars as Gracie who meets the younger version of herself as the two share a common thread.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Stephanie Sy
Stephanie Sy is a Filipino Chinese Canadian artist born and raised on Treaty 1 Winnipeg. Knots is Sy’s debut work as a writer and director.
This film is a part of the Encounters shorts programme.
Canada202216 minutesEnglish, Arabic and French with English subtitlesDrama, Family
Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal, Leila, who has been keeping a secret from her family, finds herself in a predicament after her father falls ill and she is called back home.
ACCESSIBILITY
This film is presented with open captions in-person and closed captions digitally.
RATING
RATED PG
Content warning: Death
Farhad Pakdel
Farhad Pakdel is a Montreal-based filmmaker whose work explores identity (de)construction, liminality, absence, place, and memory.
This film is a part of the Encounters shorts programme.
Founded in Toronto in 1997, Reel Asian is Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival and a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing Asian and Asian diasporic artists and storytellers. What began as a grassroots film festival has grown into a national platform supporting filmmakers and audiences through screenings, education, industry initiatives, artist development, and community programming presented across Toronto, the GTA, and online across Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
