This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme.
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.
This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme.
This year, Reel Asian spotlights S-Express Indonesia programmed by Fransiska Prihadi of Minikino, featuring five short films with the hopes of recharging your festival experience.
When reserved, late-bloomer Grace gets passed up for a major promotion at work, she tries to break out of her shell by pursuing a one-night stand at the club.
Tune into this beloved section online to access free programming for all ages that will spark joy, inspire creativity, and encourage wonder.
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.
This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme.
This year’s Reel Ideas Conference gathers industry professionals, filmmakers, and performers to reflect on the specificity in their works, representing their own nuances along with their communities' lived experiences.
When reserved, late-bloomer Grace gets passed up for a major promotion at work, she tries to break out of her shell by pursuing a one-night stand at the club.
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.
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.
This film is a part of the Midnight Snack 2.0 shorts programme
So You Think You Can Pitch is back in person for Reel Asian’s 26th annual festival! Catch the live showdown between finalists as they pitch their short-film projects to a jury for a chance to win our amazing prize package to kickstart or finish their film.
In a crucial feminist interrogation of inter-Korean politics and U.S. imperialism, Crossings follows international women activists attempting to cross the 38th parallel, demanding an end to the ongoing Korean War. This film is free and also available online.
Kiran, a first-generation Punjabi truck driver, is about to become a father, but he is preoccupied by questions and reflections on family, fatherhood, and responsibility.
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.
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.
This year, Reel Asian spotlights S-Express Indonesia programmed by Fransiska Prihadi of Minikino, featuring five short films with the hopes of recharging your festival experience.
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.
South Korea202040 minKorean with English subtitlesToronto PremiereComedy, Horror, Romance
Seo, the director of a romance, is at his wit’s end trying to finish his film. Editor Park has been brought in to help fix it. But it’s not your typical post-production problems of recalibrating the film’s story structure. This film is haunted.
Traversing genres between romance, horror-comedy, and screen-shared desktop video-editing tutorials, Digital Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro is an unexpected insider’s ride through filmmakers’ insecurities, petty squabbles, and the dangers of “fixing it in post.”
What does it take to make a film—and is it worth it?
- Aram Siu Wai Collier & Kelly Lui
Seo Hyun-woo
Cha Seo-won
Moon Hye-in
Park Soo-yeon
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Jeonju International Film Festival, 2020
Busan International Short Film Festival, 2021
Fantastic Fest, 2021
AWARDS
Best Korean Short Film Award, Audience Award, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, 2020
Audience Award for Best International Short, Fantasia International Film Festival, 2021
Hong Seong-yoon
Based in Seoul, Hong Seong-yoon’s short film Invisible (2009) received a number of awards from various film festivals. In 2010, Hong established a film-distribution agency dedicated to representing short films. The Korean Film Council granted a production fund for his latest film, Digital Video Editing for Adobe Premiere Pro: The Real-World Guide to Set Up and Workflow, which took four years to complete.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
The first 100 tickets are free with support from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Toronto
PG
This presentation has English subtitles.
DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING WITH ADOBE PREMIERE PRO: THE REAL WORLD GUIDE TO SET UP AND WORKFLOW invites us into the nitty gritty process post-production through a frustrated director and the editor brought in to “save the film”. Canadian editors Xi Feng, Omar Majeed, and Gloria Tong take us on a deeper dive inside the editor’s room and give their responses to the film.
Omar Majeed
Omar Majeed is a Pakistani-Canadian writer, editor, and filmmaker. His directing credits include the feature-length documentaries Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam, The Frog Princes, and the recent short doc Stitched Glass. As an editor, Omar has collaborated with many acclaimed directors including Yung Chang (The Fruit Hunters, Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story), Brett Story (World in a City), Mia Donovan (Inside Lara Roxx), Pete Mishara (The Artists: The Pioneers Behind the Pixels) and Fab Filippo (Sort Of). He has partnered on projects with The National Film Board of Canada, EyeSteelFilm Productions, and First Generation Films among others and his work has been featured on CBC, SXSW, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc-Fest, PBS, HBO Max, TIFF, IDFA, and Netflix.
Although he’s called many cities home including Montreal, Baltimore, and Lahore, Omar currently resides in Toronto with his wife and young child.
Xi Feng
Xi Feng is a Chinese-Canadian film editor based in Montreal. Having lived in China, Canada, and France, she has cultivated a unique blend of cultural and artistic sensitivity. Feng has worked as an editor on several award winning documentaries, including “China Heavyweight”, “Sing me a Lullaby”, and “Clebs”. She’s also an editor alumna of Canadian Film Centre and Berlinale Talents.
Gloria Tong
Gloria Tong is a Toronto based film and television editor. She started her editing career in broadcast television working for Muchmusic, CTV and Bellmedia, and won a Canadian Screen Award for The Amazing Race with her team in 2019. After finishing her editor’s residency at the Canadian Film Centre, she transitioned to scripted film and tv, editing indie feature film GIRL starring Bella Thorne, and most recently, Lifetime’s first lesbian romance Under the Christmas Tree. When she’s not glued to her edit suite, she can be found squealing over new growth of her plant babies.
In a society different from what we know, a hotel in Taipei welcomes suicidal people and assists them in committing the act by providing several methods that they can choose from. Over the course of one night, a receptionist starts to defy the rules and develops an unusual friendship with a hotel guest who can't make up her mind if she wants to live or die.
It starts simple enough. In town on a stopover, years after she transitioned, Kris is meeting her college ex-girlfriend Naomi again for the first time. But seeing an ex is never simple. As the evening unfolds, the past inevitably creeps back into their conversations.
Ali Kazimi is Reel Asian’s Canadian Artist Spotlight in 2021. Appropriately for our 25th festival, the documentary filmmaker, media artist, activist, author, and educator has been a fixture in the Asian Canadian community, and we celebrate his over three decades of vital contributions to Canadian media.
Malaysia201914 min Chinese with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereFantasy, Horror, Women Filmmakers
A fresh take on the Malaysian female monster Penanggalan, Chin is an overworked nurse at the maternity ward who finds joy when she is alone and can finally eat.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Amanda Nell Eu
A graduate of the MA in filmmaking at the London Film School, Amanda Nell Eu has directed short films based in the U.K. and Malaysia. She is developing her first feature film, Tiger Stripes.
Canada202111 min English World PremiereHorror, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
Subverting the body-horror genre, Fresh Blood follows 14-year-old Maya, who is left to process her own fears of entering womanhood alone when she gets her first period.
This presentation has closed captions.
Hayley Wong, Julianna Notten
Hayley Wong is an award-winning cinematographer passionate about collaborating with storytellers to shoot underrepresented subjects in mainstream media.
Julianna Notten is a Toronto-based, award-winning, queer filmmaker and co-founder of Switch Hitter Films.
Canada, China, Malaysia, Singapore, USA202174 minEnglish, Mandarin with English subtitles, JapaneseAnimation, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Music, Women Filmmakers
Delectably genre-bending, this programme serves up a seven-course meal that will surely leave you questioning whether you were even hungry to begin with.
Canada202111 min English World PremiereHorror, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers
Subverting the body-horror genre, Fresh Blood follows 14-year-old Maya, who is left to process her own fears of entering womanhood alone when she gets her first period.
This presentation has closed captions.
Hayley Wong, Julianna Notten
Hayley Wong is an award-winning cinematographer passionate about collaborating with storytellers to shoot underrepresented subjects in mainstream media.
Julianna Notten is a Toronto-based, award-winning, queer filmmaker and co-founder of Switch Hitter Films.
China202014 min Mandarin with English subtitlesDrama, Fantasy
How much would you put into a relationship? Bubble brings us along on a couple's date that takes a strange plunge into vegetarian cuisine.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Haonan Wang
Haonan Wang graduated with a MFA degree in film production from Art Center College of Design. His past works have won awards at several international film festivals, including SXSW, Warsaw Film Festival, and Sitges Film Festival.
Canada20214 min English World PremiereFamily-friendly, Music, Romance, Women Filmmakers
Sweet Memories is an ode to nostalgic memories of childhood crushes, featuring the 1977 Hawaiian track “Lihue” by Nohelani Cypriano.
This presentation has closed captions.
Jessica JM Wu
Jessica JM Wu is a director and producer based in Toronto. She wrote, directed, and produced her first short film, White Dragon, in 2019. Wu is currently represented for commercial work at Undivided Creative
Singapore20203 min JapaneseAnimation, Women Filmmakers
Sentient and existential, Sushi begins to wonder if there’s more to life than serving himself out to consumers.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Calleen Koh Yee Lin
Calleen Koh Yee Lin is currently in her final year of animation art at LASALLE College of the Arts. In her free time, she enjoys sipping tea, listening to old Chinese folk songs, and petting her three cats: Yuki, Mako, and Momo.
Malaysia201914 min Chinese with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereFantasy, Horror, Women Filmmakers
A fresh take on the Malaysian female monster Penanggalan, Chin is an overworked nurse at the maternity ward who finds joy when she is alone and can finally eat.
This presentation has English subtitles.
Amanda Nell Eu
A graduate of the MA in filmmaking at the London Film School, Amanda Nell Eu has directed short films based in the U.K. and Malaysia. She is developing her first feature film, Tiger Stripes.
USA202114 min English World PremiereComedy, Fantasy, Romance, Women Filmmakers
Mi-Wen, an elderly widow, combs the beach in search of treasure and discovers a gold tooth that magically changes her lonely life.
This presentation has closed captions.
Azumi Hasegawa
Azumi Hasegawa is a New York-based writer, originally from Tokyo. Her articles appear in the Japanese editions of Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.
China202114 min Mandarin with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDrama, Fantasy
A film you won’t forget, One Night Elsewhere takes place in a sleepy rural village, offering a surrealistic countryside night journey with a monk, a villager, and a piece of meat.
This presentation has no captions and no dialogue.
Zhichao Zhu
Zhichao Zhu is a Chinese filmmaker and visual artist based in Shanghai and Hamburg who has exhibited internationally. Zhu works as a registered university lecturer in Shanghai.
10 Nov, 2021
to 19 Nov, 2021
PG
Community Supporters
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 13, 2020 at 8PM
Cafe owner Kato closes up shop on an ordinary night only to be interrupted by a voice from the TV: his own voice, two minutes in the future. As Kato investigates the strange occurrence, the night and time itself start to unravel. Kato’s friends and colleagues get enveloped into his time warp, and the results are hilarious, calamitous and existential.
Continuous Journey is a complex tale of hope, despair, treachery, and tragedy. It is a revealing Canadian story with global ramifications, set in a time when the British Empire seemed omnipresent and its subjects were restless and seeking self-determination.
Follow Canadian Spotlight artist Ali Kazimi on a deep dive into his archive-infused films Continuous Journey and Random Acts of Legacy. Topics will include technical looks at film preservation, editing, music composition, and creative considerations of perspective and collaboration.
Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, USA64 minEnglish and various languages with English subtitlesAction, Closed Captions, Comedy, Descriptive Captions, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Horror, Open Captions, Reel Asian Award Winner, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
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.
Hong Kong, USA2020 14 minCantonese, Mandarin with English SubtitlesToronto PremiereDrama, Open Captions
Rated 14A
CW: Guns
Our focus shifts from the oversaturated cityscape of Hong Kong to the mundane, yet peaceful fisherman’s life of a retired hitman. When his apprentice arrives unannounced, will the tranquility last?
Tai Bo 太保
Wang Yang 汪洋
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Tribeca Film Festival, 2020
Cannes Cinéfondation, 2020
Palm Springs Shorts Fest, 2020
Calgary International Film Festival, 2020
Linhan Zhang 張林翰
Linhan Zhang 張林翰 is a film and television undergraduate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, a 2017-2018 Sundance Ignite Fellow, and a recipient of the 2019 Adobe Creativity Scholarship.
Canada2020 15 minEnglish with English Subtitles World PremiereClosed Captions, Descriptive Captions, Horror, Reel Asian Award Winner, Thriller
Rating 14A
CW: Psychological horror, Manipulation
Addressing the harm racialized women as professional and informal caregivers face and can internalize, Tahirih Vejdani delivers a resonating performance as Sriyani, an overtaxed social care worker.
Tahirih Vejdani
David Tompa
AWARDS
Winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Cavan Campbell
Raised on Prince Edward Island by his Island father, a painter, and his Sri Lankan mother, a writer, Cavan Campbell has worked on It, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and Star Trek: Discovery.
Indonesia2019 13 minIndonesian with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereFantasy, Horror, Open Captions, Reel Asian Award Winner, Thriller, Women Filmmakers
Rating 18A
CW: Sexual assault and violence, Genital mutilation
Blending Indonesian tradition and culture with fantasy and mysticism, RONG is a terrifying yet satisfying take on a girl who walks home alone at night as the hunted becomes the hunter.
Maryam Supraba
Ancoeamar
AWARDS
Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Indira Iman
Indira Iman is a director and writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia, who believes film can inspire social change.
South Korea2019 22 minKorean with English SubtitlesInternational PremiereComedy, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Open Captions
Rated PG
If three dogs who dabble with dog-ception to save their fellow four-legged friend isn’t enticing enough, it’s also a musical with some animation and features Donggyu Lee, the Korean Benedict Cumberbatch.
Kang Chan
Lee Donggyu
Park Shinyoung
Ko Hyungkyung
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Chungmuro International Musical Film Festival, 2020
Hyungnam Pak 박형남
Born in 1990, Hyungnam Pak is a film major at the Korea National University of Arts. His previous films include Sailing A Paper Boat and When We Meet Us.
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 15, 2020 at 10am
Catch Howie Tsui's GIF Roulette this year at the festival, featuring a grid of GIFs in a digital installation, and an artist talk.
Somi and her husband met and fell in love while fighting alongside fellow Naxalites, a communist rebel group fighting for the rights of tribal communities in India for the past 50 years. Although the group represents a quarter of the population and lives in extreme poverty, Naxalites are seen as the biggest threat to national security for the State of India.
A cowardly horse robbery ends in murder, leaving a boy fatherless and his family in disarray. When the boy’s mother is forced to move the family out of their village, a mysterious man arrives who might be able to help restore order. What may appear to us as a “Western,” with its familiar framing of vast vistas and sublime steppes, is really a story about fractured families and survival in the wake of violence.
Canada2020 15 minEnglish with English Subtitles World PremiereClosed Captions, Descriptive Captions, Horror, Reel Asian Award Winner, Thriller
Rating 14A
CW: Psychological horror, Manipulation
Addressing the harm racialized women as professional and informal caregivers face and can internalize, Tahirih Vejdani delivers a resonating performance as Sriyani, an overtaxed social care worker.
Tahirih Vejdani
David Tompa
AWARDS
Winner of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020
Cavan Campbell
Raised on Prince Edward Island by his Island father, a painter, and his Sri Lankan mother, a writer, Cavan Campbell has worked on It, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and Star Trek: Discovery.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
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
