This panel brings together Asian Canadian media producers to discuss the current Canadian film and TV landscape. They’ll discuss their path and expertise in producing stories across a variety of genres and formats. What are the stories they’re focused on producing? What is the role of producers in this current landscape, and what is being done to increase the number of projects produced by Asian creatives?

Join us for a deep-rooted dive into Uprooted: The Plantemic, a show about houseplants surviving the pandemic, with us. 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.

CBC and Reel Asian are proud to present a special evening celebrating the traditions and spirit of Tết beautifully shown in “Li Xi”, season 1, episode 9 of Run The Burbs. Tết is the most important annual holiday in Vietnamese culture, gathering families and friends in the celebration to usher in the new year. This moderated discussion will explore the behind-the-scenes research and decisions made in authentically portraying the music, decor, food and celebrations of Tết in the Pham household, alongside the episode’s cultural consultant. What does authentic representation mean? What are considerations in representing the family values of a Southeast Asian-South Asian Canadian family?

Looking ahead to its season 2 premiere, the Run The Burbs team takes pause to provide audiences an opportunity to gather for an intimate screening and discussion about the series' thoughtful and inclusive approach to telling a family sitcom.

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. These conversations offer insights and tools to help future generations build their own storytelling skills, allowing them to share confidently.

Afghanistan, CanadaEnglishLGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Non-binary Filmmakers, Women Filmmakers

Desh Pardesh centred the work and expressions of South Asian and Indo Caribbean diaspora and had its roots in the queer communities of Toronto. Although no similar space has been created since, the legacy and impact of the festival continues.

The shorts in this program include works screened two decades ago at Desh Pardesh, as well as films made last year by a cohort of South Asian and Indo Caribbean emerging filmmakers who participated in Inside Out Festival’s Short Film Lab. Despite the absence of a dedicated space like Desh Pardesh, resistance and community building through the arts remains present. In this program, two generations of artists come together to exhibit and reflect on the need and power of creating space to learn, experiment, discuss, create, and collaborate on works that fully centre their identity and politics.

2021English

Ali Kazimi’s documentaries urge us to see different sides of history. Archival images, gleaned and rescued, have been rich instruments of Kazimi’s storytelling, which focuses on sharing essential perspectives on communities of colour that would otherwise be lost to time. 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.

So You Think You Can Pitch is back! Celebrate our 15th year of pitch competitions by supporting your favourite emerging filmmakers in our live event! Featuring a total of five finalist individuals or teams, the winner will walk away with our amazing prize package to kickstart or finish their short film, including a cash award, in-kind support, and the opportunity to premiere their work with us at next year’s festival!

Pitch Winner Prize Package

• $8,000 cash prize
• Business-affairs and legal consultation with Behind the Scenes
• Acting support (if applicable) including consultation, coaching, and more with ACTRA Toronto
• One-on-one consultation with Blue Ant Media
• A production workflow consultation with Charles Street Video, which includes
  • $2,700 in edit suite access and/or production-equipment rentals
  • One-year membership
• Opportunity to premiere work at the 2022 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (subject to review), with full festival accreditation

Pitch Finalist Package

• $1,000 cash for participation (the pitch winner will not receive this $1,000 cash prize)
• All-access pass to the 25th Reel Asian Film Festival
• $350 equipment-rental credit plus one-year membership to Charles Street Video

2021English

This panel explores the current TV and film landscape in Canada, shown through the careers of racialized filmmakers who’ve broken down barriers and are cementing space for their work on streaming platforms and traditional formats. How can you break into streaming or traditional mediums? Should you? This discussion will examine what is being done to attract and develop the careers of racialized storytellers creating original IP and working in non-traditional mediums who don’t yet see career sustainability in traditional formats like TV and film.

Moderator:

Janet-Rose Nguyen • Actor, Writer, and Creator

Janet Rose Nguyen is an award-winning actress and writer. Her work explores magic, horror, feminism, queerness, and the Asian diaspora. She is the co-chair of the ACTRA Diversity & Inclusion committee, an alumni of the Reelworld Emerging 20 Program and most recently served on the Bursary committee of Firefly Creative Writing. Janet Rose is completing her Screenwriting and Creative Writing degree at York University where she has written the full-length play "Can We Split the Bill?" and is a recipient of the N.A. Taylor Award for excellence in screenwriting. She is currently a resident at the Canadian Film Centre’s CBC Actors Conservatory. You can see her most recently in CBC’s Workin’ Moms and the pilot Dream Date.

Panelists:

Mayumi Yoshida • Filmmaker

Born in Japan, raised in three continents, Mayumi Yoshida is an award-winning actor, writer, director, based in Vancouver, BC. She’s an alumna of WIDC and currently the participant of WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Access Writers Program and TIFF x Netflix Talent Accelerator Fellowship. Since making her directorial debut on “AKASHI”, she has created many short films which center around Asian Characters and has won many awards locally and internationally. She is currently in development of her first feature film AKASHI.

JP Larocque • TV Writer and Producer, Misnomer Productions

Alongside recent work on CBC’s Coroner, JP Larocque has written on CTV’s JANN, CBC’s Diggstown, Netflix’s Another Life, Shudder's Slasher, and is creator and executive producer of the OUTtv digital series Gay Nerds. As a journalist, JP has bylines in The Toronto Star, The Walrus, Maclean’s, Xtra, The Beaverton, and Flare. A proud member of both the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, JP is committed to diversity and inclusion in all of their work.

Sherren Lee • Filmmaker, DGC

Sherren is the award-winning director of short films BENJAMIN (2015) and THE THINGS YOU THINK I’M THINKING (2017). Her TV credits include Murdoch Mysteries, Hudson & Rex, Coroner, Kim's Convenience, Odd Squad, Dino Dana and Endlings.

2021English

This panel is specifically built for filmmakers working in children’s programming. Join this informative discussion with CBC to learn how to break into and develop a career in the field in a way that can create a better future for kids. What is CBC’s current programming strategy for kids’ content? What opportunities and training are offered to racialized filmmakers whose stories deserve more space in Canadian television?

Moderator:

Kara Harun • Writer, Director, and Producer

Kara Harun is a two-time Canadian Screen Award nominee for her work as a writer, producer and host for TVOKids, The Space. Kara has written for children’s shows such as Dino Dana (Sinking Ship/TVO), Glowbies (CBC), It’s My Party (Bristow Global Media/TVO), Fishheads(TVO), Pollinators (TVO), and Denis and Me II and III (Crave, Family). Kara is also a talented singer/songwriter and voice over artist. Kara worked as writer/producer/director of YTV’s The Zone Weekend and Big Fun Movies. In this role she honed her skills, writing comedy sketches on a daily basis. In the tween space, she wrote for My Perfect Landing, a Frank Van Keekan tween dramedy that airs on Family Channel and CBBC. Kara is currently directing episodes for three different live action children’s tv shows.

Panelists:

Zach Feldberg • Head of YA Digital Originals, CBC Gem

With over a decade of experience pioneering the intersection of TV and digital, Zach Feldberg has navigated the content business from many different angles. At CBC, he oversees the YA Digital Originals strategy and programming team, developing and commissioning Gen Z-targeted series for CBC Gem and branded social platforms. This slate includes such titles as The 410, For Heaven's Sake, Kenny & Spenny Paldemic, Next Stop, My 90-Year-Old Roommate, Save Me, The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island, Coming In, the Emmy-nominated series The Amazing Gayl Pile and How to Buy a Baby, and many more.

Tony Kim • Actor, Producer, and Entertainer, CBC Kids

Tony Kim is an actor/producer/entertainer from the small town of Vancouver, British Columbia. He is currently a host on CBC Kids and has lent his vocal talents to various animated series. Despite his parent's wishes of him becoming a doctor or lawyer (sorry mom and dad), he loves that he is able to play for a living and is enjoying every step of journey through life.

Marie McCann • Senior Director of Children's Content, CBC

Marie McCann is the Senior Director of Children's Content for CBC Kids. Marie oversees development, production, acquisition as well as in-house production of our-award winning content for Canadian children 2 - 13. CBC Kids creates and curates content for children and youth that entertains, informs and inspires. We reach kids from 2 - 13 on our various platforms, including CBC TV, cbckids.ca, CBC GEM and cbckidsnews.ca.

What are we looking for? We are looking for content that speaks with an authentic voice and reflects the diversity of Canadian children today. We look for content that makes kids laugh, think, feel and create. We value excellence in storytelling, performance and design.

CBC Kids is currently accepting pitches for:

CBC TV - Preschool ages 2 - 6

CBC GEM - Tween : 8 - 13

How to reach us? kidspitch@cbc.ca

2021English

Storytelling is a crucial skill set across any creative discipline. This panel brings together creatives working in formats like video games, music videos, and commercials to discuss their experience and expertise with narrative construction and creative direction. What makes a good story? What are their considerations when thinking about storytelling in genre- or medium-specific spaces and forms?  

Moderator:

Han Bang • Senior Product Experience Designer and Content Creator

Han Bang is a Senior Product Designer at Wattpad where she spent the last three years working on teams to craft the best experience for the storytellers of the world. Before going on parental leave in early 2021, Han Bang is a Senior Product Designer at Wattpad where she spent the last three years working on teams to craft the best experience for the storytellers of the world. In true immigrant hustle mentality, she also runs a Youtube channel sharing her experience and industry knowledge. When she’s not designing or filming youtube videos, she’s probably exploring a trail with her husband and 7 month old son or trying out a new recipe in her air fryer.

Panelists:

Sagan Yee • Media Artist

Sagan Yee is a media artist based in Toronto. Their personal practice includes 2D animation, experimental videogames, alternative controller collaborations, and writing science fiction. They have spoken about inclusivity, community-building, and game-making in Toronto, Montreal, Austin, San Francisco, New York, Detroit and Johannesburg, while overseeing initiatives promoting digital media outreach and literacy. They are the former executive director of Hand Eye Society and a recent graduate of Clarion West.

Samir Mallal • Writer and Director

Samir's career began in documentary at the NFB, where he directed three films. "Discordia", "Bombay Calling" and "Nollywood Babylon", which screened in the Competition at Sundance. More recently, he's shifted to narrative work. He wrote and directed the short film “Vest” and has dramatic series in development with Sienna films and Cineflix. In commercials, he's a sought after, globally represented director. Awards include a Cannes Gold Lion, a Gold Clio, a Webby, and a D&AD pencil. TIFF chose Arctic Sun as its top commercial for their 150th Essential works in Canadian Cinema History. Bombay Calling was nominated for a CSA and his documentary films have exhibited at major festivals and institutions around the world. Samir was selected for the Saatchi and Saatchi New Director’s Showcase and won Best Young Director at Cannes Festival of Creativity (Lions) in 2010.

Tricia Hagoriles • Filmmaker

Tricia Hagoriles is a Toronto-based filmmaker whose storytelling work stems from her experiences as a Queer, early millenial, assimilatinist-raised, Canadian-born, Filipina. She received the RBC Emerging Canadian Artist Award at the Inside Out Toronto LGBTQ Film Festival for her first short, Beat. Her stage work includes Colour Me Dragg, Boiband the Boyband, and the award-winning 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival show, Tita Jokes. Tricia was a resident of the 2019 Director’s Lab at the Canadian Film Centre and is currently working on an upcoming documentary for OutTV, The Archivist.