Wind down festival week with us at 401 Richmond’s lower lobby for a cozy Happy Hour Mini-Market in collaboration with Pamplepuss. Shop our limited custom #ReelAsian29 collection, designed by local artists, and enjoy a few friendly rounds of mahjong with the community.

Join us at Sankofa Square (1 Dundas St E) at 12PM–1:30PM as we announce this year’s #ReelAsian29 programming with guest directors Min Sook Lee, Haaris Qadri, Timothy Yeung, and Anushay Sheikh in attendance. Following that there will be an artist talk with this year’s Festival Creative, Janet Mac, as she shares how she created Muse, the animation for this year’s festival.

Muse will screen during the event and stay on rotation at Sankofa Square through November 23. Come see it in action and hear the voices and stories shaping this year's festival!

For the 29th edition of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, we’re bringing something extra special to the table! Alongside our exclusive festival shirts, we’ve partnered with a group of amazing local artists to create a collection of limited handmade merch.

From one-of-a-kind trinkets to thoughtfully crafted keepsakes, these custom pieces celebrate the artistry and collaboration that make Reel Asian so special.

Shop merch at our Festival Launch Party, Opening Night Reception, RA Mini Market + Mahjong, Centrepiece Reception, and Closing Night Reception.

USA202383 minEnglish, Urdu with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereComedy, Family-friendly, First Feature

When 13-year-old Ilyas’s parents yank him out of his comfortable Islamic private school and force him to adjust to life in public school, he develops a plan to change their minds. After a staged fondness for non-halal food and explicit music fails to sufficiently scandalize his parents, Ilyas asks his whip-smart former classmate, Yasmeen, to help devise a more foolproof plan. However, underneath those faux concerns, what really preoccupies prepubescent Ilyas is his wispy, dark mustache growing much sooner than that of his peers, prompting a self-loathing born and reinforced by the taunting and teasing of classmates.

Director Imran J. Khan’s gently humorous and refreshing take on the Muslim American coming-of-age experience, as well as lead Atharva Verma’s impeccable performance as the charming and determined Ilyas, are the perfect combination in this timeless, hilarious, and heartwarming journey of pre-teen self acceptance.

– Mariam Zaidi

USA

Since the advent of cinema and the forced colonization of the islands, Hawai’i stories on film have too often been told by outsiders. Reel Asian is bringing a spotlight onto two acclaimed Hawai’i-made dramatic feature films. Christopher Kahunahana’s award winning WAIKIKI is the first dramatic feature film written and directed by a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian). Christopher Makoto Yogi’s I WAS A SIMPLE MAN had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021. Unique films and filmmakers, both Kahunahana and Yogi share a genuine reverence for their home and seek to provide images and sounds of the Hawaii they know. 

In this moderated filmmaker to filmmaker conversation Kahunahana and Yogi will discuss each others films and the groundbreaking context that surrounds them.

240 minEnglish

We're kicking off ReelAsian24 with a bang! Party with us (digitally of course) on Nov 6 at 9PM (EST) for our Zoom Festival Launch Party and fundraiser hosted in partnership with ISO Radio, New Ho Queen x Hot Pot Community, Ricecake, and Bubble_T.

The night is jam packed with some of the best from coast to coast with DJ sets from Toronto faves Paul Chin, Roshanie, Discography x Lazy Suzn x Kai, and a drag performance from Ms. Nookie Galore. From the House of Rice in Vancouver, Bella will be DJing with performances by Maiden China, Kara Juku, Skim, and House Mother Shay Dior. Last but not least the imitable West Dakota joins us all the way from NYC!