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News & Updates

Reel Asian Delegates to EXNW 2025

14 Jul, 2025

Reel Asian is sending five delegates to the third annual East By Northwest (EXNW) 2025 in Vancouver!

From July 18 to 20, they’ll join a global gathering of storytellers and cultural leaders for a weekend of panels, pitching sessions, networking opportunities, showcases, and community celebrations. This summit aims to spark new collaborations, amplify underrepresented voices, and shape a more inclusive industry.

Read more about Alice Il Shin, Dennis Lee, Marco Walker-Ng, Mike Wong, and Tanya Hoshi below.

Alice Il Shin

Alice Il Shin 신일 is a Korean filmmaker trained in directing at Nihon University in Japan. She has worked across Japan, Korea, and Canada as a director, producer, and editor.

After immigrating to Canada, she began exploring Asian-Canadian narratives, beginning with her award-winning narrative short Haru’s New Year (2018). She went on to direct the poetic short Signal Fire (2019) for the Varley Art Gallery of Markham, the short documentary History in Paper (2020) for CBC Arts, and her feature documentary debut Landscapes of Home (2024), which was broadcast on Knowledge Network (Canada), BS12 (Japan), and EBS (Korea). Most recently, she completed Pearl (2025), an animated short that reimagines a medieval English poem in a Joseon Dynasty setting.

She has also worked as a junior editor on the seven-part documentary series K-Pop Evolution (2021, YouTube Originals) and as an on-set translator for Pachinko Season 2 (Apple TV+). Currently, she develops Japanese remakes of Thai dramas with NJcreation in Japan and serves as a board director at Arts East-West in Montréal.

Based mostly between South Korea and Canada, she continues to work internationally across Asia and North America.

Dennis Lee

Dennis Lee is a Toronto-based actor. His first (recorded) performances involve him, his sister, and a tape recorder…imitating radio hosts.

Since then, Dennis has honed his skills through The Second City Conservatory Program, Clownprov, commercials, and voice acting.

During the pandemic, he and his cousin decided to collaborate on their first screenplay. Despite being ~3,350 km from one another, they managed to complete this task *and* want to continue working together in the future.

Dennis is excited to connect with potential collaborators, mentors, and partners at EXNW 2025. And anyone who knows tips and tricks for Final Draft.

Marco Walker-Ng

Marco Walker-Ng is a Vancouver-based actor, working on the stage and screen. Since graduating Capilano University Musical Theatre school he has been lucky to have several film and theatre credits to his name.

He loves the adventure of learning new things, meeting new people and being part of a team. During the pandemic, he met with his cousin Dennis on zoom to practice acting, which eventually turned into writing a screenplay and a new adventure.

Marco is excited to connect with potential collaborators, mentors, and partners at EXNW 2025.

Outside of performing, Marco is an avid hunter, personal trainer and an expecting father.

Mike Wong

Mike Wong is a Toronto-based filmmaker and Video Content Producer at Universal Music Canada. As the founder of Mikejeffwong Productions Inc., he’s produced content for brands like Audible, RW&CO. and Destination Toronto.

Mike’s work often explores themes of identity, cultural duality, and the Asian-Canadian experience. His upcoming short, Lost in Translation, reflects on generational language barriers and aims to spark conversation about diasporic identity and the broader Canadian experience.

Tanya Hoshi

Tanya Hoshi is an award-winning Canadian film producer and director, and the founder of Hoshi Media, a Toronto-based production company. Over the past decade, Tanya has built a diverse portfolio spanning film, web series, commercials, and social media content. She was the Lead Producer at Shopify and the first Head of Brand Marketing at Ownr, where her storytelling reached millions of entrepreneurs globally. Her acclaimed series In 90 Seconds earned a Telly Award in 2020.

Tanya is a Reel Asian alumni, having directed the short film Father Figure (Reel Asian 2020) and produced the feature documentary We Will Be Brave (Reel Asian 2023), which won the Blue Ant Media Audience Choice Feature Film Award.

Tanya directed the horror web series Blackout (2018), winner at Webfest Berlin, and produced the award-winning documentary Turning Tables (2018), which was acquired by CNN’s Great Big Story, TIFF, WestJet, and Alaska Airlines. Currently, Tanya is producing her first unscripted series and is a participant in the ACCESS BIPOC Producers Program, further advancing her impact in Canadian media.

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