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News & Updates

A Look At Our Reel Asian TIFF Reception

20 Sep, 2022

Our Reel Asian TIFF reception brought all kinds of people from the film community together to mingle and snack on the 401 Richmond rooftop patio. Honourable guests such as directors Hirokazu Kore-eda (Broker, TIFF 2022) and Deepa Mehta, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, Consul General Mr. Orontes V. Castro of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, and Consul General Mr. Takashi Miyata of The Japanese Consulate were present to celebrate our love of film with us.

We kicked off our reception with a few words from Deanna Wong (our executive director), Anita Lee (TIFF’s chief programmer officer and the founder of Reel Asian) and Arshad Khan (MISAFF’s festival director) who spoke of how the power of community can support Asian creatives on their journey.

RA board member Michael Fukushima (and retired executive producer of NBF’s Animation Studio) together with creative director and RA alum Jason Lee announced a new initiative, what will be known as the Reel Asian Alumni Network (RAAN).

In Fukushima’s words, “it’s going to be our way to make you, our alumni filmmakers, integral parts of the festival family — even when you don’t have a film in the festival.”

Find out more at Reel Asian this November!

A Rooftop Patio Filled With Special Guests

There were many faces of emerging and established filmmakers, creatives, producers, and film lovers. If you were present, you may have been caught in a photograph by our photographer Mike Tjioe! Sift through our photos on Flickr from the reception to relive or simply experience the fun vibes.

Our #ReelAsian26 Merch Is Now Here

We’re big fans of Lainey Lui (eTalk Host, founder of LaineyGossip) here at Reel Asian and to say we were excited to have her rocking our new canvas tote bag and crewneck sweater is a total understatement.

Our merch was revealed for the first time to hundreds of people at our reception, but Lainey had come early before covering the Emmys to show her support. Lainey was the first to see, try on, and take our #ReelAsian26 merch home.

With beautiful artwork by Brian Jiang printed on the back and “Reel Asian” embroidered in red yarn on the front, this year’s sweater embraces a minimal yet vibrant aesthetic that will pair nicely with the green tote that it’s bundled with (while supplies last).

Even the legendary Hirokazu Kor-eda took our #ReelAsian26 canvas tote home at our reception! In the image above he’s posed amongst Reel Asian staff who were excited to meet him.

Shop for our #ReelAsian26 merch before our festival on November 9 — 20 so that you can be a part of the #ReelAsian26 crew. Don’t forget to take a picture with your new merch and tag us on socials at @reelasian!

Big Thank You

We couldn’t have done this reception without the support and love we received. Reel Asian is able to consistently provide a space for Asian filmmakers, creatives, and film lovers because of the sponsors and event partners who support and believe in us.

We want to thank the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Telefilm, and Ontario Creates.

Thank you as well to our Festival Partner, Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF), and our Hospitality Partners, Steam Whistle, Ren Premium Vodka, and Karahi Boys, as well as our DJ Chiss Miss Cherry (@chissmisscherry on IG).

None of this could be possible without our community who always shows up, so thank you to all our guests who attended our reception as well.

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