EXHIBITION HOURS
Nov 7, Nov 13–24
*Nov 18, Closed
*Nov 24, 12–4PM
Weekdays: 12–6PM
Weekends: 11–7PM
Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space
401 Richmond St W
Suite 440
We’re excited to be presenting “Bestiary” at this year’s festival, featuring a troupe of fantastical creatures in mid-flight, dreamed up by artist Wenting Li.
Look up, look close or look ahead. Strain to hear the sound of the summoning bells. Where have they come from and where are they going? From one creature to another, do any of them make you curious?
Come experience them in transit, full of whimsy and uncanny energy at The Commons, at 401 Richmond during festival hours.
Artist Statement:
"Bestiary" summons creatures from myth, fantasy, and my personal visual lexicon, into a suspended moment of flight. As the beasts flow across the ceiling between two opposite walls, they occupy a liminal space, a portal toward or from, a spotlight on the unsettling, the unknowable, the intriguing. The creatures invite challenge and play: catch their changing forms as you angle your way through the room, duck your head below a low-flying beast, listen for the sound of bells, look into the mirror for what is reflected.
Wenting Li
Artist
Wenting Li is an artist and illustrator born in Sichuan, China, and living in Tkaronto/Toronto. Working across multiple mediums including installation, print + digital publications, drawing and painting, comics and murals, Li is currently thinking about communally possible futures, everyday routines, scifi and fantasy, specificity within the telling of stories, and leaving the door open to creatures.
EXHIBITION HOURS
Nov 7, Nov 13–24
*Nov 18, Closed
*Nov 24, 12–4PM
Weekdays: 12–6PM
Weekends: 11–7PM
Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space
401 Richmond St W
Suite 440
The building is wheelchair and step-free accessible via a ramp & button operated door.
The event space, including the accessible washrooms, are on the 4th floor, accessible via an elevator.
Join Wenting Li in conversation with Reel Asian programmer Jasmine Gui as they discuss the featured artwork, their artistic practice, and all things creature-related.
Nov 22 at 6:30PM, 401 Commons
The building is wheelchair and step-free accessible via a ramp & button operated door. The event space, including the accessible washrooms, are on the 4th floor, accessible via an elevator.
Please click HERE to advise us of your access needs for this event.
Experience a bit of the Japanese tea ceremony and learn about its history and core philosophies.. Taste some whisked matcha. Hosted by Momo Yoshida, the founder and owner of Momo Tea, an online tea store based in Toronto. RSVP required.
Experience a poetic journey of connection and entanglement inspired by the philosophies of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Set in the famous Tai-An teahouse, SEN takes us from joy and wonder, through carelessness and confusion, to peace and renewal, in a lush, visual homage to the expansive emotional interior
Creatura is a multimedia stream of programming that draws inspiration from the strange, wild, and untamed: descriptions historically used to label, discipline and exclude people. Whether it be for unrecognizable ways of being, or unacceptable actions and behaviours, to be a creature is to exist at the edge of what it means to be human. Creatura programming aims to engage with all variations of this label across the spectrum, from the mystical and uncanny to the unruly and abhuman.
Creatura is a multimedia stream of programming that draws inspiration from the strange, wild, and untamed: descriptions historically used to label, discipline and exclude people. Whether it be for unrecognizable ways of being, or unacceptable actions and behaviours, to be a creature is to exist at the edge of what it means to be human. Creatura programming aims to engage with all variations of this label across the spectrum, from the mystical and uncanny to the unruly and abhuman.
As a festival that historically makes room for heavy narratives of loss, displacement, oppression, and struggle, we also want to make space for rest, presence, and play. Creatura events think about holding the soft and the hard, the recognizable and foreign, the lost and the found.
What stories might we tell about ourselves when we are not limited by predetermined expectations? What creatures from other worlds speak with us? What shapes and forms can we take on? Could becoming monstrous and unrecognizable bring us closer to being ourselves?
Alongside our featured installation and VR project, catch other Creatura-inspired events in our Reel Ideas program and at Wee Asian!
Experience a poetic journey of connection and entanglement inspired by the philosophies of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Set in the famous Tai-An teahouse, SEN takes us from joy and wonder, through carelessness and confusion, to peace and renewal, in a lush, visual homage to the expansive emotional interior.
RSVP Required
NOV 13–24
We’re excited to be presenting “Bestiary” at this year’s festival, featuring a troupe of fantastical creatures in mid-flight, dreamed up by artist Wenting Li. Come experience them in transit, full of whimsy and uncanny energy at The Commons, at 401 Richmond during festival hours.
NOV 7, 13–24
Intrigued by the tea ceremonial elements in SEN? Come and learn more about its history, core philosophies, rituals and tools. Taste some whisked matcha.
Nov 20 at 4–6PM, 401 Commons
Join Sana Akram with Reel Asian programmer Aram Collier to talk about the work required to present SEN, the world of experiential media, and the impact of new media technologies in storytelling.
Nov 22 at 5PM, 401 Commons
Join Wenting Li in conversation with Reel Asian programmer Jasmine Gui as they discuss the featured artwork, their artistic practice, and all things creature-related.
Nov 22 at 6:30PM, 401 Commons
The building is wheelchair and step-free accessible via a ramp & button operated door. The event space, including the accessible washrooms, are on the 4th floor, accessible via an elevator.
Please click HERE to to let us know your accessibility needs for these events
Courtesy of The Beguiling and Annick Press, uncover a book or two from our library that might inspire the Creatura within you.
Nov 13–24, at 401 Commons
In partnership with the Toronto Palestine Film Festival, join a dedicated space for community members to gather and be present with one another.
Please note this is a drop-in event with no formal programming. RSVPs are not required. Light refreshments will be available.
9 Nov, 2023 4:00 pm
Commons Lobby at 401 Richmond Street
Get sticky with it! Join us for our inaugural Sticker Xchange during our Festival Happy Hour in The Commons, 401 Richmond, on Sunday, November 12, from 4–6 PM. Bring your unique stickers to swap or showcase. Reel Asian will be selling #ReelAsian27 limited edition stickers and merch featuring designs by this year’s Festival Creative Artist, Ben Luu.
Adding to the excitement, Jeff Yang will also be present, selling and signing copies of his latest book, The Golden Screen: The Movies that Made Asian America.
12 Nov, 2023 4:00 pm
Commons Lobby at 401 Richmond StreetCatch Jeff Yang in conversation with Madelyn Chung about his new book, THE GOLDEN SCREEN. Purchase a copy and get it signed!
Nov 12, 2023
Hang out with us for Festival Happy Hour, open to the public! Grab a drink and join in on the casual activities each day.
Day 1: Friday November 10th, 4-6 PM. Pigeonhole Live Musical Performance in Bachir Yerex Presentation Space
Day 2: Saturday November 11th, 4-6 PM. Celebrating filmmakers of the Unsung Voices 12th cohort
Day 3: Sunday November 12th, 4-6 PM. Reel Asian Sticker Xchange and merch will be available!
9 Nov, 2023
to 12 Nov, 2023
Commons Lobby at 401 Richmond Street
We are kicking off the 27th edition Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival with a night to remember! Come celebrate with us on Nov 2 from 8PM – 11PM (EST) for our Festival Launch Party, co-hosted by New Ho Queen!
Hosted by Patrick Salvani, the night will be filled with a mix of DJ sets and performances from Discoraphy, Lena Di, and Fio.
This is a free event.
2 Nov, 2023 8:00 pm
Commons Lobby at 401 Richmond Street
A recent report released by the DOC Institute points to the lack of data on funding for documentary content produced by Indigenous, Black or racialized filmmakers. This panel will discuss why it's important for agencies and broadcasters to collect and share race based data in order to achieve their stated equity goals. The panel will also analyze the stories and experiences shared by BIPOC filmmakers which speak of systemic barriers to funding.
Min Sook Lee
Filmmaker and DOC Ontario Board Member
Min Sook Lee has directed numerous critically-acclaimed documentaries, including: Donald Brittain Gemini winner Tiger Spirit, Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature winner Hogtown, Canadian Screen Award winner, The Real Inglorious Bastards. Her doc Migrant Dreams which told the story of migrant farm workers fighting for justice was awarded Best Labour Documentary by the Canadian Journalists Association and garnered the prestigious Canadian Hillman Prize which honours journalists whose work identifies important social and economic issues in Canada.
Min Sook is an Associate Professor at OCAD University, her area of research and filmmaking focuses on counter hegemonic narratives of resistance and feminist working-class cultural praxis for a world that centres justice, equity and humanity.
Joan Jenkinson
Executive Director, Black Screen Office (BSO)
Joan Jenkison is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Screen Office where she works to empower Black Canadians working within the screen industries to thrive and share their stories. She is committed to making sector practices and policies equitable and free of anti-Black racism, and to work collaboratively with decision-makers to ensure system-level change. Joan is a founding Partner/Producer at Artemis Pictures which is focused on developing and producing scripted content for television and the cinema, for international audiences. Joan was Vice-President of Independent Production for ZoomerMedia Limited, Television Division. She commissioned, developed and executive produced hundreds of hours of award-winning creative content in all genres for VisionTV. Joan spearheaded VisionTV’s ground-breaking DiverseTV/NSI initiative which produced award-winning comedy and drama programs and earned her a Visionary Award from the ReelWorld Film Festival.
For five years, Joan served as Executive Director of Women in Film and Television – Toronto (WIFT-T), where she established professional development training and networking opportunities for women in screen-based media.
Lisa Valencia-Svensson
Executive Director, Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC)
Lisa is an Emmy award winning and Academy Award shortlisted producer and Managing Director of the Racial Equity Media Collective. She was previously the Acting Industry Programs Director at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Before that she was Head of Operations at Multitude Films. Credits include PRAY AWAY, ALWAYS IN SEASON, CALL HER GANDA, HERMAN’S HOUSE, MIGRANT DREAMS and THE WORLD BEFORE HER.
Kadon Douglas
Executive Director, BIPOC TV & FILM
A storyteller and community connector at heart, Kadon Douglas is the inaugural executive director at BIPOC TV & Film. Kadon is an experienced not-for-profit professional specializing in community engagement, marketing, and communications. Previously, she led communications and membership engagement strategies and advocated for gender equity in screen-based media at Women in Film & Television-Toronto (WIFT-T).
Kadon also worked for several years in the documentary production field as a production coordinator, researcher, and digital marketing/audience engagement specialist. She is a two-time fellow of the Hot Docs Film Festival: Doc Accelerator (2013) and Shaw Media Diverse Voices (2015); and is a 2019 Ontario Nonprofit Network RBC Leading the Future fellow. Kadon is also an active member of the screen-based media community, volunteering her time on various committees and juries, and is the former chair of the Reelworld Film Festival.
Sally Lee
Executive Director, Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC creators (CISF)
In addition to serving as Executive Director of the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC creators, Sally is on the boards of the CONTACT Photography Festival and Wavelength Music. She is a member of the Advisory at Reel Asian, where she served as ED for three festivals. She also led artists rights group CARFAC Ontario as ED and has variously held leadership, staff, board, and advisory positions at TIFF, Soulpepper Theatre, Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, Images Festival, Coalition of Canadian Independent Media Arts Distributors (VUCAVU.com), Workman Arts (RWM Festival), Toronto Arts Council Visual and Media Arts Committee, and Access Copyright.
17 Nov, 2022 2:30 pm
Commons Lobby at 401 Richmond StreetCommons Lobby (4th floor)
401 Richmond Street West
Please note this panel is in-person only. This event is a part of the Reel Ideas Symposium: Specificity Drives Authenticity 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.
Following three Muslim women activists who have come of age since 9/11, An Act of Worship is a unique glimpse into the lives of a new generation of American Muslims deeply impacted by over 40 years of history that has shaped their lives and trajectories in powerful and irreversible ways.
Six first-time and emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online with Reel Asian's Unsung Voices Youth Video Production Workshop. We’re proud to present their world premieres here.
The Class of 2019 at Cawthra Park Secondary School is gearing up for their senior year. Friends Ethan and Justin set out to shoot a film under the pretense of being a yearbook project, recording pivotal moments and character portraits during this tumultuous stage of adolescence.
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
