The Festival Lounge is at 401 Richmond St W, Suite 440
Join us for an evening of quiet time records! Kid Koala hosts a "quiet time" event, playing hours of his favorite music to work, draw, code, write or knit to. Bring your creative projects.
Since 2009, Kid Koala has been hosting Music To Draw To sessions—a series of events focused on community and creativity. People come to draw, sculpt, write, paint, knit, and code in a cozy environment conducive to working. Kid Koala curates a 4-5 hour set of quiet time music to keep everyone in their creative zones. It has grown to become a very popular community event and continues to be invited to cities around the world. We are thrilled to host Kid Koala to play in our space while you enjoy some tunes, tea, and snacks while you draw or continue working on that creative project or hobby.
Kid Koala
Kid Koala is a Montreal-based scratch DJ, film composer, theatre producer and visual artist. He has released 5 solo albums, and contributed to several feature film soundtracks including The Great Gatsby, Looper, Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. He has toured with the likes of Radiohead, Deltron 3030 and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He has written and illustrated the award-winning graphic novels Nufonia Must Fall and Space Cadet. He is known for his imaginative live productions such as Vinyl Vaudeville, Satellite Turntable Orchestra, and The Storyville Mosquito, each of which expresses his unique form of storytelling with music, animation, film and interactive entertainment.
20 Nov, 2024 7:00 pm
to 11:00 pm
Festival LoungeThe Festival Lounge is at 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.
Please click below to advise us of your access needs for this event.
Fresh off its world premiere at TIFF, Amar Wala’s SHOOK serves as an ideal case study for filmmakers, particularly those transitioning from shorts to feature films. Set in Scarborough, Ont., the film captures the area's multicultural essence and reflects on identity, place, and personal growth through rich, site-specific details. This panel explores the craft of the film, the intricate score, and the writing process, capturing a slice of life that local audiences can resonate with. As a family story, SHOOK presents a narrative that showcases the beauty of everyday life, balancing complex personal narratives with broader cultural commentary. By examining Wala’s experience with Shook, we'll shed light on how an honest love letter to a city and its diverse communities can be crafted.
So you have a great idea for a documentary—what’s next? Join our panel of Producers and Directors as they break down the journey of transforming a concept into a compelling finished project. From the early stages of research, fundraising, and story development, to navigating production challenges and securing distribution, this discussion will cover the essential steps and strategies for bringing a documentary idea to life. Gain insights on pitching to funders, the importance of crafting diverse and authentic narratives, and how to collaborate with key stakeholders in the industry. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your approach, this session will provide valuable takeaways from experienced professionals who have successfully turned their ideas into reality.
Closing out the 28th Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, join us for the live So You Think You Can Pitch competition.
Join us for an in-depth conversation about Ann Marie Fleming's Can I Get A Witness?, Reel Asian's opening night film this year. This thought-provoking movie examines a near-future society grappling with climate change, mortality, and the value of life. Fleming draws inspiration from her personal experiences, including her time in Vancouver's West End and the environmental upheaval of Stanley Park.
What began as an absurdist satire has transformed into a poignant exploration of intergenerational responsibility and community resilience. In this talk, Fleming will share insights into her creative process, the film's evolution from satire to heartfelt comedy, and the collaborative journey with a talented cast and crew, including Sandra Oh. Discover how Can I Get A Witness? invites us to reflect on what we’re willing to sacrifice for a sustainable future and the beauty of life itself.
Ann Marie Fleming
Filmmaker
Ann Marie Fleming was born in Okinawa and is now based in Vancouver. Her body of work as a filmmaker includes fiction, documentary, and animation. She’s directed short films including You Take Care Now (1990) and Blue Skies (2002), and features such as The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (2003) and Window Horses (2016). Can I Get a Witness? (2024) is her latest film.
14 Nov, 2024 2:30 pm
Festival LoungeThe 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 below to advise us of your access needs for this event.
Join us for an exclusive Work-In-Progress presentation of SPACE CADET, a captivating animated film directed by Kid Koala. Work-In-Progress events at Reel Asian give audience members a chance to explore the development stages of a piece of work. In this session, we will hear insights from the creative team of SPACE CADET, including director Kid Koala, head of story and production designer Lillian Chan, and artistic director Corinne Merrell, who will guide us through the artistic process and illustrate how animation brings this heartfelt narrative to life.
CREATURA is a multimedia cross-programming stream at the 28th Reel Asian Film Festival, spotlighting the strange, wild, and untamed — concepts historically used to marginalize. This session will explore how these concepts manifest through stories of endangered traditions and reimagined realities. The documentary THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN provides a vivid portrayal of South Korean fisherwomen preserving an ancient practice amidst modern developments. Meanwhile, UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, set in a reimagined Canada where Farsi and French are official languages, presents a surreal world where societal norms are upended and loneliness is a common experience. Both films vividly embody the spirit of CREATURA by pushing the boundaries of human experience and challenging conventional perspectives.
Fresh off its world premiere at TIFF, Amar Wala’s SHOOK serves as an ideal case study for filmmakers, particularly those transitioning from shorts to feature films. Set in Scarborough, Ont., the film captures the area's multicultural essence and reflects on identity, place, and personal growth through rich, site-specific details. This panel explores the craft of the film, the intricate score, and the writing process, capturing a slice of life that local audiences can resonate with. As a family story, SHOOK presents a narrative that showcases the beauty of everyday life, balancing complex personal narratives with broader cultural commentary. By examining Wala’s experience with Shook, we'll shed light on how an honest love letter to a city and its diverse communities can be crafted.
1h30
Following our Building Forces: The Director Producer Relationship panel, stay for a reception with Canadian Media Producers Association, a chance to network, ask questions, and enjoy snacks and refreshments. Especially good for Producers!
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) is Canada’s trade association for independent producers. CMPA represents hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content for TV, feature film and digital media channels.
14 Nov, 2023 6:00 pm
Festival Lounge401 Richmond St W
Commons Lobby (Suite 440)
Free event. No RSVP necessary.
Ho-jun, a flailing actor, has found relative success as a social media influencer, hawking fishing hacks. He preps his live stream at his preferred fishing spot, only to be disrupted by an obnoxious stranger whose bad vibes are ruining the morning.
At the heart of Baby Queen is a tender and joyful relationship between Singaporean drag queen Opera Tang and her 90-year-old grandmother, who makes many of her performance costumes.
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.
1h30
12 Nov, 2023 2:00 pm
Festival Lounge401 Richmond St W.
Commons Lobby (Suite 440)
Free event. No RSVP necessary.
All proceeds from book sales at this event go to Reel Asian.
Catch Jeff Yang in conversation with Madelyn Chung about his new book, THE GOLDEN SCREEN. Purchase a copy at the special discounted rate of $40 and get it signed!
The past decade has been a groundbreaking era for Asian-centric storytelling in Hollywood films, from the mainstream success of Crazy Rich Asians to the amazing achievements of Everything, Everywhere All at Once, culminating in the film’s seven wins at the 2023 Academy Awards. Featuring a foreword from newly crowned ‘Best Actress’ Michelle Yeoh and an afterword by director Jon M. Chu, THE GOLDEN SCREEN is an in-depth look at these cinematic triumphs, and the decades of films that paved the way by culture critic and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Yang. The book also includes commentary and conversations from Hollywood’s most visible faces, such as Simu Liu, Lulu Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Janet Yang, Ronny Chieng, Alice Wu, and Ken Jeong.
Featuring over 100 photographs along with gorgeous, original artwork from nine esteemed Asian illustrators, including Toma Nguyen, barbarian flower, Jun Cen, Cryssy Cheung, Cliff Chiang, Yu-Ming Huang, JiYeun Kang, Ashraf Omar, and Zi Xu, THE GOLDEN SCREEN is a beautiful keepsake for movie and history fans alike.
Madelyn Chung
EIC and Founder of RepresentASIAN Project
Madelyn Chung is a multidisciplinary creative, speaker and registered psychotherapist with a focus on supporting the Asian North American community.
She is the founder of The RepresentASIAN Project, the leading Canadian media platform catering to the Asian North American diaspora, and The Blossom Mental Health Fund, a registered non-profit dedicated to supporting the mental health of Asian Canadians. Madelyn has previously worked at HuffPost Canada, FASHION and Netflix Editorial, where she was part of the core team that launched @netflixgolden, a social channel catered to the Asian diaspora.
In 2021, she was named one of Bay Street Bull’s Women of the Year and in 2023, she was listed among View the Vibe’s POWER 60: Inspiring Asian-Canadians of Influence. Through her writing, advocacy and therapy work, Madelyn is committed to empowering and uplifting the Asian North American community.
Jeff Yang
Author
Jeff Yang has been observing, exploring, and writing about the Asian American community for over thirty years. He launched one of the first Asian American national magazines, A. Magazine, in the late nineties and early 2000s, and now writes frequently for CNN, New York Times, and elsewhere.
He has authored three books—Jackie Chan’s New York Times bestselling memoir I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action; Once Upon a Time in China, a history of the cinemas of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Mainland; and Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture, and most recently coauthored the New York Times bestselling RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Get sticky with it! Join us for our inaugural Sticker Xchange during our Festival Happy Hour, taking place from 4–6 PM. Bring your unique stickers to swap or showcase.
NOV 12, 2023
Visit the PIGEONHOLE, nest and rest from the festival chaos, listen to collaborative pigeon music, watch raw footage, compose your own ditties, and collage a flock of desired futures together with other attendees. Check the festival website or rarara.ca for a full program schedule including artist talks and facilitated collage sessions.
Step into the thrilling world of TV writing with a range of talented writers as they share their insights into crafting a successful TV series, advancing careers in the writers' room, and promoting diversity in showrunning.
These shorts look at the soft to even slightly off-kilter bonds we find in one another, the realms we exist in, and ultimately, ourselves, despite ongoing change—no friendship bracelets required.
Delve into the profound connections filmmakers Fawzia Mirza (The Queen of My Dreams) and Zarrar Kahn (In Flames) forge when revisiting their roots in Pakistan, through a cinematic lens. This in-depth conversation explores how filmmakers turn place into its own dynamic character, and unpacks the emotive pull of returning, despite its tensions and contradictions. Join us as they showcase how "home" can transcend geographical boundaries, ignite stories with new interpretations of place, and animate narratives with the rich tapestry of personal heritage.
Shehrezade Mian
Film Producer
Shehrezade Mian (she/her) is a Pakistani producer based in Toronto. Mian is an alumnus of the TIFF-Netflix Talent Accelerator, the European Audio-Visual Entrepreneurs EAVE Producers Program presented by the NSI and CMF, and the WIFT mentorship program with the SVP of VICE Media. Mian is also a two time recipient of the competitive Telefilm Talent To Watch program. Her feature film Concrete Valley by Antoine Bourges made its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival 2023. Founder of Markhor Pictures, in 2022 Mian launched Markhor Mentorships, a tailored mentorship program for emerging South Asian filmmakers in Canada. As a well-connected member of the Pakistani film and television industry, Mian frequently acts as an international liaison between the two countries. Shehrezade also recently served as the development and production manager at Hawkeye Pictures, Brother (2022).
Fawzia Mirza
Director/Writer
Fawzia Mirza (she/they) co-wrote & starred in the feature Signature Move which world premiered at SXSW, won 15 awards (including the US Grand Jury Prize Outfest) and starred Indian film legend Shabana Azmi. Her feature script Heirloom was named to the 2022 Muslim List, published by The Black List. She’s written for TV, executive produced documentaries and her award-winning short films have screened all over the world. Her feature directorial debut The Queen of My Dreams (supported by TIFF’s Writer Studio & Filmmaker Lab) world premiered at TIFF with its international premier at the BFI London Film Festival and was nominated for the Director’s Guild of Canada’s Jean-Marc Vallée Discovery Award.
Zarrar Kahn
Director, Screenwriter
Zarrar Kahn (he/him) is a Pakistani-Canadian film director and screenwriter, whose debut feature film In Flames premiered at the 2023 Cannes and TIFF Film Festivals. He directed a number of short films in the late 2010s and early 2020s, earning a reputation as one of the most exciting new Pakistani filmmakers, before making In Flames. He is an alumnus of the TIFF Talent Lab, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Open Doors Locarno, Asian Film Academy and Director’s Lab program at the Canadian Film Centre. His works have been screened and awarded in over 100+ film festivals worldwide, including TIFF, Locarno, and BFI London.
9 Nov, 2023 2:30 pm
Festival Lounge401 Richmond St W
Suite 440
–
This Reel Ideas session takes place in a venue accessible to wheelchairs and people who need step-free access. Let us know about your accessibility needs by clicking below.
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.
Some family stories are so epic they demand telling. Some moments in history require the intimate and inside knowledge of community storytellers. The venerated Chinese Canadian filmmaker Keith Lock narrates the story of how his mother married his father in Australia, who was training with other Chinese Canadian veteran volunteers for the top secret suicide mission, Operation Oblivion.
Last fall, the DOC Institute invited creative producers to reimagine a documentary ecosystem that recognizes the needs of BIPOC producers with critically acclaimed projects, and published their thoughts in the “Creative Producer Think Tank Report.” A key point highlighted was producer/director relationships—a partnership constantly in flux. What is required for these roles to work harmoniously? Listen as panelists delve into the critical and vital collaboration that underpins any successful film.
Aeyliya Husain
Filmmaker
Aeyliya Husain is an award-winning filmmaker. Her films have also screened at San Francisco Docfest; Glasgow Short Film Festival and São Paulo Film Festival and have been broadcast on CBC, BBC, Arte, The Documentary Channel, SBS Australia, amongst others. Her latest documentary, An Unfinished Journey, that follows four Afghan former MPs who fled their country for a new life in Canada, for CBC, Arte/France and ERT/Greece.
Ngardy Conteh George
Filmmaker
Hailing from Sierra Leone and raised in Canada, Ngardy Conteh George is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to amplifying the voices of systematically excluded communities, particularly those representing the African Diaspora.
Her work includes 5-part docu-series ‘Black Community Mixtapes’ recently broadcast on Citytv, ‘Mr. Jane and Finch’ (CBC), winner of two Canadian Screen Awards in 2020, and feature documentary ‘The Flying Stars’. She is currently producing two feature documentaries with OYA Media Group, a production company she co-founded with Alison Duke.
Tiffany Hsiung
Filmmaker
Tiffany Hsiung (she/her) is a Peabody award-winning filmmaker and a two-time Canadian Screen Award winner based in Toronto, Canada. Her film Sing Me a Lullaby (2020) won the Oscar qualifying Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC and the inaugural Toronto International Film Festival ‘Share Her Journey Short Cuts Award’ during the world premiere at TIFF.
Sing Me a Lullaby went on to winning The Directors Guild of Canada Best Short Film Award followed by several accolades including two prizes at the annual WIFT- Showcase and listed as one of TIFF Canada’s Top Ten of 2020.
Hsiung’s debut feature documentary The Apology (2016) received over 15 international awards that includes the prestigious Peabody award, the DuPont Columbia Award and the Allan King Memorial Award. Hsiung’s work has played in over 150 film festivals earning over 25 awards, released and broadcasted globally.
Hsiung currently sits as second-vice chair of the Directors Guild of Canada, Ontario Executive Board, she is board member at DOC Canada – Ontario and HOT DOCS executive board. Hsiung is also a member of the National BIPOC committee for the DGC.
Amar Wala
Filmmaker
Amar Wala (he/him) is a Toronto based filmmaker known for his arresting visual style and empowering brand of storytelling. His award-winning works include his debut feature doc The Secret Trial 5 (‘14), which was named one of the Top Ten Docs of the Decade by Realscreen Magazine, Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story (‘22), and the recent doc series Witness, which he created and produced.
Amar is a CSA nominee, and the recipient of the prestigious Vanguard Award from the DOC Institute. A staunch advocate for other BIPOC artists, Amar is also co-founder of the REMC (Racial Equity Media Collective).
14 Nov, 2023 4:00 pm
Festival Lounge401 Richmond St W
Suite 440
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This Reel Ideas session takes place in a venue accessible to wheelchairs and people who need step-free access. Let us know about your accessibility needs by clicking below.
Blue Ant Media is looking for its next hit factual paranormal series with T&E and HauntTV's global free streaming channel. Join us for a spooky information session with Blue Ant Media's Sam Linton, VP Production and Development and Julie Chang, EVP Business Strategy and Co-productions, to get all of your questions answered.
In our inaugural First Films event, award-winning Asian Canadian filmmakers show the first films they’ve ever made. They will reveal their origin stories—that time they caught the movie bug; the place their creative voices first started cracking.
Chloe Abrahams’ debut feature, is an enveloping, hypnotic, urgently personal meditation on family, memory, identity, violence, and love.
The Sari-Sari Xchange is a project that seeks to amplify Asian representation in the creative emerging media industries in Canada, particularly through a community-building residency program that engages artists with digital and extended reality (XR) technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, 360 cinema, game-engine animation, and 3D scanning. A public exhibition of works-in-progress will follow in the afternoon.
ARTISTS
Roda Medhat
Amanda Ann-Min Wong
Chris Perez
Lux Gow-Habrich
Zebv Diez
Dev Ramsawakh
PROJECT LEADS
Carmela Alfaro-Laganse
McMaster University
Taien Ng-Chan
York University
PARTNERS & PARTNERING
ORGANIZATIONS
Aram Siu Wai Collier
Artistic Director, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
Sean Lee
Director of Programming, Tangled Arts + Disability
Lesley Loksi Chan
Artistic Director, Centre[3] for Artistic + Social Practice
PUBLIC HOURS
November 17, 1:30PM-4:30PM
Festival Lounge
401 Richmond St W
Suite 440
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The public exhibition takes place in a space accessible to wheelchairs and people who need step-free access. The accessibility of the individual projects is variable. Please let us know about your accessibility needs by clicking below.
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
