Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
Toronto 43° 39' 12.53" N, 79° 23' 2.16" W Actor Festival Person Moderator
Mission Statement[edit]
The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival® is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from the Asian diaspora. Works include films and videos by East and Southeast Asian artist in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world. As Canada's largest Asian film festival, Reel Asian® provides a public forum for Asian media artists and their work, and fuels the growing appreciation for Asian cinema in Canada.
Founded in 1997 by producer Anita Lee and journalist Andrew Sun, this non-profit community-based festival has grown into an eagerly anticipated annual event that attracts thousands of attendees to 6 exciting days of galas, screenings, forums, workshops and parties.
Festival[edit]
Every year, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival shows a strong selection of work from all over the world, including some of the best films from Asia. Past festival selection includes Gallants (打擂台 - Hong Kong Film Award Best Film 2010), Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, Buddha Mountain (观音山 - starring Fan Bing Bing), Overheard (竊聽風雲 - starring Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo, Daniel Wu), Au Revoir Taipei (一頁台北 - NETPAC Prize, Berlin), Jump Ashin (翻滚吧！阿信 - nominated for multiple Golden Horse awards), Dooman River (두만강 - Crystal Bear, Berlin), Eighteen (회오리 바람), and The Drummer (戰·鼓 - starring Jaycee Chan and Tony Leung Ka Fai).
The 2012 festival will be held on November 6-11 in Downtown Toronto and November 16-17 in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Pitch Competition[edit]
The festival also hosts an annual pitch competition where Asian-Canadian filmmakers pitch a project to industry experts for a chance to win cash and filmmaking resources to make their film. The work from the winning pitches will premiere at the following year's festival.
Community[edit]
Reel Asian also supports many community initiatives and co-presents films with Asian content and themes at other local film festivals.