The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival has been around for 28 years, offering the best of Asian filmmaking to Canadian audiences. The 2024 edition will carry on from November 13-24, opening with festival veteran Ann Marie Fleming’s film, Can I Get a Witness?
Reel Asian’s purpose is to connect communities through contemporary works by Asian creatives based in Canada, the US, and across the globe. This year, the event will screen over 17 features and 49 shorts spanning different genres. It will also present a brand new shorts category called Colliders, in partnership with ImagineNATIVE, to explore the solidarity between Indigenous and settler Asian communities through storytelling dialogue.
Deanna Wong, executive director of Reel Asian, says that the lineup “is a testament to the exceptional talent our community brings to the industry, which grows stronger each year. We look forward to presenting these unique and captivating stories that will truly inspire and create deeper conversations in a safe and inclusive environment.”
Ahead of the event, we wanted to highlight several notable titles, many of which follow women who defy the norms and offer critical commentary on racial injustices over time.
Can I Get a Witness?
What would you give up to ensure a world without war, poverty, and climate change? In this sci-fi film directed by Ann Marie Fleming, the solution to it all is for humans to die once they reach 50. Still in her teens, Kiah (Keira Jang) is a documenter, and must use her artistic abilities to draw the dying ceremonies of those who’ve reached the age limit. As the character wrestles with the emotional toll of her role, her mother (Sandra Oh) prepares herself to be an empty nester. More info.
When: November 13 at 7 PM
Where: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Borrowed Time
On the verge of getting married in her hometown in mainland China, Ting feels like she still has to tie some loose ends before carrying on with her wedding. In the spur of the moment, she decides to travel to Hong Kong and search for her father, who left her and her mother to live with his preferred family. As she searches for him, Ting realizes that she has even more unresolved issues to deal with. More info.
When: November 14 at 8 PM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 5
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts
It’s the holiday season and Ben Santhanaraj is heading to Sri Lanka to reunite with his long-distance girlfriend Suzanne Hopper. Upon arrival, he finds out that she will have to work during the holiday break, which interferes with their plans to enjoy time together in a romantic getaway. Although they carry on with their itinerary, their trip doesn’t go as anticipated, raising questions about where their relationship is headed. More info.
When: November 15 at 5:30 PM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 4
Exclusion: Unravelling a Century of Silence
Keira Loughan’s directorial debut inspects the 1923 Chinese Immigration Act, a Canadian law that kept Chinese people from entering the country for over 24 years. In an effort to show how this act singled out her community, Loughan digs into her family heritage. She finds that her grandmother was the first Chinese Canadian to receive the Order of Canada, but had her citizenship revoked for marrying the director’s Chinese-born grandfather. This little-known requirement was one of the many unjust clauses within the immigration act. More info.
When: November 16 at 12 PM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 3
15 Ways My Dad Almost Died
While planning her next stand-up show, Filipino Canadian comedian Alia Rasul reconnects with her father to hear about his many near-death experiences. Yet, things go south when his accounts reveal the immense loss of life and destruction that came out of the 1974 siege of Jolo. Aware of the impact of this tragedy, Alia takes it upon herself to preserve her father’s story and that of his people. More info.
When: November 16 at 12 PM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 4
The Mother and the Bear
After uncovering the news that Sumi got into an accident and is now in a coma, Sara travels from South Korea to Winnipeg to be with her daughter. As Sumi recuperates at the hospital, the protagonist finds out details from her daughter’s life that she kept to herself. Worried for her safety, Sara searches for a suitable husband for Sumi through dating apps. This quest to find someone to be by her daughter’s side also allows Sara to learn more about herself in the process. More info.
When: November 16 at 2:30 PM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 4
Little Chief
This 2019 short film directed by Reservation Dogs’ Erica Tremblay follows a teacher named Sharon, who is worn out and focused on keeping her school afloat. One of her students, Bear, is having a particularly hard time in and out of the classroom. As Bear runs away, Sharon goes after him and in turn notices that she holds a much more important role in her community than she initially thought. More info.
When: November 16 at 5 PM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 4
Home Court
Ashley Chea is a Cambodian American teenager, with a talent for playing basketball. As she attends a private school and is dedicated to the sport, her parents are hard at work at their doughnut shop. With her mom and dad always absent from her games, the protagonist bonds with her Japanese American coach, who encourages her to pursue her basketball dreams despite her serious knee injury. More info.
When: November 17 at 10 AM
Where: TIFF Lightbox Cinema 4
Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement
In this documentary directed by Tadashi Nakamura and Quyên Nguyen-Le, audiences get acquainted with visionary artist-activist Nobuku Miyamoto and her inspiring life story. Throughout the film, Miyamoto reflects on racial injustices she faced and her first-hand experience growing up in a Japanese American internment camp. With a compilation of interviews and archival footage, the doc gives us a glimpse of how the activist used her own hardships as fuel to create music, dance, and theatre productions. More info.
When: November 19 at 7 PM
Where: Innis Town Hall
The Reel Asian International Film Festival will take place from November 13-24. Find the full lineup of films and screenings here.