from vkpr

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year with a series of new initiatives including free screenings, larger venues to accommodate growing audiences, a multi-venue media art installation, special guest filmmakers from across Asia and the world, and a major expansion into Richmond Hill.

15 YEARS OF REEL ASIAN

Reel Asian is Canada’s longest-running and largest showcase dedicated to contemporary cinema by East Asian and Southeast Asian moviemakers from around the world.

Over the past 15 years, Reel Asian has risen to become the leading exhibitor of coveted Asian works with a film repertoire that has included over 330 premieres and over 15 gallery installations at exhibition spaces in the GTA.

Founded in 1997, Reel Asian began as a 3-day event, established in response to the strong interest in Asian films in Toronto, and has since grown to a two-week festival attracting over 10,000 audience members each year. Reel Asian brings highly anticipated premieres of award-winning international films as well as a diverse showcase of independent work made by Asian-Canadian directors.

Today’s most talented and recognized Asian filmmakers made their Toronto debuts at Reel Asian – including Cannes Palme D’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Mysterious Objects at Noon in 2002), acclaimed Hong Kong directors Johnnie To, Stephen Chow and Tsui Hark (omnibus film 1:99 in 2003), Oscar-nominated Christine Choy (Ha Ha Shanghai in 2001), and Sundance Grand Prize nominee Lixin Fan (Last Train Home in 2010)

From November 8 to 19, 2011, the festival will present more than 55 films and videos from 12 countries, including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China, the U.S. and Vietnam. Reel Asian strives to develop programming that reflects the cultural diversity of Canada and increase public understanding and appreciation of the artistic, social and cultural contributions of those of Asian heritage through film. This year, the festival has expanded by two days to provide an even larger selection of screenings and events!

Highlights include:

GALAS & CENTREPIECE:

· OPENING NIGHT GALA: LOVER’S DISCOURSE (Hong Kong 2010, Canadian premiere, director Derek Tsang in attendance)

· CENTREPIECE PRESENTATION: JUMP ASHIN! (Taiwan 2011, Canadian premiere, director Lin Yu-hsien in attendance)

· CLOSING NIGHT GALA: BUDDHA MOUNTAIN (China 2010, Toronto premiere, guest in attendance)

INTERNATIONAL FEATURES: a selection of award-winning and noteworthy films including

· China – Piercing 1 by Liu Jian, winner of Best Animated Feature Film, Asia Pacific Screen Awards (2010)

· South Korea – Journals of Musan by Park Jung-Bum, winner of the Tiger Award, Rotterdam Int’l Film Festival (2011)

· South Korea – Bleak Night by Yoon Sung-Hyun, winner of the FIPRESCI Award, Hong Kong Int’l Film Festival (2011)

· Taiwan ­– When Love Comes by Chang Tso-Chi, winner of 4 Golden Horse Awards including Best Film (2010)

· Thailand – Eternity by Sivaroj Kongsakul, winner of the Tiger Award, Rotterdam Int’l Film Festival (2011)

CANADIAN PROGRAMMING:

· World Premiere of Cuong Ngo’s PEARLS OF THE FAR EAST

· Canadian Spotlight LILY ENG: REAL ASIAN-CANADIAN WOMAN WARRIOR

· Canadian Shorts Programs: SEIZE THE MOMENT, TRAILBLAZERS, CROSSROADS and CREATURES

GALLERY INSTALLATION: LOST SECRETS OF THE ROYAL at A Space Gallery and Blackwood Gallery

Four installations commissioned by LIFT and Reel Asian, inspired by an archive of 35mm Hong Kong films from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. This collection, recovered by Colin Geddes from the basement of Toronto’s Royal Cinema, includes period dramas, comedies, martial arts movies, and pink films.

PITCH COMPETITION

Reel Asian’s 6th Annual Pitch Competition—So You Think You Can Pitch?—is back for 2011! A collaboration between Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and Charles Street Video (CSV), this competition features prizes worth a combined value of more than $35,000. Teams of filmmakers will have six minutes each to pitch their projects to vie for $2,000 in cash; distribution through Ouat Media; $10,000 (emerging category) and $18,000 (professional category) worth of production, post services and artist’s fees at CSV.

REEL ASIAN HEADS TO RICHMOND HILL!

As part of our initiative to reach new audiences beyond the downtown core, Reel Asian expands to include the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts in its official festival programme. We will be opening at Richmond Hill with the premiere of highly anticipated Hong Kong action film OVERHEARD 2.

FOR SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE CLICK HERE