Awards & Jury

All feature films are eligible for this prize.
$1,000 cash prize

Yellow Rose (Diane Paragas, Philippines/USA)

Jury statement: In the best tradition of films about a young person’s daring to follow her dreams, the Features Jury is pleased to award the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Best Feature Award to Yellow Rose, directed by Diane Paragas. The jury appreciated the ground-zero setting of Texas in this tale of the human cost of anti-immigration policies. Above it all was the honest and assured performance by Eva Noblezada as Rose, and the sure-handed direction by Paragas.

All feature works are eligible for this prize.
$2,500 cash prize

Yellow Rose (Diane Paragas, USA/Philippines)

The Last Stitch received an Honourable Mention for outstanding audience engagement.

All Canadian works are eligible for this prize.
$1,000 cash prize

To Live To Sing (Johnny Ma, China/France/Canada)

Jury statement: This film transports audiences to a small town in China and beautifully tells a timeless story of the struggle to preserve traditional Chinese opera in a way that not only honours the artform, but embodies it throughout. The jury was struck by the elements of Johnny Ma’s filmmaking, and the authenticity, nuance and complexity he brought to a narrative that gave us a deeper cultural insight into Chinese opera and evolving culture.

All first feature films are eligible for this prize.
$1,500 cash prize

We Are Little Zombies (Makoto Nagahisa, Japan)

Jury statement: With We Are Little Zombies, Makoto Nagahisa goes beyond what we could have expected from a first feature, taking the universal experience of loss and portraying it through the lens of children in a way that feels fresh and entertaining, while also tapping into our need to understand who we are within our families.

All Canadian animated works are eligible for this prize. This award celebrates the greatness of Asian Canadian animation artists.
$600 cash prize

Portrait of a Lady (Kenny Leoncito, Canada)

Jury statement: The jury selected the animated film Portrait of a Lady for its detailed, textured, distinctly haunting visuals, and meticulous soundscape. We were impressed by the filmmaker’s ability to combine the genres of romance and horror into one seamless dream-like film that depicts the urban legends surrounding the cursed painting, Portrait of a Lady.

All feature-length documentary films are eligible for this $1,250 cash prize, donated by Karla Bobadilla, Diang Iu, Immanuel Lanzaderas, Sonia Sakamoto-Jog and Victoria Shen.

What We Left Unfinished (Mariam Ghani, Afghanistan/Qatar/USA)

Jury statement: With our relative privilege as Canadians, we don’t often get to see certain stories from certain lives. What We Left Unfinished brings to Toronto a story of survival and expression through examining a forgotten medium: unfinished propaganda films from Afghanistan. Ms. Ghani deftly weaves together archival footage, recent interviews, and atmospheric shots of destruction and what is rebuilt. We congratulate and thank her for bringing this film to Reel Asian.

All films made by female Ontario-based artists are eligible for this prize.
$1,000 cash prize, $1,200 programming pass and one-year membership to WIFT-T

Little Red (Jacqueline Shi, Canada)

Jury statement: We are thrilled to announce Jacqueline Shi’s Little Red as the winner of this year’s DGC Ontario / WIFT-T Award. We were extremely impressed with the skillful way in which the story was told through voice-over and visuals, and even more impressed that this film came to us through Reel Asian’s Unsung Voices program, from a first-time filmmaker. Congratulations, Jacqueline on what’s sure to be the start of a promising career.

All short films and videos are eligible for this prize. The selected films are curated into a programme and given the opportunity to broadcast on Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment screens on international flights. $1,000 cash award split amongst winners

Homesick (Koya Kamura, Japan/France)

Ghost (SJ Son & Woody Fu, USA)

CA$H (Tan Wei Ting, Singapore)

Worth (Meelad Moaphi, Canada/Pakistan)

Kneeling Sheep (Hai Rihan, USA/Inner Mongolia)

Secret Lives of Asians at Night (KEFF, USA)

Les Lèvres Gercées (Kelsi Phung & Fabien Corre, France)

Kar (Sahar Golshan, Canada – film made through the Reel Asian Unsung Voices workshop 2019)

In Passing (Esther Cheung, Canada)

Jury statement: The nine short films selected for this award are representative of the intersectional Asian experience and the wide range of perspectives, filmmaking approaches, and styles of storytelling from both emerging and established filmmakers across the region. These films evoke timely conversations and reflect our current times through bold stories at times humorous, political, poetic, and all deeply personal.

Honourable Mention: Sports Day (Lin Tu, China)

The jury would like to give an honourable mention to Lin Tu’s Sports Day. The film conveys the horror and violence of sexual assault in a conceptually unique way which moved all of us to our core. We want to recognize the intense storytelling and the enormity of the themes Lin Tu tackles in her film.

All Canadian filmmakers under the age of 30 are eligible.
$500 cash prize

No Crying at the Dinner Table (Carol Nguyen, Canada)

Jury statement: The jury selected Carol Nguyen’s No Crying at the Dinner Table for this year’s Change Connect Award. Nguyen took us on an intimate journey with her family and the ways trauma lives in our bones, especially when unspoken. It’s a moving documentary that continues to sit with you, exploring intergenerational trauma, grief and the quiet struggles of immigrant families.

Earthworms (Vince Ha)

This award includes:

• $4,000 cash
• Business affairs & legal consultation with Behind The Scenes Services
• Acting support (if applicable) from ACTRA Toronto, including consultation, coaching, and more
• Opportunity to premiere work at the 2020 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (subject to review), with full festival accreditation
• Digital film and festival strategy consultation with CineSend
• A production workflow consultation with Charles Street Video, which includes:
  • $2,700 in edit suite access and/or production equipment rentals
  • Two sessions with Charles Street Video’s in-house editor
  • One-year membership with Charles Street Video

PostScript (Noor Khan)

This award includes:

• $1,000 cash
• Business affairs & legal consultation with Behind The Scenes Services
• Acting support (if applicable) from ACTRA Toronto, including consultation, coaching, and more
• Opportunity to premiere work at the 2020 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (subject to review), with full festival accreditation
• Digital film and festival strategy consultation with CineSend
• A production workflow consultation with Charles Street Video, which includes:
  • $1,400 in edit suite access and/or production equipment rentals
  • Two sessions with Charles Street Video’s in-house editor
  • One-year membership with Charles Street Video