May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada!
For the entire month, we will be spotlighting the artists that graced us with their work and presence from our 2017 Reel Asian Film Festival. We will unveil different themes at the start of every week of this month to celebrate these Asian storytellers from around the world.
This week is Asian Canadian Week! For this week and the next, we will be focusing on the Asian Canadian artists and filmmakers from across this country of ours. Portraits by Mike Tjioe Photography.
Lillian Chan
2017 Canadian Spotlight Artist:
YUMI AND BOOM
Biography:
Lillian Chan is an award-winning animation filmmaker who has contributed to a number of iconic works presented at Reel Asian over the years. In 2006, Reel Asian screened Chan’s award-winning children’s film, Jaime Lo, Small and Shy, which was produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Her 2013 project, Ramen Party, is a cross- media entertainment property that introduces preschool children and their trend-savvy parents to culture, music, and food through quirky characters based on Japanese food ingredients. Most recently, she contributed animation to Ann Marie Fleming’s latest feature animated film, Window Horses.
On The Horizon:
Lillian unveiled the first instalment of her episodic VR series, Yumi and Boom, at Reel Asian last November. We hope to see the next Yumi and Boom episode soon! You can learn more about the project here.
Patrick Cruz
Everything In Place:
ORASYON (VESPERS)
Biography:
Patrick Cruz is an accomplished and award-winning Filipino Canadian multidisciplinary artist. He holds a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and University of the Philippines Diliman, and pursued his Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Guelph.
On The Horizon:
Patrick was one of three artists who were a part of last year’s multichannel video installation, Everything In Place. His piece was titled ORASYON (VESPERS). Patrick is an award-winning artist whose work has been shown around the world in the Philippines, Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and the UK. He will be having solo exhibitions in the Philippines and in Canada in May, June, and July.
Daniel Jun
Lead Actor:
STAND UP MAN
Biography:
Daniel is a Korean Canadian actor with an eclectic cultural upbringing. He was born in Taiwan and grew up in China, New Zealand, Korea, and Canada. Daniel is also a former Marine sergeant, an accomplished dancer, an avid shower singer, and fundamentally a goofball. Following his service in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, he earned a degree in Economics and Psychology at McGill University, all the while working as a professional street dancer for several years; Daniel is no stranger to diligence, adaptability and achievement. He is now based in Toronto and honing his art of storytelling.
On The Horizon:
When Daniel landed the main role in Stand Up Man, it was his first role in a feature film. You may have recently seen Daniel in a recurring role for the second season of ABC’s Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland, Kal Penn, and Maggie Q.
Daniel Daegun Lee
Lead Actor:
STAND UP MAN
Biography:
Daniel began acting in theatre and have transitioned into film and television since 2013. Since then, he has been booked for commercials for Smarties, OSAP, among others. Daniel has also been cast for multiple short film roles and even landed a role in the television series starring fellow Canadian Kristen Kreuk, Beauty and the Beast. A former Ryerson University student, Daniel is based in Toronto and now acting full time.
On The Horizon:
Daniel’s role as Joon in Reel Asian’s Closing Night film, Stand Up Man, was his first feature credit as an actor. He has been busy landing roles including several short film collaborations with Shoyu Films, the latest of which is titled Around The Corner.
Serena Lee
Everything In Place:
NEEDLE TO SEA BOTTOM
Biography:
Serena Lee is a third-generation Chinese-Canadian artist, who holds an MFA from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam. Her work layers cinema, performance, voice, image and text to map a political grammar of harmony. Serena also works as an educator in Experiential Learning at OCAD University.
On The Horizon:
Serena was one of three artists who were a part of last year’s multichannel video installation, Everything In Place. Her piece was titled Needle To Sea Bottom. She is currently working on a VR/AR piece that re-imagines the history of astronomy from an oblique, feminist perspective, in collaboration with dance and media artist Luke Garwood. You can check out Serena’s body of work here.