Reel Asian is bringing an international entourage of guests to our festival!
Meet your favourite celebrity at one of our parties, or sit in to learn about a director’s filmmaking experience at an Artist Talk (all talks are FREE). Reel Asian Film Festival gives you access to filmmakers, actors and notable guests like never before!
Scroll down below to see our international guests in attendance:
Seoul Searching | Marquee Section
Fri Nov 13, 8:00pm – Isabel Bader Theatre | More
In Attendance: Director Benson Lee and actress Rosalina Leigh
In the 1980s, the Korean government began a summer camp for gyopo (foreign-born) teenagers to visit the motherland. The government would re-establish ties with the diaspora, parents would get a sponsored trip, and teenagers would learn about Korean culture. What could possibly go wrong?
BIOGRAPHIES:
Benson Lee (Director) is an award-winning Korean-American filmmaker who has worked in drama, documentary, and commercial production for over 15 years.
Rosalina Leigh is an actress, known for her role Kris (an American adoptee) for Seoul Searching.
Port of Call | Marquee Section
Wed Nov 11, 8:45pm – AGO Jackman Hall | More
In Attendance: Director Philip Yung
A sex worker is found brutally murdered and Detective Chong is set to solve the mystery with his partner Smoky. Loosely based on a true murder case, Port of Call is a crime thriller stylized by the cinematography of Wong Kar Wai’s favourite partner in crime, Christopher Doyle.
BIOGRAPHIES:
Philip Yung made his directorial debut in 2009 with Glamorous Youth. Previously, Yung worked as an assistant director, screenwriter and film critic in Hong Kong. He made his second feature May We Chat in 2014, and Port of Call is his latest effort to explore the theme of delinquent youth.
Mina Walking | Vista Section
Thu Nov 12, 8:00pm – The Aga Khan Museum | More
In Attendance: Director Yosef Baraki and Producer Andrew Korogyi
Mina is a typical feisty and energetic 12-year-old girl, except she lives in modern day Kabul, Afghanistan and her circumstances are anything but typical. After losing her mother to a Taliban attack, Mina is left alone to take care of the household, looking after her senile grandfather, while her drug addict father wastes away. Eager to learn, Mina must skip school in order to earn a meager living for the household peddling souvenirs on the street.
BIOGRAPHIES:
Director, Yosef Baraki‘s exposure to filmmakers like Kiarostami and the Dardenne brothers gave him the understanding that cinema does not have to be driven by entertainment, but also by realistic portraits of a particular society and culture.
Andrew Korogyi (Producer) met Yosef Baraki at Humber College where he Produced Der Kandidat, written and directed by Baraki. Among its multiple accolades, Der Kandidat won the Norman McLaren Award for best student film at Montreal World Film Festival.
Changing Season: On The Masumoto Family Farm | Vista Section
Sat Nov 7, 2:00pm – AGO Jackman Hall | More
In Attendance: David ‘Mas’ Masumoto
“How many harvests do you have in you?” Changing Season chronicles a transitional year in the life of famed farmer and slow food advocate David “Mas” Masumoto and his compelling relationship with daughter Nikiko, who returns to the Masumoto family peach farm to continue in her father’s footsteps.
BIOGRAPHIES:
David ‘Mas’ Masumoto is an organic peach and grape farmer and the author of nine books including: Epitaph for a Peach, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Heirlooms, Letters to the Valley, Four Seasons in Five Senses, Harvest Son, Country Voices, and Silent Strength.
Marcy (Thieleke) Masumoto – As co-owner of Masumoto Family Farm for nearly 30 years, Marcy Masumoto has been responsible for the selection of peach varieties, and the development of recipes and peach products. She is actively involved with management and seasonal fieldwork.
Kirumi | Vista Section
Sat Nov 7, 6:30pm – AGO Jackman Hall | More
In Attendance: Director Anucharan Murugaiyan
Egotistical and unemployed, Kathir has no problem gambling away his family’s hard-earned money, until he finds his calling as a secret police informant, capitalizing on his knowledge of Chennai’s underground and his personal desire to rat on those who have embarrassed him. Success is swift as he becomes a favourite amongst officers, but his arrogance soon compromises his hidden identity. Kathir learns there are consequences for tattling on the city’s most ruthless gangsters.
BIOGRAPHY:
A design engineer, Anucharan Murugaiyan (Director) left for Australia to study filmmaking from the masters at Pixar. His first short Infinity (2010) played at Tropfest Sydney and sparked a stream of commercial work.
The Royal Tailor | Marquee Section
Fri Nov 6, 9:15pm – AGO Jackman Hall | More
In Attendance: Director, Lee Won-suk
A young designer has earned the queen’s favour with his refreshing take on traditional garb, and the existing royal tailor feels threatened for his long-awaited promotion. Stitch by stich, the two tailors duel for the ultimate masterpiece. But beyond the clothing, a larger war is also brewing between the two women in the king’s life.
BIOGRAPHY:
Lee Won-suk (director) is a graduate of Boston University and Art Center College of Design. In 2013, his critically-acclaimed directorial debut How to Use Guys with Secret Tips appeared at Reel Asian and numerous other festivals. The Royal Tailor is his second film.
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