Interest: Asian Filmmaker
There Are No Words
In this poignant documentary that brilliantly weaves together her family’s story with Korea’s political climate, Lee finds a bridge from the personal to the universal, tracing the complicated journey from grief to healing.
Director
Min Sook Lee
Writer
Min Sook Lee
Cast
Min Sook Lee
Producers
Sherien Barsoum, Chanda Chevannes
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Can I Get a Witness?
Director
Ann Marie Fleming
Fleming is a visual artist, filmmaker and writer who has animated over 20 films, including the shorts Stories Sarah Tells, Big Trees, A Short Film About Tegan & Sara, Question Period, and Old Dog. Her features include New Shoes, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, The French Guy and Can I Get a Witness, which premiered at TIFF 2024. Fleming has won nearly 20 awards and nominations for her films, including 15 for Window Horses.
Writer
Ann Marie Fleming
Cast
Joel Oulette (Cree/Métis), Sandra Oh, Keira Jang
Producer
Ann Marie Fleming
Genre
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Boat People
Directors
Kjell Boersma, Thao Lam
Writer
Kjell Boersma
Producers
Jelena Popovic, Justine Pimlott
Genre
Animation
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories
Original Language
English
The Queen of My Dreams
Sumptuously capturing the feel of a Bollywood film while telling a relatable cross-continental story, Fawzia Mirza’s impressive debut feature is an instant classic.
“Mirza has created a film bursting with creative energy and distinctive aesthetic sensibilities.” – Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
Director
Fawzia Mirza
Mirza is a writer, producer, actor and director whose work focuses on the Queer and Muslim experience in Canada, particularly on the intersection between the two. Her short films include The First Session, I Know Her, The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night and The Queen of My Dreams, which she adapted into her critically acclaimed debut feature of the same name.
Writer
Fawzia Mirza
Cast
Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, Hamza Haq
Producers
Marc Tetreault, Jason Levangie, Andria Wilson
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads
Original Languages
English, Other Language
In Her Place
Set against the misty South Korean countryside, the film treats its three subjects with equal affection, and Shin delivers an honest, powerful drama that packs an enormous emotional punch.
Director
Albert Shin
Writers
Pearl Ball-Harding, Albert Shin
Cast
Ji-hye Ahn, Hae-yeon Kil, Kyung-Ik Kim, Da-Kyung Yoon
Producers
Igor Drljaca, Albert Shin, Hyun Chan Yoon
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Language
Other Language
Rebelle (War Witch)
Montreal’s Kim Nguyen — who won several directing awards for his thoughtful work — travels a long way from Canada to tell this important tale.
A poignant and impossible love story filled with wonder, the film was nominated for an Oscar and won 10 Canadian Screen Awards.
Director
Kim Nguyen
Writer
Kim Nguyen
Cast
Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien, Serge Kanyinda
Producers
Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
French
Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story
Featuring interviews with comedian Russell Peters, Vince Carter, Isiah Thomas, and Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, this compelling doc tells Nav’s inspiring story of perseverance, passion, overcoming adversity and ultimately finding success and joy.
Director
Amar Wala
Amar Wala is an award-winning Toronto-based filmmaker and alumni of York University’s Film Program. His debut feature The Secret Trial 5 earned him jury recognition as an Emerging Filmmaker at Hot Docs and was named as one of the Top Ten Docs of the Decade by Realscreen. Wala has also directed and produced award-winning television series such as the acclaimed CBC Arts program In The Making and the award-winning comedy series Next Stop.
Cast
Nav Bhatia
Producers
Vinay Virmani, Rinku Ghei
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Newcomer Stories, Sports
Original Language
English
The Boxing Girls of Kabul
The members of the Afghan women’s boxing team are determined to compete on the world stage, and all share a dream of representing their country in the Olympics. Constantly having to deal with political pressure, lack of funding, and improper training facilities, these young women still manage to break through the barriers before them in their fight to keep their boxing careers alive.
This powerful documentary follows the boxers’ lives both in and out of the ring, with interviews with their coaches and family members that not only show what they’ve had to overcome, but also the long journey that still lies ahead of them.Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Short Documentary.
Director
Ariel Nasr
Writer
Ariel Nasr
Producer
Annette Clarke
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics, Sports
Original Language
English
Fire
When it was released in the late 1990s, Fire’s incendiary subject matter led to protests and government interventions in India. Years later, the internationally acclaimed film is as seductive and moving as ever.
The film won seven awards at film festivals around the world, including "Most Popular Canadian Film" at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Director
Deepa Mehta
A member of the Order of Canada, Mehta is an award-winning filmmaker who gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many other films. Her film Funny Boy won multiple awards, including the CSAs for best direction and best screenplay. Her television credits include episodes of Leila, Yellowjackets, and Little America.
Writer
Deepa Mehta
Cast
Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Karishma Jhalani
Producers
Bobby Bedi, David Hamilton, Deepa Mehta
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
The High Cost of Living
In the days to come, Henry is overcome by guilt and sets out to find the woman he hit. Her life nearly destroyed by the accident, Nathalie needs a friend, and ends up finding one in the compassionate and charming Henry. Slowly, Nathalie comes out of her shell and starts to rebuild her life.
As their unlikely relationship develops, Henry must work hard to conceal his real identity and keep the truth from ruining his new friendship.
Director
Deborah Chow
Chow is a filmmaker whose debut feature, The High Cost of Living, won Best Canadian First Feature at TIFF. She has directed adaptations of V.C. Andrews’ Dollanganger Saga, which includes Flowers in the Attic and four other novels. She has also directed episodes of many shows including Murdoch Mysteries, Iron Fist, The Vampire Diaries, Fear the Walking Dead, Jessica Jones, Better Call Saul, American Gods, The Mandalorian, and she produced and directed all episodes of the mini-series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Writer
Deborah Chow
Cast
Zach Braff, Isabelle Blais, Patrick Labbé
Producers
Kim Berlin, Susan Schneir
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English