During November 9-18, 2017 the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival took place. Ricepaper magazine had the opportunity to speak to a number of people playing different roles: directors, actors, the Canadian spotlight artist and even Reel Asian staff!
Below is a summary of interviews we collected from this festival for easy navigation.
Simu Liu, Kim’s Convenience Actor
At the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, audiences got a chance to see an episode preview from the second season of Kim’s Convenience. Simu Liu who plays Jung on the show is a Chinese born Canadian actor, writer, and stuntman.
Yukiko Mishima, Director of Dear Etranger 幼な子われらに生まれ
Yukiko Mishima is a female Japanese director who has directed and written a number of films, including Shiawase no pan (2012), Night’s Tightrope (2016) and A Drop of the Grapevine (2014). Previously, she had worked as a producer and director for documentary programs at NHK in Japan. Her latest film, Dear Etranger was selected as the opening film for 2017’s Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
Nattawut Poonpiriya, Director of Bad Genius ฉลาดเกมส์โกง
Nattawut Poonpiriya นัฐวุฒิ พูนพิริยะ graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts in stage directing from Srinakharinwirot University. He worked on a variety of projects afterwards including television commercials and music videos before directing his first film, Countdown (2012). This film won awards at the Thailand National Film Association Awards. Bad Genius, his second film, was selected as part of 2017’s Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival programming.
Aram Collier, Director of Stand Up Man
Aram Siu Wai Collier is a filmmaker, educator and former film festival programmer. His film, Stand Up Man will be the closing film for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival in 2017. A film about a Korean Canadian comedian who puts his dreams on hold, the movie will resonate with many who are caught in the similar situations due to family obligations.
Kristine Estorninos, Reel Asian Head of Programming
As Ricepaper was curious about how the Wee Asian children’s event came to be, we requested an interview with the Reel Asian Head of Programming, Kristine Estorninos to learn more about the programming and how to volunteer at Reel Asian.