Reel Asian Film Festival 2012 Celebrating Cinema from Here To

Reel Asian Film Festival 2012: Celebrating cinema from here to Kashmir - thestar.com 21/11/12 1:52 PM

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Reel Asian Film Festival 2012: Celebrating cinema - Advertisement - from here to Kashmir

Published on Friday November 02, 2012

Laura Kane Staff Reporter

1 of 2 First Time, a heartfelt love story by Beijing-based director Han Yan, kicks off the festival at the opening gala Nov. 6.

COURTESY REEL ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL Entertainment Video

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With a sprawling, diverse continent of cinema to celebrate, the Reel Asian Film Festival has plenty of stories to tell.

A portrait of a young Japanese-Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso. A joyful celebration of Filipino “prison dancers,” shaking a leg in the slammer. A gritty throwback to 1990s Hong Kong action classics.

You’ll find all these films and more in the annual festival that embraces the incredible diversity of Asian cultures, with 60 films from 14 countries, running Nov. 6 to 17.

“Since there is so much to see, we hope that each of these films has something you haven’t seen before,” said program director Aram Siu Wai Collier, adding that selecting films can be a challenge.

“There’s such a diverse audience here in Toronto, from the general public to film fans to the more experimental crowd.”

But until this year, one audience had been overlooked. A South Asian feature film — Valley of Saints, filmed in Kashmir — is included in the lineup for the first time.

Collier said audiences and filmmakers had long questioned why the festival had no South Asian content.

When Reel Asian launched in 1997, there was already a popular South Asian film festival, Desh Pardesh, in Toronto. When that became defunct in 2001, Reel Asian began to consider including South Asian films, Collier said.

But it wasn’t until this year, inspired by Valley of Saints’ unique story and strong showing at Sundance, where it won an audience award and the Alfred P. Sloan Film Prize, that they finally made the leap. The Star on Twitter

StarEntertain / Stargazing: Bad Sex in fiction: “I think in general South Asian content is starting to be seen more in an Asian-American Here are the nominees http://t.co/GtrVMlRl space in North America,” said Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints director. “The identity is 37 minutes ago becoming bigger and more inclusive, which is great.” StarEntertain / Old Man Luedecke, banjo star, picked his instrument well: Gifted quick The film is a romance in which the polluted Dal Lake becomes an allegory for Kashmir as a musician, playing Toronto Nov. 22, found ... whole. While Syeed was filming in the troubled region in fall 2010, he was caught in one of http://t.co/5NH6uwwm the worst outbreaks of violence in a decade. 44 minutes ago

StarEntertain / Corb Lund brings us his “I wanted to tell a story that was more human, about how people really experience that western world: Rootsy troubadour has hit conflict on a daily basis,” he said. “They still live their lives. They have meaningful album, crack band and distinct outlook to show relationships and friendships. There is beauty amid destruction.” ... http://t.co/l3cCWpWs

44 minutes ago This year’s festival also features a greater emphasis on international content, with award- StarEntertain / Why the moviegoing experience winners from China, South Korea, Taiwan and the U.S. is not as advertised: Macfarlane: Our enthusiasm for a movie diminishes with each ... Hong Kong/Chinese love story First Time kicks off the festival at the opening gala Nov. 6. http://t.co/nfJkutmv Documentary Seeking Asian Female tells a very different love story: about a middle-aged 12 hours ago white man seeking a so-called “sweet, subservient” Asian bride. Follow us on Twitter Reel Asian’s first-ever 3D feature, A Fish,uses the medium to evoke an uncanny sense of the spirit world. Then there’s Cold Steel, a fun action-packed throwback to Hong Kong classics like Hard Boiled and A Better Tomorrow. Facebook

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Manga fans will be delighted by Tatsumi, an animated film based on the life and work of Colin Druhan recommended Couple sues legendary Japanese artist Yasuhiro Tatsumi. realtor over sale of house where double murder occurred. · on Tuesday But the festival also showcases Canadian films. Prison Dancer, a mockumentary based on Darrin Chung recommended Woman who drove on sidewalk to avoid school bus real viral videos of Filipino prisoners dancing in their cells, stars Toronto actor Jeigh Madjus ordered to wear ‘idiot’ sign. · about 2 weeks and former Canadian Idol contestant Mikey Bustos. ago No more Twinkies: Hostess going out of business Curiously, two Canadian entries are food-focused: Dal Puri Diaspora tells the cross-cultural 1,159 people recommended this. history of roti flatbread in mouth-watering fashion, while The Fruit Hunters is a globetrotting GTA’S Best Teams: Dragon boaters from introduction to people obsessed with nature’s candy. U of T making a splash 209 people recommended this.

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