#FIRSTLOOK: 2022 REELWORLD FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED

This year the Reelworld Film Festival is proud to award $25,000 in cash to the Outstanding Feature Film and $10,000 in cash to the Outstanding Short Film, along with 13 additional cash and in-kind awards. Presenters at this year’s awards ceremony were racially diverse actors from Canadian film and television: Aason Nadjiwon, Athena Park, Thomas Antony Olajide, Cihang Ma, Supinder Wraich, Adam Swain, Samantha Walkes, Nicole Munoz, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Praneet Akilla, Aiza Ntibarikure, Lily Gao, Karen LeBlanc and Chantel Riley. 

Reelworld would like to thank DGC National, WIFT-Toronto, Entertainment Partners Canada, Chargefield, AstroLab Studios, Lenz Rental and Asian Television Network for their generous contributions towards these festival awards.

The jurors for this year’s awards are: TJ Cuthand, an experimental/narrative filmmaker; David Cormican, Co-Founder and President of Don Carmody Television & Head of Production, Mogul Productions; Phil Planta, filmmaker, film instructor, and VFX artist; Pedro Díaz, director; and Nicole Mendes, VP of Scripted Development at Lark Productions.

The 2022 Reelworld Film Festival Awards Show aired on Reelworld’s YouTube channel at 3pm EST on October 18th followed by the Reelspeak: Award of Excellence Interview at 4.30pm EST and the Reelspeak: Visionary Award Interview at 5:30pm EST.

The 2022 Reelworld Film Festival Award Recipients are:

Outstanding Actor in a Short Film:
Recipient: Gitz Crazyboy, Peace Pipeline
Prize: $750 cash

Outstanding Actress in a Short Film:
Recipient: Nicole Nwokolo, I Remember Footprints in the Snow
Prize: $750 cash and a one-year membership to WIFT-Toronto

Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film:
Recipient: Cardi Wong, Golden Delicious
Prize: $1000 cash

Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film:
Recipient: Jayne Kamara, Bite of a Mango
Prize: $1000 cash and a one-year membership to WIFT-Toronto

Outstanding Cinematographer for a Short Film:
Recipient: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Saturday Fuego Diablo
Prize: $750 cash and free equipment rental from Lenz Rental

Outstanding Cinematographer for Feature Film:
Recipient: Kaveh Nabatian, Kite Zo A
Prize: $1000 cash

Outstanding Producer for a Short Film:
Recipient: Amir Zargara, More Than Hair
Prize: $750 cash and a 1-year subscription of Movie Magic Scheduling from Entertainment Partners Canada

Outstanding Producer for a Feature Film:
Recipient: Ivan Madeira, Pattern
Prize: $1000 cash and a free day of studio space with all-inclusive gear package from AstroLab Studios

Outstanding Writer for a Short Film:
Recipient: Tesh Guttikonda, Mom vs Machine
Prize: $750 cash and a 1-year subscription of Movie Magic Budgeting from Entertainment Partners Canada

Outstanding Writer for a Feature Film:
Recipient: Gorrman Lee, Golden Delicious
Prize: $1000 cash

Outstanding Director for a Short Film:
Recipient: Alireza Kazemipour, Split Ends
Prize: $750 cash and a free movie poster design consultation from Chargefield

Outstanding Director for a Feature Film:
Recipient: Jason Karman, Golden Delicious
Prize: $1000 cash

Outstanding Short Film Award:
Recipient: Cazhhmere Downey, I Remember Footprints in the Snow
Prize: $10,000 cash

Outstanding Feature Film Award:
Recipient: Jason Karman, Golden Delicious
Prize: $25,000 cash

Audience Choice Award
Recipient: Bite of a Mango
Prize: $1000 cash and a day of studio space at Asian Television Network Studios

In addition, Reelworld Screen Institute presented the following awards honouring outstanding individuals in the Canadian screen industry:

Visionary Award: Nick Davis, Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion at CBC
Award of Excellence: Jennifer Podemski, producer and actor

Trailblazer Awards: Barbara Lee, filmmaker and founder of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival; Joel Oulette, actor; Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, director and screenwriter; Shant Joshi, producer; Sonya Carey, animator; Jorge Camarotti, photographer and filmmaker.

Learn more about the ReelWorld Film Festival here.

#FIRSTLOOK: 2022 REELWORLD FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING LINEUP

The 22nd Reelworld Film Festival officially unveils its full festival line-up with 34 films and free industry panels, continuing its mission to feature Canadian filmmakers who are Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian and People of Colour. Running from October 12th – 18, 2022, the festival makes its return in-person and online with screenings and industry events taking place at various iconic Toronto locations The Royal Theatre (608 College St),The Paradise (1006c Bloor St W) , and The ROM (100 Queens Park).

Passes are now available for purchase at www.reelworld.ca/festival.

The Reelworld Film Festival showcases a wide variety of genres in narrative and documentary features and shorts. As a filmgoer, whether in person or online, you will enjoy the dramatic storytelling, hard-hitting documentaries, witty comedies and thoughtful abstractions that the 22nd Reelworld Film Festival selections will offer. Online screenings are geo-blocked to Ontario.

Reelworld is excited to announce this year’s stellar lineup of feature films programed by Aisha Evelyna, Marina Hanna, Reza Sameni, Safia Abdigir, and Pahull Bains, which includes:

GOLDEN DELICIOUS by Jason Karman (Opening night film)

When basketball-obsessed Aleks moves in across the street, Asian-Canadian teen Jake finds himself trying out for the basketball team to get his attention in this classic coming-of-age drama set in the digital age.

THE MYTH OF THE BLACK WOMAN by Ayana O’Shun

The Myth of the Black Woman is a feature-length documentary that investigates the images of Black women in Western societies, from the hypersexual Jezebel to the lovable Nurse to the sassy “Bitch.” The film works to break down The Myth by featuring a diverse group of women and a wealth of realities rarely seen on screen and supported by engrossing archival footage from the 1800s to the present day.

BITE OF A MANGO by Ron Dias

After a casual hook up between Jayne and Tray in the early stages of lockdown, Jayne, a strikingly independent half-Nigerian half-Jamaican woman, is left feeling alone in dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. In Jayne’s absence, Tray seeks the friendship of an old flame only to realize how he truly feels about Jayne.

DEAR JACKIE by Henri Pardo

Dear Jackie is a cinematic letter to Jackie Robinson, the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball, after a stint with the minor-league Montreal Royals, and a key contributor to the civil rights movement in the United States. The film addresses Robinson directly and recounts the current situation of the Black community in Little Burgundy, once known as the “Harlem of the North,” drawing interesting parallels between the two eras. Through eloquent interviews, testimonies, and powerful verité moments in black and white, Dear Jackie paints a portrait of racism and racial inequality in Montreal and Quebec as a whole.

KITE ZO A by Kaveh Nabatian

Kite Zo A (Leave the Bones) is a sensorial film about rituals in Haiti, from ancient to modern, made in collaboration with poets, dancers, musicians, fishermen, daredevil rollerbladers, and Vodou priests, set to poetry by Haitian author Wood-Jerry Gabriel.

EXEGESIS: LOVECRAFT by Qais Pasha

A cathartic journey that Qais Pasha, a Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker embarks on as he traces the life of cult author H.P. Lovecraft, from woodland cemeteries in Rhode Island, to the docks of New York and on to the cobbled stone streets of Quebec City. A head first dive into the division at the heart of weird fiction, wherein Qais encounters everything from Lovecraft’s ghost to the various writers, artists and researchers battling over the soul of Lovecraft’s legacy.

TZOUHALEM by Harold C. Joe and Leslie D. Bland

This documentary examines the near-mythic figure of Cowichan Chief Tzouhalem, the account of his life from both historians and First Nations Elders, the folkloric tales concerning him, his impact on the modern relationship between the Crown and First Nations, and how his legend remains alive to this day, examining critically how his story has been told and passed down to us.

PATTERN by Ivan Madeira

It is five months after the death of Curtis’ partner Mia due to post-birth complications. As the initial fog of grief starts to lift, he is at a crossroads of how he wants to raise their daughter Salom.

RESET by Min Bae

South Korea’s worst maritime disaster traumatized a nation while simultaneously sinking the country’s emotional spirit, resulting in the death of 304 passengers.

SUMMER WITH HOPE by Sadaf Foroughi

Young swimmer, Omid (whose name means “hope” in Persian), along with his mother, Leili, and uncle, Saadi, have each placed their individual fates on one vital upcoming swimming competition. In the days and hours before the meet, however, the consequences of failure become clear for each – all of which falls heavily on Omid’s shoulders as a responsibility he refuses to bear. As their community’s jealousy steadily erodes the family’s façade, layer by layer, to find whatever weakness they can, the family itself also begins to crumble like sand under the weight of the encroaching tide.

This year’s short films have been curated into four different programs:

IDENTITY – programmed by Safia Abdigir

Identity formation is always in struggle when the validity of that formation is denied by those around you. From queer exploration in youth to defying the odds of being an older athlete, the filmmakers in this program focus on the internal rumination of understanding rejection in relation to environments, families and careers and what that means for an individual navigating even the mundatity of life. Films included: Better at Texting directed by Mary Galloway, More Than Hair directed by Fitch Jean, Glass Doll directed by Omorose Osagie, Blue Honey directed by Valeriya Khan, Imran & Alykhan directed by Shakil Jessa, Blue Garden directed by Natalie Murao, and The Last Shot directed by Roble Issa.

HOME – programmed by Reza Sameni

Each year filmmakers from across Canada bring fresh perspectives to the festival’s long-running “Home” Program and add a new layer of nuance to the definition of “home.” Pushing it beyond the familiar portrayal of a four-wall construction to a thought-provoking artwork stemming from each filmmaker’s unique life experience in search of a comfort zone. Films included: I Live Here directed by Tyler Evans, Saturday Night Fuego directed by Anita Abbasi, The Interview directed by Magdi Omar, I Remember the Footprints directed by Cazhhmere Downey, Viper directed by Raine Stephen LeMay, and Ahu directed by Mahsa Razavi.

CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES – programmed by Marina Hanna

As in life, a choice made in a story can seal a character’s fate—whether they realize it or not. Minds may change and choices do face challenges, but choices set wheels in motion. For writers and directors plotting the course of a story, choices are also used to reveal character. The films in this category maximize tension by placing their protagonists in high-stake scenarios. Their choices are informed not only by their character but by their culture. Films included: There Are No Children Here directed by Shehrezade Mian, Unspoken Agreements directed by Marianna Phung, Split Ends directed by Alireza Kazemipour, Call me AWOL directed by Georgie Trifa, Everything WIll Be Alright directed by Farhad Pakdel.

ALTERNATE WORLDS – programmed by Aisha Evelyna

With a pandemic still not entirely in the rearview, it’s sometimes easy to wonder if we ourselves are living in an alternate world. Thankfully, these filmmakers dare to take us to new places on screen. This program of films is grounded in the present but are also fiercely optimistic, innovative, and imaginative. Films included: PB & J directed by Richard Lee, Mom vs Machine directed by Tesh Guttikonda, Vitamin directed by Natalia Aranguren & Yeimy Daza, Out of this World directed by Jerry Wolf, Peace Pipeline directed by Gitz Crazyboy & Tito Ybarra, and Omi directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall.

Reelworld prioritizes its programming to support and amplify underrepresented Canadian voices. The Festival’s Industry Panels, Workshops and Networking events are consciously designed to enhance opportunities for racialized Canadian talent in the entertainment industry. This year, the festival will be featuring free in-person panels on October 14th at Rogers Communications Inc. (333 Bloor St E) including Producing Live Unscripted Shows by Canada Media Fund and Responsible Storytelling by Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) National. Additionally, virtual panels will also be held on October 17th including Talent to Watch: Creating a Strong Application by Telefilm Canada, There’s a Song for Every Scene: Tips for Finding the Right Music for Every Production by Music Publishers Canada and Creating a Successful Team by the Independent Producer Fund.

The festival wraps up with the 22nd annual Film Festival Awards Show on October 18th which will be streamed on YouTube. This year, Reelworld Film Festival is proud to present two cash awards: $25,000 for Outstanding Feature Film and $10,000 for Outstanding Short Film. This year’s award sponsors include DGC National, WIFT-Toronto, Entertainment Partners Canada, Chargefield, AstroLab Studios, Lenz Rental and Asian Television Network. Feature and Short award categories this year include Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Writer, Outstanding Cinematographer, Outstanding Producer, and Outstanding Film. Audience members are also encouraged to participate and rate the films they watch and contribute to the selection of the Reelworld Audience Choice Award.

In addition to the film awards, the Festival recognizes Industry leaders at all levels through the Trailblazer Award, Visionary Award, and Award of Excellence. This year’s winners are: Trailblazer Award: Barbara Ka Yee Lee, Joel Oulette, Jorge Ousmane, Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Shant Joshi, and Sonya Carey; Visionary Award: Nicholas Davis, and the Award of Excellence recipient Jennifer Podemski. The Reelspeak Festival Edition will stream on the Reelworld Screen Institute Youtube channel On October 18th following the 22nd annual Film Festival Awards Show.

With a focus on diverse works by diverse people, the Reelworld Film Festival showcases and supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour producers, directors, screenwriters, actors and all on and off-screen talent. They connect with agents, casting directors, broadcasters and distributors, invite them to the festival, and help them find new Canadian talent. The Reelworld Film Festival programming reflects the strong and authentic voices from across Canada and features 100% Canadian Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour talent. As the country’s largest socially impactful film festival, Reelworld has reached a diverse audience of over 350,000 engaged individuals to date.

About Reelworld

Reelworld was founded in 2000 by award-winning actress and producer Tonya Williams to advance opportunities for

Canadians who are Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian, and People of Colour in the screen industries by providing

professional development and advocating for racial equity in Canadian content and production.

Reelworld Screen Institute, a non-profit, provides training programs and presents the acclaimed Reelworld Film Festival, which celebrates stories by racialized Canadians. Providing access to opportunities is core to Reelworld, and Access Reelworld is Canada’s leading hiring platform for racialized crews and talent. Reelworld Foundation, a registered charity,is transforming the industry by creating mechanisms that hold systems accountable for greater equity.

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW PROGRAMMING FOR HOLLYWOOD SUITE – NOVEMBER 2020

Hollywood Suite present a special slate of programming for November, including a tribute weekend to the late Anton Yelchin, including an exclusive broadcast of Documentary LOVE, ANTOSHA which premiered to raves at Sundance, and also a ReelWorld 20th Anniversary Retrospective which can’t be missed!

ANTON YELCHIN WEEKEND – November 13^th and 14^th and OnDemand

LOVE, ANTOSHA (2019)A Hollywood Suite Exclusive — Friday, November 13, 9:00 pm ET on HS00

This heartwarming documentary that premiered at Sundance focuses on Anton Yelchin’s prolific career in film and television. Anton Yelchin left an indelible legacy as an actor. Through his journals and other writings, his photography, the original music he wrote, and interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues, this film looks not just at Anton’s impressive career, but at a broader portrait of the man. Born in the former Soviet Union to a family of artists, Anton came to the U.S. with his parents when he was six months old. He started acting at nine. He had a genuine curiosity and love for people, for art, and for family and a willingness to explore, and be open with, the darker parts of himself. Love, Antosha explores his successes and his struggles, and lets viewers get to know this extraordinary person the world was cheated from seeing grow old.

5 to 7 (2014) — Friday, November 13, 10:35 pm ET on HS00

Starring Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Olivia Thirlby, Lambert Wilson, Frank Langella and Glenn Close, 5 to 7 is the love story of Brian, a 24-year-old writer who has an affair with a 33-year-old married French woman, Arielle. Arielle and her middle-aged husband have an agreement, allowing them to have extramarital affairs as long as they are confined to the hours between 5 and 7 p.m.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) — Saturday, November 14, 9:00 pm ET on HS00

Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive tells the story of two artistic, sophisticated and centuries old vampire lovers who ponder their ultimate place in modern society. The film boasts an all-star cast including: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright and John Hurt.

Green Room (2016) — Saturday, November 14, 11:05 pm ET on HS00

A punk rock band becomes trapped in a secluded venue after finding a scene of violence. For what they saw, the band themselves become targets of violence from a gang of white power skinheads who want to eliminate all evidence of the crime. The cast includes Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat and Macon Blair.

REELWORLD 20th ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE – November 18^th and 19^th and OnDemand

Founded in 2000, The Reelworld Festival supports Canadian filmmakers and artists from Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American communities. As a partnership between Reelworld and Hollywood Suite, the Reelworld 20^th Anniversary Retrospective, showcases seven award-winning films from past Reelworld festivals.

Hue: A Matter of Colour(2014) — Wednesday, November 18, 9:00 pm ET

This feature documentary by renowned director and cinematographer Vic Sarin is a personal, yet global investigation into the history and current state of colourism: the discrimination within one ethnicity based on differences in skin tone. Sarin travels the globe to discuss this complex cross-cultural social issue with individuals whose lives it affects, including a Filipina entrepreneur whose business has flourished within the billion-dollar skin-whitening industry. Hue leads viewers on a thoughtful and surprising journey to the heart of a painful and pervasive social issue that not only polices appearance, but also class, gender, and geography.

Farewell Regent(2019) – Wednesday, November 18, 10:30 pm ET

In a documentary that charts the complex canvas of Regent Park, Christene Browne puts a human face on the unique tensions and fellowships of the country’s most infamous social housing project. Farewell Regent eschews the storied violence of the Toronto community to focus on the activism and resilience that has always been in the DNA of its people.

Tiger!(2005) — Wednesday, November 18, 12:05 am ET

Lalita Krishna tells the compelling story about a wrestling legend who turned 60 in 2004 and instead of retiring, chose to take on a 36-year-old Judo champion. Tiger Jeet Singh spelled terror and mayhem for men as big and burly as him, yet his name was whispered with tremulous adulation by thousands of fans from Toronto to Tokyo.

Echoes(2013) — Wednesday, November 18, 1:00 am ET

Director Sun-Kyung (Sunny) Yi looks at international adoptions from China. An extraordinarily intuitive film about the very essence of life, which is loss, Echoes chronicles the experiences of mothers who represent three distinct aspects of the story: A Chinese mother who abandoned her baby; a white, middle-class North American mother who adopted a Chinese girl; and a Canadian mother preparing to pick up her baby from China. Each of these mothers shares her experiences and struggles reconciling the powerful emotions and ideas that both abandonment and adoption, from an alien culture, entail.

Bearwalker(2001) — Thursday, November 19, 9:00 pm ET

Shirley Cheechoo C.M. tells the story of a supernatural force at work in a small community where prejudice, injustice, corruption, and revenge are simmering just below the surface. Four Aboriginal sisters struggle with the powerful and menacing spirit of the Bearwalker, an evil force that takes possession of and tears apart several lives in the town.

Little Brother of War(2003) – Thursday, November 19, 10:25 pm ET

A young boy’s heroic journey in search of his deceased parents sets forth a series of life-affirming events, changing not only his life but also the lives of others.

Turbulence (2015) –Thursday, November 19 at 12:00 am ET

From director Soran Mardookhi, Turbulence tells the story of Sherzad, a former electrical engineer from Iraqi Kurdistan, who tries his best to lead a normal life in Canada, his adopted country. His estranged young daughter, Jina, numbs herself with drugs in order to forget her bitter past, but has a hard time fitting in, even amongst the misfits. Jina and her father both have to resort to desperate measures to deal with their situation.

(Photo credit: Hollywood Suite)