#FIRSTLOOK: 2017 TORONTO REEL ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Now in its 21st year, the Reel Asian Film Fest runs in Toronto from November 9-18, 2017.

The annual Festival has stamped itself as a fixture in the City giving lovers of contemporary Asian Cinema a public forum to share their bond. Highlighted by Opening Film DEAR ETRANGER from Director Yukiko Mishima (she will be in attendance) there are several Films giving Movie Lovers an array of options and genres to choose from. STAND UP MAN will be wrap the Festival also as the official Closing Night Gala.

Above this, there will be an In-Conversation-With spotlighting Canadian talent and the Cast of CBC’S Kim’s Convenience too will be appearing at the Festival on November 15, 2017 at Glenn Gould Studio. The Festival also will be offering free screenings for students and seniors before 5:00 PM.

Our Siobhán Rich (@Typo_Eh) had the chance to preview one of the Festival’s marquee titles, BAD GENIUS, which she tells us in the one Film you must see at the Festival!

Bad Genius

Most Heist Movies follow a formula that ends with the hero walking away with vast sums of stolen money. In Thai Director Nattawut Poonpiriya’s new Film Bad Genius, her ragtag group of thieves aren’t hardened criminals looking to take down a casino but rather teenagers looking to ace their exams.

Scholarship student Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensuking) is one of the smartest students at her elite high school. Her friend Grace (Eisaya Hosuwan), however, isn’t terribly bright so the two hatch a scheme to help Grace pass an important math test. News of Grace’s extra assistance gets around and soon Lynn is helping dozens of people in her year achieve better grades. With the biggest test of the year on the line Lynn, Grace, and their friends devise a plan that will take Lynn to Sydney where she must take the most important test of all their lives.

Although people may make parallels to 2004’s The Perfect Score, Bad Genius stands as a far more interesting and inventive premise. The plot twists are unexpected adding to the tension, particularly during the climactic Third Act. While the Film’s dénouement is less than satisfactory, a sharp script and strong performances make Bad Genius a must-see at this year’s Reel Asian Film Festival.

See the Trailer:

More on the Festival here.

(Photo credit: Reel Asian)