2024 Asian Heritage Month Events
Asian Canadian Memories: From Estrangement to Inclusion | Asian Heritage Month Film Festival programmed by Reelworld
Date: Sunday, May 5, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Location: Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue. Google map of event venue.
Admission is free | Please register at this link.
Description: Reelworld Screen Institute is honoured to celebrate 15 years of partnership with Asian Heritage Month. Asian Heritage Month Film Festival, held in collaboration with Reelworld Film Festival, presents a curated program about families across borders. The following event will feature a Shorts and Series Programme in addition to a Q & A featuring the filmmakers, moderated by Zaarin Bushra in conversation with the audience.
Shorts Program
You Ask Too Much, Directed by Ajay Rakhraj (9 min.)
In “You Ask Too Much,” a near-deaf, 94-year-old Sikh woman seeking comfort in her final days is unexpectedly moved from her son’s home to her daughter’s, causing her to confront the distance that her care creates within the family. Only after she falls one night does the family come back together.
Silkworm, Directed by Amir Honarmand (30 mins.)
A used smartphone sends a boy in rural Iran on an unexpected journey of reconnecting an estranged couple.
Series Episode
Potluck Ladies, Directed by Shazia Javed (30 min. episode)
Ruby (25, Christian, Pakistani), Samina (35, Muslim, Indian), and Azra (45, Muslim, Pakistani) live in ‘The Wives Colony’ in Mississauga with their children while their husbands work in other countries. They initially meet at potluck lunches, a weekly guilt-free escape from loneliness, where all the ladies meet and exchange gossip, flaunt their designer South-Asian wear, and unofficially compete in cooking skills to fuel their self-esteem.
As the women face life’s ups & downs and seek each other for support, the realities of their lives are revealed and the carefully crafted impressions crumble. Over time, they form a bond that is stronger than a family’s, giving each other hope, companionship, and a little courage to break the rules.
Q & A Program
Moderator: Zaarin Bushra
A South Asian actor and filmmaker based in Toronto, Zaarin gained acclaim for her role in “White Elephant” (2020). Committed to fostering inclusivity in film, she spearheaded industry workshops and programs for racialized and LGBTQ+ filmmakers as Director of Operations at The Future of Film Showcase. She is currently Programming Manager at Reelworld Screen Institute.
Panelists: Filmmaker Ajay Rakhraj; Actors Natasha Krishnan and Kavita Musty
Reelworld’s AHM Film Festival actively contributes to fostering anti-racism, ethnocultural diversity, and inclusion by providing platforms for marginalized voices to share their experiences and also to engage in meaningful dialogue. In past programs, through Q&A sessions following screenings, audience members from diverse racialized backgrounds have openly discussed topics such as racism, immigration and more. These discussions not only raise awareness but also facilitate understanding and empathy among participants.
Specifically, the Q&A sessions following these screenings provide a space for filmmakers and audience members to engage with each other and explore the experiences of South Asian immigrants, address the impacts of racism on their journeys, and collectively strategize on how to learn and grow from these experiences. By creating opportunities for open dialogue and reflection, Reelworld contributes to promoting intercultural understanding and advancing institutional change towards a more inclusive Canadian society, free from racism and hate-motivated actions.
Event co-organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists’ Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund