The Toronto International Film Festival is starting later this week!
This is one of the biggest cultural events in Canada, and it’s safe to say many eyes in the entertainment world will be looking towards Toronto in the next two weeks.
As for me, I will be covering the festival for a fifth year in a row. Below, I have compiled a few Asian titles I am excited to check out at the festival.
For more up to date stories from the festival, be sure to follow @bunnipopletter on Instagram!
Bedford Park
(Photo credit: Mongrel Media/Sony Pictures Classics)
Son Sukku (My Liberation Notes) and Moon Choi (Now, We are Breaking Up) star as two second-generation Korean Americans in their 30s as their relationship goes from friendly to romantic. This debut feature from Stephanie Ahn explores the complexities of the diasporic Asian-American experience.
Happily Ever After
(Photo credit: Moebius Entertainment)
Director Feng-I Fiona Roan’s Happily Ever After revolves around two sisters who couldn’t feel more opposite. Kitty (i-dle’s Shuhua in her film debut) is about to get a promotion and is engaged to a wealthy man. While her sister Claire (Xuan Chen) is far from traditional. Their lives turn upside down when they come across an abandoned cat, and soon the pair grapple with family expectations, and discovering what happiness means to them.
The Assassin(s)
Based on the attempted assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee, The Assassin(s) directed by Hur Jin-ho is a procedural about police and journalists determined to uncover a seemingly complex conspiracy. The film features an A-list cast, starring Lee Min-ho (Boys Over Flowers, The Heirs), Yoo Hai-jin (A Taxi Driver) and Park Hae-il (Decision to Leave).
Always Lalisa
(Photo credit: Sony Music Vision)
Many will know Lisa as a member of the hit K-pop girl group Blackpink. But who is she outside of the superstar band? Always Lalisa, directed by Sue Kim, takes viewers inside Lisa’s journey as a solo artist. The film also gives an intimate look into Lisa’s childhood dreams for the stars and how she got to where she is today.
Ah Girl
Ah Girl is a coming-of-age film that follows a curious young girl as she navigates her parents’ separation. The film is inspired by director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s own childhood and is the filmmaker’s debut feature film. This film will take you back into what life was like back in the 1990s in Singapore, and is a heartwarming yet bittersweet reminder of what growing up feels like.
Possible Love
In Lee Chang-dong’s (Burning) highly anticipated film, Possible Love chronicles two couples playing games with themselves and one another. The film will bring about issues of class and generational divides, and stars an all-star cast that includes Jeon Do-yeon (Good News), Cho Yeo-jeong (Parasite) and Zo In-sung (Smugglers).
This film recently received a seven minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, and is already receiving rave reviews. I can’t wait to see this one.
Whatcha Want
(Photo credit: Mongrel Media)
Canadian Mina Shum sure knows how to tell complex Asian-Canadian stories with humour and complexity! In her latest film, she tells the story of a young woman from Hong Kong whose marriage to an affluent businessman is beginning to resemble a gilded cage. The film stars Tzi Ma, Ming-Na Wen and Isabella Wei.
Look Back
Look Back is a coming of age film directed and written by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda (Monster, Broker and Shoplifters). The film revolves around two students who bond over a shared love of creating manga, and is adapted by an acclaimed story by comic book writer Tatsuki Fujimoto.
Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty!
This film directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka (Tokyo Vice) revolves around a Tokyo ballroom dancer named Haru (Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi) as she grieves the sudden death of her dance partner and husband Luis (Alejandro Edda). While depression sets in for Haru, her passion and sense of purpose is reignited after she comes across a new Spanish dance instructor (played by Alberto Guerra). This film won the the Directing Award - U.S. Dramatic at this year’s Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Love a film that’s already got some early hype around it!
A Girl Unknown
Directed by Zou Jing, A Girl Unknown tells the story of a girl passed through different families and identities under China’s one-child policy. This coming of age drama follows one woman’s journey to self-determination and resilience.
We Are Born Good
In Leung Chuen Yeung’s debut feature, this Hong Kong-set film follows a struggling actress and ex-con restaurant owner who turn a petty dispute into an unlikely bond. Expect a lot of humour, heart and vulnerability through performances by Suet Ying Chung and Wai Lun Yeung.
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