The 17th annual Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival kicks off on Tuesday! Running from November 5th -16th, the festival showcases the finest in Asian and South Asian Cinema. In recent years, revered festival circuit gems such as Graceland, Tatsumi, Jump Ashin!, Journals of Musan, Surrogate Valentine, and Bleak Night screened at the festival. As we get ready to cover Reel Asian, here are some of the films we are most excited to see:

bombay talkies

Opening Night Gala: Tue Nov 5, 7:00 PM, Isabel Bader Theatre

BOMBAY TALKIES (directors Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, India 2013, Canadian Premiere)
Celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, this Cannes Film Festival Gala film showcases the power of storytelling by four of Mumbai’s hottest independent filmmakers. Featuring Bollywood stars Rani Mukerji and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

thegreatpassage

Thu Nov 14, 7:00 PM, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Kobayashi Hall

THE GREAT PASSAGE (Director Yuya Ishii, Japan 2013, Toronto Premiere)
Japan’s 2013 Oscar-entry for Best Foreign Language Film is a gentle love story about awkward linguist Majime (Ryuhei Matsuda) and his landlady’s daughter (Miyazaki Aoi), as Majime takes on the momentous task of editing a new dictionary and defining the word “love”.

kirishima

Wed Nov 6, 8:30 PM, AGO Jackman Hall

THE KIRISHIMA THING (director Daihachi Yoshida, Japan 2012)
On Friday afternoon, star athlete Kirishima quits the volleyball team, sending his teammates, girlfriend and classmates into an anxious, bewildered tailspin. A poignant look at the fragile and irrational nature of high school social dynamics.

linsanity

Sat Nov 16, 4:30 PM, Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts

LINSANITY (director Evan Jackson Leong, USA 2013, Canadian Premiere)
The meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin, from NBA benchwarmer to worldwide phenomenon, inspired the term “Linsanity” and has become one of the most unforgettable stories in sports and Asian American history.

farah_goes_bang

Sat Nov 9, 4:00 PM, The Royal

FARAH GOES BANG (director Meera Menon, producer Liz Singh in attendance, actress Nikohl Boosheri in attendance, USA 2013, International premiere)
Farah is a 20-year-old, fun-loving, Bush-hating, Iranian-American virgin. With her two besties, she sets off to campaign for US presidential candidate John Kerry and get laid in this fresh take on young American feminism.

TalesfromtheDark

Fri Nov 8, 8:00 PM, The Royal

TALES FROM THE DARK PART 1 (directors Simon Yam in attendance, Lee Chi Ngai, Fruit Chan, Hong Kong 2013, Toronto Premiere)
From grave-digging and ghost-hunting to revenge-seeking and demon-exorcising, directors Simon Yam, Lee Chi Ngai and Fruit Chan create three distinct tales of Hong Kong horror to chill your bones, make you sweat and keep you hearing the whispers in the night.

The full list of films and ticket information can be found at the Reel Asian website.

Published by Courtney Small

The founder of Cinema Axis, Courtney is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic who can frequently be heard discussing film as co-host of Frameline on Radio Regent. Courtney has contributed to several publications including Leonard Maltin, That Shelf, POV Magazine, In the Seats, Black Girl Nerds, and Comix Asylum. He has appeared on ET Canada and Hollywood Suite's Cinema A to Z. Courtney celebrates diversity in cinema as host of the Changing Reels podcast and is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, the Online Film Critics Society, and the African American Film Critics Association. He is also a Golden Globes International Voter.

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