Canada's largest pan-Asian film festival opens its 30th year in Toronto

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival opened its 30th edition today at TIFF Lightbox, launching an 11-day run of pan-Asian cinema that the Globe and Mail described as a milestone for Asian-Canadian independent film. The festival runs in person from November 11 to 21 and then online across Canada from November 16 to 29.

Reel Asian is described as Canada's largest pan-Asian film festival. It was founded in Toronto in 1997 by Anita Lee to create a screening space for Asian-Canadian and Asian-American films that mainstream festivals were not showing. Lee told the Globe and Mail: "I don't feel that the presence of Asian-Canadian filmmakers has grown in a significant way," pointing to directors like Celine Song (Past Lives) and Domee Shi (Turning Red) who built their careers in Hollywood rather than Canada.

Lee herself has since moved to the Toronto International Film Festival, where she is now Chief Programming Officer.

What the festival is

Reel Asian describes itself as a year-round cultural organization that champions Asian and Asian diasporic artists. Its festival program this year includes more than 60 features and short films, an industry talk series called Reel Ideas, extended reality (XR) experiences under the RA:X program, and retrospective screenings marked as RA:RA:RA celebrating three decades of programming.

The festival runs its main in-person screenings at TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto. The 2026 edition also includes the Pitch! program's 20th year, an ongoing series in which emerging filmmakers present projects to a jury.

The Globe and Mail noted that the festival has seen successful Asian-Canadian directors build careers outside Canada, with Celine Song (Past Lives) and Maggie Kang (KPop Demon Hunters) as examples Lee cited alongside Domee Shi. Lee described the gap as institutional: a lack of sustained support for Asian-Canadian filmmakers at mid-career level, which the Fire Horse Award was designed to address.

This year's films

The opening night film is BA'S BOOK, a documentary following Ashley Duong and her father as they travel to Vietnam to re-enact scenes from his memoir. The centrepiece gala is SUNBURN, directed by Serville Poblete.

Short films run across seven themed programs, with 35 or more titles in total. The Unsung Voices 15 program focuses on six emerging filmmakers. The RA:RA:RA program presents retrospective and anniversary screenings.

The closing night event is the Pitch! Live Finale, where five finalist filmmakers pitch their projects to a live jury and audience for prize packages. Andrew Phung, who has hosted the finale before, returns to host this year.

The Fire Horse Award

Since 2021, the festival has given the Fire Horse Award, a $25,000 prize, to a filmmaker who has made sustained contributions to advancing Asian-Canadian cinema. The award was established at the festival's 25th anniversary.

The 2026 recipient is Ana Serrano, President and Vice-Chancellor of OCAD University. Serrano founded the CFC Media Lab in 1997, which became one of Canada's main centres for digital storytelling. In 2012 she launched IDEABOOST, described by the festival as Canada's first digital entertainment accelerator, which supported more than 100 ventures. She also produced Late Fragment, described by the festival as North America's first interactive feature film. The festival says the award ceremony took place on June 2, 2026.

Free family day: November 21

On the festival's final in-person day, Innis Town Hall at 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto hosts the Wee Asian program, a free drop-in event open to families. Screenings run at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Art activities for children run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. No ticket is required.

Industry events

For filmmakers and industry professionals, Reel Ideas runs eight panels and events from November 12 to 21. Topics include a talk with the director of BA'S BOOK on November 12, a panel on cinematography careers on November 18, a music video directors panel and party on November 20, and sessions on accessible production practices and vertical format filmmaking for smaller budgets.

On November 19, the TV Writing Program presents First Read: Fresh Voices in TV, where emerging writers perform live script readings with professional actors. The IATSE 873 union runs a session on November 18 for filmmakers looking for crew support on upcoming productions.

Leadership change

Long-time Executive Director Deanna Wong is stepping down after this edition. Associate Director Kelly Lui is taking over. Anita Lee, the founder, left the festival several years ago to join TIFF.

Online access

For those outside Toronto or unable to attend in person, online screenings run from November 16 to 29 through the festival's website, available across Canada.

How to attend

Tickets for in-person screenings are available at reelasian.com/festival/. Rush tickets for sold-out screenings are offered 15 minutes before showtime at the venue. The festival runs in person at TIFF Lightbox and other Toronto venues through November 21, 2026.