Our stories matter not just during the month of May, but all times of the year. Across Canada and the U.S. there are several community and volunteer-driven organizations producing cultural events to help us learn more about our stories as part of the Asian diaspora in North America.
The FascinAsian Film Festival is one of Canada’s newest film festivals to celebrate our stories.
FascinAsian Film Festival Calgary takes place from May 2nd to 5th with a wide range of programming with the second half of its festival in Winnipeg from May 24th to May 26th.
The Asian filmmaking community in Calgary and Winnipeg
Cold Tea Collective is proud to be a media partner for the FascinAsian Film Festival and recently connected with Alan Wong about the upcoming festival that takes place in both Calgary and Winnipeg and here’s what we learned about the community.
From the arts, to restaurants, fashion and more Calgary is home to a large Vietnamese community, and a growing number of Filipino families call Winnipeg home.
In the last few years, we’ve also seen major productions such as the first season of critically-acclaimed The Last of Us filmed in Calgary and the upcoming Ke Huy Quan-led action feature, With Love, currently being filmed in Winnipeg.
Within each city, while unique and distinct, so too are each cities’ perspectives on what it means to be of pan Asian descent; these perspectives are reflected in the local filmmaking communities.
What to look forward to at the 2024 FascinAsian Film Festival
Kicking off this year’s festival is a recently-announced TV writers’ workshop facilitated by Ins Choi, creator of Kim’s Convenience. Choi will lead nine BIPOC emerging screenwriters through a two-day intensive workshop where they will learn to write half-hour sitcoms. This is a closed program, but Choi will also be participating in another event with Chinese Canadian authors in Calgary.
Discovering Asian Stories – Calgary
FascinAsian Calgary will also host a special literary event moderated by Choi and featuring Chinese Canadian authors Teresa Wong, Katrina Kwan, Terry Fong, and Chad Soon for an engaging conversation on what it’s like to be an Asian author in Canada. The event will include an author panel, a Q&A session, and authors’ signing.
Saturday May 4th at 11:00am MDT
Calgary Central Public Library (800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB)
The China Clippers: A Tribute to the Legends Norman Kwong and Larry Kwong – Calgary
A special tribute presentation to Chinese Canadian hockey legends Norman Kwong and Larry Kwong. screening Norman’s Heritage Minute Larry’s documentary, The Shift. The event will also feature a panel discussion with the filmmakers behind both films and Kwong family members.
May 5, 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM MDT
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall – Calgary Central Library (800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2E7)
Asian Representation in Canadian Media – Winnipeg
A panel discussion on the state of Asian representation in Canadian media today. Hear from a dynamic panel of filmmakers and journalists, including Faith Fundal, host of CBC Manitoba’s Up to Speed; Stephanie Sy, Filipino-Chinese actor and filmmaker; Warren P. Sonoda, Filmmaker, Director; and Jim Agapito, Journalist and Filmmaker.
May 25, 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM CDT
Ilipvik – Qaumajuq – Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery
300 Memorial Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R3C 1V1
Curating and creating culture at the FascinAsian Film Festivals in Calgary and Winnipeg
Beyond the special events, the films screened also range from Korean Canadian director Celine Song’s award-winning Past Lives to Ru, a story about Vietnamese refugees making a new life in Montreal.
“Our programming is focused on showcasing local filmmakers as much as possible, and also finds notable Pan-Asian film talent from across Canada and from other diasporic communities around the world,” shares Alan Wong from FascinAsian Film Festival.
While other festivals such as ReelAsian in Toronto and VAFF in Vancouver who have each been running for nearly three decades, FascinAsian Film Festival in Winnipeg started in 2021 and Calgary in 2022, signifying the growing filmmaking community and audiences outside of the coasts.
Wong says the festival has grown strong since its inception three years ago, especially as a multi-city festival. “It’s a sign that there is a desire for this type of event and a need for the kind of community building that we are doing,” says Wong.
The FascinAsian Film Festival is run by a volunteer Board of Directors and is powered by volunteers, arts and culture grants and local businesses that have also allowed the organization to hire part-time employees.
Growing the Asian film communities in Calgary and Winnipeg
As the cross-provincial Asian film festival kicks off this May, organizers are energized for the future of the young festival.
“There have been many anecdotal stories of meaningful experiences at our events, which motivate us to continue this important work,” says Wong.
The organization hopes that through their work they can help build an ecosystem for more equal access to resources and opportunities for North American Asian creatives across formats and channels and audiences alike.
“For filmmakers, this means overcoming the institutional barriers that have traditionally marginalized Asian voices; by providing additional platforms and recognition for deserving filmmakers, we work to serve that goal,” says Wong. “For audiences, it means that they have a safe and respectful place to gather and celebrate Asian Heritage Month with a community of like-minded fans of cinema and Asian stories.”
Learn more about the FascinAsian Film Festivals in Calgary and Winnipeg.
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