“the hybrid condition” by Tam Khoa Vu – Interval 2023
Interval is a short-term artist residency program in digital media set up by Festival Accès Asie and OBORO, creative partners since 1999, to produce and present an artwork. Interval‘s goal is to support a local artist from the Asian diaspora (including artists from Central Asia and the Middle East) in the development and dissemination of a new media art project, which may take the form of an installation, a performance, or a public presentation (in person or online).
Applications may only be submitted electronically by email at [email protected] with the subject line mentioning “Proposal for Interval 2024.” You may include links for supporting material (WeTransfer, Dropbox, Vimeo, YouTube, etc.)
Festival Accès Asie and OBORO are expanding their longstanding collaboration and will present a joint exhibition in May 2025. 🤝
We are inviting Montreal-based artists, artist collectives and curators in visual arts, media and digital arts or interdisciplinary practices from the Asian diaspora to propose an exhibition project.
We are interested among others in innovative practices that offer a contemporary perspective on the issues facing us as individuals, as a society and as artists.
Your exhibition project may also include a performance or a proposal for a public event (guided tour, talk, workshop, master class, mediation activity, etc.).
This targeted call aims to support the exhibition of works by one or more Montreal-based artists from the Asian diaspora, including Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia), and the Middle East.
The exhibition will span approximately 2 months, including the month of May.
We are pleased to introduce our new partner : Danse-Cité 👏
Within its 2023-2024 season, Danse-Cité will present with Festival Accès Asie 光影 光陰 (Guāngyǐng guāngyīn) by Nien Tzu Weng – A production by Nien Tzu Weng, Danse-Cité and Festival Accès Asie.
What is Danse-Cité?
Danse-Cité’s main mission is to contribute to the evolution of dance practices and contemporary creation by supporting artists through research, creation, production and/or presentation.
Learn more about Nien Tzu Weng
« Nien Tzu Weng is a Taiwanese-Canadian interdisciplinary dance artist and lighting designer based in Montreal. She builds bridges between disciplines, pursuing an experimental approach to contemporary performance, and a laboratory-based approach to lighting design. »
Our 28th edition of Festival Accès Asie has come to an end! In total, over 7,000 of you attended this year’s events. This edition was a great celebration of a variety of arts and culture presented by many artists of the Asian diaspora.
We would like to thank the spectacular artists in our program, our amazing collaborators, and our enthusiastic audience for their participation and support! Thank you all for joining us, and we look forward to seeing you next year for our 29th edition.
Nayla Naoufal takes part of a cultural citizenship discussion!
On June 12, our Artistic Director Nayla Naoufal will be taking part in an international symposium about cultural citizenship.
She will participate to the first round table about Democratics virtues of cultural citizenship.
This event takes place over two days, on June 12 and 13, at the Georges-Vanier Cultural Center.
This event aims to share reflections and experiences related to cultural and artistic participation mechanisms, deployed in a plurality of spaces and places in town.
During these two days, the arts and cultural research and practice communities will bring together various cultural, territorial, and societal issues in order to understand and illustrate cultural citizenship. To learn more about the program, visit the Culture Montreal’s website.
‘Imagination is a factory where hope is manufactured. If the counternarrative to violence is care, then that’s where you will find me’ Sundus Abdul Hadi.
As the 28th program of the Festival Accès Asie (FAA) is unveiled, I pay tribute to my predecessor Khosro Berahmandi, the architect of this vibrant line up and the recipient of the Charles Biddle Prize in 2022 for his contribution to Quebec’s cultural and artistic development. Khosro has been carefully weaving interconnections within the arts ecosystem and valuing the voices of artists from the Asian diaspora.
This edition emphasizes collaborations between artists from various fields, from different regions of Asia, from different Canadian provinces, as well as projects involving emerging artists and established artists… These collaborations underscore the relations of care and hospitality patiently cultivated by Asian artists within society.
One of the challenges of the FAA is to build a unifying space where artists from diverse Asian diaspora communities can exchange, build solidarity, create together, and reach out to their audiences. We rise to the challenge with this year’s program, which takes place on unceded Indigenous territory, of which the Kanien’kehá:ka nation is the guardian and protector. We are grateful to live in Tiohtiá:ke – which means “where the currents meet” in the Kanien’kehá:ka language – also called Mooniyang – “hollow place” in Anishinaabemowin. We are thankful for the opportunity to highlight, on this territory, the vitality and effervescence of Asian diaspora artists’ practices, from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to Japan and the Philippines, from Kazakhstan to India.
Hand in hand with Festival Accès Asie’s board of directors and team, I wish you a beautiful Asian Heritage Month!
Nayla Naoufal – Artistic Director of Festival Accès Asie
Curated by director Laurence Ly, the Festival is launching its first short film competition!
For its first competition of Asiate en court, Festival Accès Asie awards up to $2,000 in prizes to the winning film thanks to Main Film, L’INIS and Cinéma Moderne.
We are therefore very happy to introduce you to Nayla Naoufal, who will have the heavy task of succeeding Khosro Berahmandi as artistic director of Festival Accès Asie. Nayla has already taken office this week and is operating a slow handover with Khosro ahead of his official departure in February.
Welcome home Nayla!
« Combining political engagement and poetry. Amplifying the voices and the experiences of artists from the Asian continent and its diaspora. Emphasizing listening, conversations and exchange. Caring for. Hosting. Connecting. This is the fantastic mandate of the organization I am very happily joining as an artistic director: Festival Accès Asie, so-called Canada’s longest continuously running festival that celebrates the practice of artists coming from Asia, from the shores of the Mediterranean to Japan and the Philippines, from Kazakhstan and Russia to India. »
– Nayla Naoufal
Born in Beirut, Nayla has worked as a journalist, art critic, cultural worker, administrator, researcher and teacher. She is particularly interested in justice, antiracism and decolonization in the arts sector. Nayla holds a PhD in environmental science (UQAM, 2012) and has collaborated with Indigenous and racialized artists in Canada, Lebanon, Norway, and other parts of the world, and artists and collectives working with environmental concepts-practices. Among others, Nayla was a program officer at the Canada Council for the Arts and, before that, in charge of artist support programs at the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels). She has published articles in diverse newspapers and magazines such as esse, Mouvement, Le Devoir, revue de théâtre Jeu, Black Box Teater publication (in Norway), Theater der Zeit (in Germany), and more.) She has collaborated with a diversity of organisations in the arts (FTA, Onishka productions, International theater festival in Oslo, Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault, Gallery Leonard Bina Ellen, Espace Go, etc.)
Festival Accès Asie is developing a new partnership with the Neang Kong Kental (NKK) Dance Center in Cambodia, which will consist of a pairing of two artists (one Canadian of Asian origin, the other Cambodian) for a three-weeks residency in Cambodia, followed by three presentations in Cambodia and three presentations in Canada (including Montreal and Toronto).
The project is driven by a desire for dialogue and sharing between the artists of these two countries, and will be realized by a collaborative creation, complementary creation, or other format chosen by the artists.
The NKK Dance Centre is a new venue dedicated to contemporary dance, located in nature, about 30 minutes from the Angkor temples. It consists of a dance studio (30 x 50ft) and close by accommodation. The residency at the NKK Dance Center will be accompanied by a mentorship with choreographer-performer Peter Chin, based between Canada (Toronto) and Cambodia.
Please send your portfolio to [email protected] before December 30, 2022 including:
– a CV or biography ; – motivation for your participation in the project ; – video excerpts from recent creations ; – optional: other relevant document to your proposal (mood board, letter of support, press review, etc.).
Additional information: – this call is for emerging Asian artists – selection will be announced in the fall of 2023 – the project (residency and broadcast in Cambodia and Canada) will take place in 2024; exact dates will be announced.
It is with great emotion and pride that we announce that Khosro won the Charles Biddle prize in the regional section yesterday afternoon. A deserved distinction for his 25 years commitment to the Festival and his work as a painter. Well done Khosro! And congratulations to Anne Peyrouse and Thien Vu Dang for their nominations.
Asia in the spotlight! Congratulations also to Nassib El-Husseini, general manager of the company Les 7 doigts de la main, winner for the national/international section.
Charles Biddle Prize: Khosro Berahmandi is finalist!
For 13 years, the Charles Biddle Prize has highlighted the exceptional contribution of individuals who have immigrated to Quebec and whose personal or professional commitment contributes to the cultural and artistic development of Quebec society.
It is with great pride that we announce that our artistic director, Khosro Berahmandi, is nominated in the regional section for his artistic commitment and his help to Asian communities since his arrival in Canada. Khosro Berahmandi has been able to give a voice to artists of immigrant origin by helping them to be represented and by forging links between cultural actors across Quebec.
The name of the winner will be announced on November 7.
Khosro Berahmandi is retiring as Artistic Director
As some of you already know, our dear Khosro Berahmandi will be retiring as Artistic Director of Festival Accès Asie in January after more than 25 years of service! He intends to take this opportunity to work on his personal artistic projects and enjoy some well-deserved rest. We are sad to see him go, but the Festival is a big family, and we are sure to see him again very soon in visual arts exhibitions across Montreal! We will not soon forget Khosro’s incredible contribution to Montreal’s cultural landscape, his significant addition to the artistic representation of the entire continent of Asia, and of course, his memorable hair and inimitable style! Thank you so much for your wonderful work and your contagious energy dear Khosro! Happy retirement, you’re cool like cucumber!
Of course, if Khosro retires, this means that his position is vacant! We are therefore looking for a dynamic person to fill the role of Artistic Director! We are searching for someone who ideally has experience in multidisciplinary programming in the Montreal cultural scene and who has an expert knowledge of Asian arts and cultures. The position will start on November 14th for transferring knowledge before Khosro’s official departure in January 2023. All details on our Career page!
You’ve all been waiting for it: our 2022 program has finally been revealed! Discover below the 19 events that will make up our 27th edition. This year, we will finally be able to meet in person after two years of online shows, and celebrate Asian Heritage Month together in different Montreal venues. All the details of the events can be found on our Program page.
May 5 at 5 p.m | Opening cocktail | Conseil des arts de Montréal (Free) [FR/EN]
From May 5 to May 29 | Origami Workshop | Online (Free) / Workshop for kids [FR]
May 6 at 8 p.m. | From Tokyo to Montréal | Gesù ($10) / Cinema [EN]
From May 7 to May 29 | Asian Horror & Cynicism | Maison de la culture Janine-Sutto (Free) / Visual Arts [FR/EN][Opening on May 7 at 2 p.m. Round table on May 8 at 2 p.m.]
From May 11 to June 12 | Terre Fertile | Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges (Free) / Visual Arts [FR/EN] [Opening on May 11 at 5 p.m.]
May 12 at 8 p.m. | Pendulum in the Mirror | Jeunesses Musicales du Canada ($20) / Music [FR/EN]
May 13 at 8 p.m. | Fireworks Play Readings – Never Walk Alone | Gesù ($10) / Theatre [EN]
May 14 at 2 p.m. | Water and Dreams | OBORO (Free) / New media [FR/EN]
May 14 at 8 p.m.| Fireworks Play Readings – Lady Sunrise | Gesù ($10) / Theatre [EN]
May 14 at 8 p.m. | Mystic Music from Pakistan | Auditorium of the Grande Bibliothèque BAnQ ($30) / Music [FR/EN]
May 15 at 2 p.m. | Delight your taste buds: Mongolian cuisine | Om Restaurant ($20) / Culinary Mediation [FR]
May 19 and May 20 at 8 p.m. | PANJ | MAI ($20) / Multidisciplinary [EN]
May 20 at 9 p.m. | Blue Move$ with Transpacific Express | Centre Phi ($20) / Music [FR/EN]
May 21 starting at 8 a.m. (available for 24 hours) | The Path of Dreams | Online (Free) / Theatre [FR]
May 22 at 9 p.m. | Suoni Per Il Popolo visits Festival Accès Asie | Sala Rossa ($10) / Music [FR/EN]
May 26 at 7:30 p.m. | Od-Sor & Double Tigers | Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Montréal ($25) / Dance [FR/EN]
May 27 at 7:30 p.m. | Unexpected Path | Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Montréal ($25) / Dance [FR/EN]
May 28 at 8 p.m. (EST) | On the Move: National Asian Heritage Celebration | Online (Free) / Multidisciplinary [FR/EN]
May 29 at 2 p.m. | Closing show | Lahaie Park (Free) / Dance, Music & Workshop [FR/EN]
On March 21 and 22 at the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), Festival Accès Asie invites you to two days of activities focused on the fight against racism and the sharing of individual stories and experiences of racialized people.
Crédit : Camille Rioux
In response to the rise of intolerance and racism in recent years, Festival Accès Asie is determined to make a concrete commitment to the fight against discrimination by creating an anti-racism component to complement its regular programming. As part of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Semaine d’actions contre le racisme et pour l’égalité des chances in Quebec, we invite you to take part in “Let’s confront racism together!”, our two-day event focused on sharing and raising awareness about the experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) communities, including systemic racism issues. For this first edition of its anti-racism component, the Festival is partnering with the Super Boat People Collective to present three round tables as well as a closing musical performance. The activities’ schedule can be found below.
Monday, March 21, 2022
5 P.M.: Round Table — The Importance of Individual Stories and Narratives in the Fight Against Discrimination
7 P.M.: Round Table — Anti-Asian Racism and the Pandemic: An Assessment
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
5 P.M.: Round Table — Systemic Racism in Quebec
7 P.M.: Musical Performance by Melissa Girvan
For a full description of the activities and to find out who will be participating in the round tables, see our event webpage or our press release.
We are super-excited to announce that the Festival has been selected by the Conseil des arts de Montréal as a finalist for the 36th Grand Prix!
The Grand Prix has highlighted and recognized exceptional events or essential projects that have marked the year in different artistic disciplines.
We have been nominated for all our 2021 activities: the 26th edition of Festival Accès Asie and all our special projects such as Abilities project or the Fleur de lys, fleur de thé edition in Gaspésie. It is a great honour and a pride for us!
With the Grand Prix and the Prix du Jury, the Festival also has the possibility of winning the Prix du public and for that we need you! You can click here and give us a chance to win this prize.
From the bottom of our heart, thank you. If we’re here, it’s mainly thanks to you 💖
FESTIVAL ACCÈS ASIE – 27th Edition May 5 to May 29 2022, in Montreal
From May 5 to May 29 2022, the 27th edition of Festival Accès Asie will celebrate a new year of Asian arts and cultures in Montreal, showcasing a festive programme during Canada’s Asian Heritage Month.
We are determined that the pandemic will not stop Festival Accès Asie from putting together a discovery-filled season, from dance to visual arts as well as music, theatre, and culinary arts, with activities for people of all ages, for you, your family and friends.
The 27th edition of the Festival Accès Asie will officially be held from May 5 to May 29 2022 and marks the return of the festival in its presential form, after two years of virtual events! Altogether, 19 events will take place throughout the month of May in various Montreal venues as well as online.
Before we unveil our entire programme on Monday, April 4, our team at Festival Accès Asie invites you to discover some of the artists and events featured in this diverse and highly colourful season.
Opening Cocktail | Thursday, May 5 at 5 p.m. | Conseil des arts de Montréal (Free)
Fertile Land | Wednesday May 11 to Sunday June 12 2022 | Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges (Free)
Asian Horror & Cynicism| May 7 to June 5 2022 | Maison de la culture Janine-Sutto (Free)
Origami Workshop| May 5 to May 29 2022 | Online (Free)
Pendulum in the Mirror |Thursday, May 12 at 8 p.m. | Jeunesses Musicales du Canada ($20)
Water and Dreams | Saturday, May 14 at 2 p.m. | OBORO (Free)
Delight your taste buds!: Mongolian Cuisine | Sunday May 15 at 2 p.m. | Om Restaurant ($20)
Le sentier des rêves | Saturday May 21 starting at 8 a.m. (available for 24 hours) | Online (Free)
Od-Sor & Double Tigers | Thursday May 26 at 7:30 p.m. | Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Montréal ($20)
On the Move: National Asian Heritage Celebration | Saturday May 28 at 8 p.m. (EST) | Online (Free)
To read our pre-launch release in its entirety, click here.
The holidays are coming and we are all looking for the perfect gift for our loved ones … 💝
We, at Festival Accès Asie, want to continue to offer quality programming and allow artists of Asian origin to shine in Quebec’s cultural landscape. ✨ The Festival keeps expanding, with great projects in the works that we cannot wait to share with you! 😁 None of this would be possible without you, your support and your enthusiasm over the years.Thank you! 🙏 We therefore appeal to you, your generosity and your love for cultural diversity for our end-of-year fundraiser. (We remind you that by making a donation for the Festival, you will receive a receipt for your taxes! It’s a win-win! 👀)
Interval – Production and Presentation Short-term Residency
CALL FOR ARTIST SUBMISSIONS Production and Presentation Short-Term Residency – Interval Deadline: November 29th, 2021 at 11:59 pm
Interval is a short-term artist residency program in digital media set up by Festival Accès Asie and OBORO, creative partners since 1999, to produce and present an artwork. Interval’s goal is to support a local artist from the Asian community in the development and dissemination of a new media art project, which may take the form of an installation, a performance, or a public presentation (in person or online). The selected artist will receive an artist fee and a production budget. They will also benefit from OBORO’s support in the development of their artwork, thanks to an access to studios and equipment for up to 5 days, as well as occasional assistance from the New Media Lab’s team. Applicants must reside in the greater Montreal area. The selected project will be presented once, on May 14, 2022, as part of OBORO’s programming during Festival Accès Asie.
Founded in 1995, Festival Accès Asie promotes Asian arts, cultures and histories through a diversity of artistic disciplines including the visual arts, dance, theatre, video, film, music, literature, performance, new media and culinary arts. The Festival presents events that feature artists of Asian origin and artists whose work is inspired by Asian arts, cultures and histories.
Founded in 1982 with the conviction that transcultural artistic experiences contribute to the betterment of humankind, OBORO fosters the development of art practices locally, nationally and internationally. OBORO’s sphere of activity encompasses visual and media arts, performing arts, new technologies and emerging practices.
The Festival team will be back in Gaspésie, thanks to La Vieille Usine, our loyal partner for the organization of this third edition, which will take place from September 2 to 5, 2021.
On the program, classical Indian dance, an exhibition, some music, a children’s workshop, a culinary workshop and meetings with the public.
If you want to book your ticket directly, go to the website La Vieille Usine.
Please note that we are always looking for new collaborators to develop our provincial component. If you are interested in hosting the Festival Accès Asie program, contact Khosro Berahmandi to discuss various artistic and cultural exchange opportunities.
Your loyalty and support of Asian arts are proof that Festival Acces Asie and our dedication to diversity in arts have a bright future ahead!
We hope you enjoyed four weeks of festivities with Accès Asie! Festival Accès Asie has now come to an end, and we want to thank our artists, partners, audience and the team for their commitment!
Although it was a big adjustment for us to program a virtual festival, our diverse roster of events and workshops were a major success!
As the tradition wants, you can read below the message from the artistic direction to announce the Festival Accès Asie 26th edition!
Fighting back with art!
“Every morning we are born again.
What we do today is what matters most. ”
― Buddha
Dear Accès Asie friends, colleagues, supporters, and, especially, artists of the 2021 edition of the Festival!
It is with pride and joy that I write these words, despite the heartbreaking and confusing time in which our human society is living, with all the harsh challenges imposed on us by the pandemic.
For us at Festival Accès Asie, it is our second consecutive year that we are moving our Festival online. Last year, we were among the first artistic and cultural organizations to hold its events in the digital world. Hopefully, this year, Festival Accès Asie will be among the last art organizations that have to make that shift.
We also had to confront other challenges that tragically hit our communities across the country. A government-funded report has revealed that anti-Asian racist incidents increased five times between March 10 2020 and the end of February 2021. We condemn these heinous acts and stand with those affected. Together we will achieve!
Our main goal since day one has been to reach beyond the barriers and crises that COVID-19 has brought upon us. We are proud that despite these harsh circumstances, we have managed to get through the past 12 months. We didn’t only shift digitally for our festival programming; we also initiated a national movement across the country by creating an Asian Heritage Month National Symposium. Through this platform, Asian Canadian artists and arts organizations were able to express the concerns of many different Asian communities. The work of the National Symposium is ongoing through the different working groups created by its participants.
Every morning we are born again and every morning we begin anew our fight back through our art. This has been our history for the past 26 years.
In solidarity with all Asian arts organizations and hand in hand with the Board of Directors of Festival Accès Asie and its undaunted team, I wish every one of you a wonderful Asian Heritage Month and a marvelous Festival.
Presentations from the 2nd National Asian Heritage Month Symposium are available!
To respond to the challenges related to the development and health of Asian Canadian heritage, Festival Accès Asie organized a 2nd National Asian Heritage Month Symposium online from September 10 to 13, 2020.
Missed some presentations at the 2nd National Asian Heritage Month Symposium in September 2020?
Don’t worry, you can now find them all on our website!
Go to the Recordings page to view them. You have free access to 28 video recordings of presentations, webinars and discussions.
In May 2020, Festival Accès Asie celebrated its 25th birthday. As part of these celebrations, we contacted 25 people to ask them to describe the Festival with one word.
25 words creating a Festival’s lexicon evoking its soul and spirit which has existed for a quarter of a century already!
It is an honor for our team and our organization to present to you this video directed by Laurence Ly.
25 years of festivities, meetings, celebrations, sharing, culture, novelty, traditions and energy invested to promote the Asian heritage that inhabits our territory.
And we set ourselves the mission of continuing to contribute to cultural exchange and to forge links between communities for the next 25 years!
Discover below the 19 events that will make up our 27th edition. This year, we will finally be able to meet in person after two years of online shows, and celebrate Asian Heritage Month together in different Montreal venues. All the details of the events can be found on our 
