An Iranian mother must find the will to change her destiny to be able to obtain custody of her daughter.

Canada forcibly incarcerated and dispossessed thousands of Canadian citizens of Japanese heritage, relocating them to internment camps, or in the case of the Kobayashi family, a sugar beet work farm in the Canadian Prairies. After accessing the 119 page custodial file of her great-grandfather in the National Archives of Canada, Kobayashi discovered details about her family history and their life before their internment that were previously unknown. File No. 2304 is a chapter of her interdisciplinary work, Electric Neon Clock, which explores the government’s custodial file about her family consisting of court transcripts, inventories and forms that reveal hidden narratives and family history.

A teacup triggers MeiLi’s childhood memories and her bittersweet relationship with her father, who was both a victim of and an abuser within the cycle of family violence. How MeiLi confronts her past deeply influences her perspective on her past, present, and future.

A young man complains about his life to his therapist, only to have his perspective shifted.

Produced to mark the 70th anniversary of Korean adoption, ‘From Ibyang-a to Ibyang-In’ (From adopted child to Adopted person), offers a profound reflection on the phenomenon of adoption. In this film, it skillfully weaves an activist and artistic timeline of the history of adoption in South Korea. As well as showing how South Korean adoptees have helped shape South Korea. This short film offers a unique perspective on the future of South Korean adoption, as it highlights the challenges, demands and dreams of people who inhabit the reality from the inside.

During a ten course Chinese banquet-style dinner, a family deals with an unexpected guest that gets invited to their 100 day baby celebration.

In the foreground, silhouettes seek refuge in their dreams.

In the background, a city torn apart by civil war.

The sun sets, red, wounded.

Based on a true story, “The Death of James” tells the unique journey of two young friends grappling with mortality as they are confronted with the impending loss of a cherished pet ferret. Humorous, awkward, and deeply heartbreaking, the film takes an unflinching look at death, loss, euthanasia, and the uncertainties that may or may not follow, viewed through the eyes of two characters navigating these challenges for the first time.

ژن (Woman) is the first part of a trilogy that engages with the Iranian feminist revolution from the vantage point of diaspora. Through documentary media showcasing protesters on the streets, the film presents their civil disobedience as a collective performance, and explores the emerging narrative for woman, life and freedom.

A group of young Hong Kong locals and exchange student Brandon Chow, dressed in costumes, tell stories while getting high, forgetting them by morning. This semi-fictional film explores Hong Kong identity within a pan-Chinese narrative being imposed by the Chinese Communist Party. Blending diverse lived experiences both within Hong Kong and its international diaspora, it captures the despondency and proud dogmatism that many political dissidents feel amidst Hong Kong’s cultural erosion.

Reflecting Chow’s identity as a third-generation Chinese Canadian or “Banana Boy” (an Asian person raised in Western society), the narrative blends humour and heartfelt moments to address this sensitive political topic. Amidst the erasure of China’s subcultures, Brandon questions the evolution of ‘Chinese-ness’ and warns against mechanizing nationalist narratives.

Manon sits at a table waiting for her date as an uncontrollable itch overtakes her.

Arash is a professional wrestler with dreams of representing his country and winning gold medals. The country is in turmoil and its people are suffering. Arash must decide between using his platform to stand up to tyranny, or put his head down and remain silent.

A duel between two folkloric deities in a Cambodian opera will decide the fate of a young teenager in her attempt to win the Paul Gérin-Lajoie dictation contest.

This whimsical group piece starts in a laundromat, then spins in unexpected directions. Inspired by Spanish visual artist Paco Pomet and directed by Marites Carino and choreography by Emmanuelle Lê Phan, OffSpin Cycle features Tentacle Tribe dancers and music from Tentacle Tribe’s cofounder, Elon Höglund. Mostly filmed on 16 mm in Montréal, the short film explores the unimaginable possibilities that open outside of one’s comfort zone. The project received a Digital Now grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and was financed by the Conseil des Arts du Québec (Québec Art Council).

The filmmaker aka Tranie Tronic tells the tale of the incident that inspired their latest album Transgression and brings awareness to the potential dangers of dating men online via sharing their experience of assault and theft.

Following an exchange of text messages with her mother about her newly adopted dog Abby, a young woman sees her experience as a transracial adoptee reflected in this adoption.

A young Filipina filmmaker attempts to overwrite a painful memory of her mother with a perfect narrative.

The formation and history of Lake Baikal in Siberia are re-imagined with hand-made animation, featuring the voice of a Buryat woman who can still recall some words in her endangered Buryat-Mongolian language.

Based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, Dédé Chen is an author and filmmaker interested in exploring the dynamics of filiation. She holds a degree in anthropology from Laval University and completed a master’s in international relations at the University of Beijing. Upon her return, she began developing a writing practice, blending poetics and politics, and focusing on themes such as sexual violence, the body as territory, and archival work. She co-edited Les Asiatitudes (2024), the first French-language anthology of authors descending from Asian diasporas in Quebec, and has published autofiction works in literary journals such as Le double de la mère in Moebius (2021), Femmage in Le Crachoir de Flaubert (2022), and Renasiance in Estuaire (2024). Her first short film, Papaya (2022), premiered at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, and was awarded the Prix du Coup de Coeur at the Festival Accès Asie, as well as an honorable mention at the Festival Filministes and the Vancouver Festival of Recorded Movement.

Having grown up between Saguenay and Quebec City, she needed to reconnect with her roots in the city and amplify the voices of adopted people. In 2021, she co-founded Soft Gong, the first Francophone organization by and for adoptees from China.

Of Cambodian and Vietnamese origin, Laurence Ly holds a master’s degree in cinema and moving image from UQAM and a diploma in directing from L’inis. He has directed the web series LES LAURIERS (2022) and the short films CORRESPONDANCE (2022) and LE PETIT PANIER À ROULETTES (2024), which have been shown at local and international festivals. His next short-film project, with the support of the CAC and CALQ, is LA NUIT DU CANTONNIER, a fantastical tale of a Chinese road-mender in 1939. He works as a producer, director and screenwriter, and curates and programs films for Festival Accès Asie.