Two graduates of Oakville's Sheridan college are premiering animated short films at this year's Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Better still, both films will stream for free online as part of the festival's official lineup.
The festival begins today, Wednesday, Nov. 10, and runs until Sunday, Nov. 19. Both of the films are now screening in the Wee Asian programme of the festival, which screens to online viewers for free throughout all ten days of festival events.
The first is called Perfect Restaurant, directed by Aiken Chau. Inspired by his own experiences at the dinner table, the plot reads "a fly wreaks havoc on a family's dinner at a restaurant."
Chau is a Chinese Canadian artist and animator "who enjoys storytelling and creating characters," according to the festival. He is a graduate from the Sheridan College animation program, experimenting with animation of all mediums.
The second short is Your Hand in Mine, directed by Sheryl Au. Set across three separate timelines, the short follows a couple struggle to openly love each other.
Reel Asian says "Au is a Malaysian, born and raised in Singapore, who loves drawing and is pursuing a career in animation. Her aspirations have taken her to Sheridan College, where she has now graduated with a Bachelor of Animation from the school."
Free access to both shorts (two of the eight in the Wee Asian programme) is available on the Reel Asian Film Festival website here. You can also learn more about the Wee Asian programme, too.
According to their press release, The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is "a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from the Asian diaspora. Works include films and videos by Asian-identifying artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world."
The festival was founded in 1997 by producer Anita Lee and journalist Andrew Sun, and is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. The non-profit community-based festival has grown into "an eagerly anticipated annual event that attracts thousands of attendees to ten exciting days of galas, screenings, forums, workshops and parties."
More information about this year's festival is available on their website.