THE DRUMMER at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

was the opening film for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival on 12th November. It was an electrifying night, even the mayor David Miller and Member of Parliament Olivia Chow came to show their support.


The venue was at Bloor Cinema where I used to see art films when I lived in Toronto.

RED CARPET

The night began with a 10 minute Taiko drumming performance by RAW (Raging Asian Women). It was an auspicious start. The performers really fired up the crowd.

The Bloor Cinema is an 850 seat cinema. We had a full house on Opening Night. (Balcony not shown)

SPEECHES

Click here to watch the Mayor’s and my speech

During the screening, there was a black out between reel changes. It was a technical error. I nearly had a heart attack when that happened. It went black for 10 seconds but the sound can still be heard. It’s of the sound of a violent fight scene. When the image finally came back the audience quickly got back on track.

AFTER PARTY

HONG KONG 100 YEARS OF FILM

I was on a panel at the University of Toronto, organized by the festival on the history of Hong Kong films, headed by Bart Testa, a professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto.