The 29th annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival will present more than 90 features, shorts, and documentary films between November 6 and 16. The in-theatre and online lineup includes more than 50 Canadian offerings. Here are six Pancouver recommendations.
Rosemead
In the festival opener Rosemead, Lucy Liu delivers what Variety reviewer Peter Debruge described as a “career-redefining performance”. The former Charlie’s Angels star plays an ailing, recently widowed mother who tries to protect her teenage son (Lawrence Shou) from his violent fantasies. Directed by Eric Lin, this independent film is inspired by a true story and it shines a light on mental-health challenges within a Chinese family.
Rosemead premiered at the Tribeca Festival and has since gone on to win awards at four other festivals. Tickets are still available for Rosemead, which will be screened at Cineplex International Village Cinemas at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday (November 6). It will be preceded by Eisuke Ohga’s short film “Retake”.
Have You Heard Judi Singh?
Who knew that Canada was home to a talented Black Punjabi jazz singer who recorded albums with Tommy Banks and Woody Shaw? Judi Singh’s mother was the daughter of a former slave from Mississippi who moved north of Edmonton with other Black families. Singh’s father was an immigrant from Punjab who spent time in B.C. before moving to Alberta.
Vancouver director Baljit Sangra has created a compelling documentary about Singh, who dazzled Canadian fans with her vocal prowess in the 1960s and ’70s. But this is more than a musical documentary about a jazz singer. Sangra also reveals that single male Punjabi immigrants were welcomed into a Black church in the Amber Valley in an era when both communities endured intense discrimination.
Tickets are still available for Have You Heart Judi Singh?, which will be screened at noon on Saturday (November 8) at Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas. It will be preceded by the short films “Weeping Fig”, “Song for No One”, and “Does It Make Me Naïve If I’ve Never Been Part of Something Where I’ve Meant More to Them Than They Did to Me?”. The latter is a lyric from a song by Amanda Sum, who produced, wrote, and co-directed the film.
The Soccer Team from Chinatown
Visitors to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame can learn about the 1933 Chinese Students Soccer Team, who defeated UBC Varsity to win the Mainland Cup. In the process, the Chinese Canadian soccer stars brought pride to a community that endured discrimination in a multitude of ways from the much larger white community. Now, director Andy Lim is sharing this fabulous squad’s story in his new film, The Soccer Team from Chinatown.
This 52-minute documentary will be screened along with three short films: “Chopsticks”, “Mama”, and April Liu’s 30-minute “The Prop Master’s Dream”. The latter film tells how Vancouver Cantonese Opera Society founder Rosa Cheng is reviving this artform in Vancouver in the 21st century. Tickets are still available for the screenings. They will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (November 8) at Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas.
I’m Not An Actor
Aditya Kripalani’s imaginative film generated tremendous praise on Letterboxd, with Indian filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap mentioning that it took him by surprise. He described it as a “true indie totally built of great conversational writing and two solid central performances by Nawazuddin (Siddiqi) and Chitrangada (Satarupa)”. They play a retired Franfurt banker and struggling Mumbai actor who come together through virtual acting lessons. Tickets are still available for I’m Not an Actor, which is this year’s Centrepiece film. It will be screened at Cineplex International Village Cinemas at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday (November 8). I’m Not an Actor will be preceded by two short films: “The Late Shift” and “Te Seguiré a la Oscuridad”.
In the Room
Vancouver director Brishkay Ahmed won an Audience Award after her newest documentary, In the Room, premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It’s an illuminating and emotional look at the tragedy of Afghanistan, as seen through the eyes of five accomplished women who all had to flee their homeland. Ahmed is also from Afghanistan and she shares her thoughts on-screen about how these women inspired her.
Produced by the National Film Board, In the Room makes use of Afghan music and old Afghan film footage to help reveal how Afghans lived before the rise of the Taliban. Tickets are still available for In the Room, which will be screened at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday (November 9) at Cineplex International Village Cinemas. It will be preceded by the short films “Haru-Tsuge Fish and Fu-rai Boy”, “Year of the Dragon”, and “Nostalgia and Loss”.
Akashi
The Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s closing night film explores grief, family secrets, and lost love with sensitivity and precision. Vancouver director Mayumi Yoshida’s Akashi won an Audience Award following its world premiere at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival. And for good reason. Her portrayal of a diasporic artist who has returned to Japan for a family funeral brilliantly highlights how difficult it can be to go home after so many years away.
Other cast members also shine in this emotionally charged film, which was mostly shot in black and white. Tickets are still available for Akashi, which will be screened at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver at 9 p.m. on November 15. It will be preceded by the short film “One Last Walk” by Andrea Bang and Diana Bang.
The Vancouver Asian Film Festival runs from November 6 to 16. For tickets and more information, visit the website. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
