The Toronto Chinese Film Festival Takes the Stage for the First Time

Showcasing Canadian and international films alike, bringing new voices to the stage

by Joëlle Arianna Staropoli

Originally published on On The Record News on October 11, 2024

The inaugural Toronto Chinese Film Festival (TCFF) kicked off at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto on Monday. 

The festival is set to showcase Chinese, international and Chinese-Canadian cinema alike, offering a window into Chinese stories and cultural heritage.

“This platform really offers a space for us to have a voice and to showcase our talent,” said ZhiMin Hu, writer and director of the Canadian Short film The Teacup. “I’m very proud and I feel lucky to be chosen.”

The Teacup follows the true story of Hu’s life and shares a personal story of family violence that lends itself in part to her Chinese upbringing while voicing a more universal message of forgiveness, trauma and grief. 

The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area is home to 397,245 Chinese people, with numbers increasing each year, according to a 2021 city census. Because of this, Hu and many others say they are surprised this is the first time Chinese voices are being included in their own film festival.

“I felt like in Toronto we were really missing one film festival, one venue, one place to showcase Asian and Chinese voices,” Hu said.  

The event runs until Oct. 11 and will feature films from five different categories screening in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. All with English subtitles. 

“Canada has a very unique history with the Chinese. From the building of the national railroad to the Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, there are many stories to be told that are very specific to Chinese Canadians,” TCFF co-chair, Justin Poy said in an email interview with On The Record News. 

“Our hope for this festival is that Chinese-Canadian filmmakers will have a platform to show their films and compete with their short films,” Poy said.  

According to the TCFF website, the festival sets out to be more than just another film screening event, but a chance to foster and uplift new talent, with categories such as Student Short Film, and to ultimately champion Chinese voices in Toronto.

Jennifer Jiang and Ruisi Liu, who graduated from film studies in 2023 at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU),  premiered their partially TMU-funded student film Under the Kasaya. A short film that centres around a young girl who experiences sexual violence from her Lama at a Buddhist temple.  

“I made this movie because I have seen so many movies about, sexual harassment in churches but I’ve never seen one that was set in a temple or in Buddhism,” said Jiang. 

“It’s always about other religions. I think it’s very important for people to acknowledge that it happens everywhere,” she said. 

“Our film talks about sexual violence amongst young teenagers,” Liu said. 

“We feel because this impacts people from every single community,” she said. “Film festivals like this one can be a great outlet for people to have important conversations with their children, their families and loved ones.”

The event will feature a total of six feature films, four Canadian short films, three Chinese short films, four international short films and four student films over the five-day event.

“I think it’s worth it for everyone to see these films,” Liu said. “Even if you’re not necessarily Asian and you’re from different backgrounds, you won’t be disappointed.”

Audience members are asked to vote after the screenings of four short films and the majority vote will win a cash prize, according to the festival’s website.  

The film festival will also include daily prizes, live heritage showings like traditional dance, as well as local food stands to purchase snacks and drinks during the intermissions.

To learn more, visit the TCFF website.