Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 Preview

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 kicks off tomorrow with an excellent selection of films to choose from all over the world. The festival is Canada's premiere pan-Asian international film festival which this year includes works from Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand as well as Canada and the States.

The festival kicks off with the Gala Screening of The Drummer starring Jaycee Chan, Lee Sinje, Josie Ho and Tony Leung Ka Fai. A story that spans from triad to Zen drumming sounds like a fascinating premise to me! Director Kenneth Bi to be in attendance at the screening.

Looking for more star power? Look no further than West 32nd (dir: Michael Kang) set in the Korean underworld of New York City with a cast that includes John Cho, Grace Park and Jun Kim.

Continuing to delve into the dark side, check out the South Korean re-interpretation of the Brothers Grimm tale Hansel and Gretel from director Yim Pil-sung. This one sure has a creepy feeling and the art direction looks fantastic, I can't wait to check it out!

One of the joys of last years festival was the numerous shorts shown throughout the festival and this year proves to be no different. There are many selections to choose from including Youth Shorts Presentation, Full Boat presentation which includes all Canadian shorts and there are two selections from the dark side with Late Night Shorts (Disquieting and Confessional) to name just a few of the programs to look forward to.

There is more to enjoy that just the films, with parties and events throughout the festival including RaMeN: Reel Asian Music Night, Empty Orchestra Exhibition Reception, Takashi Ishida Reception and of course Opening and Closing Night parties.

It's sure to be another great year for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival!

For more information, check out the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival:
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The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 runs from November 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.