This Asian festival which promotes all Asian cultures from the North to the South using films, parties, music, installations, is becoming more popular through the years. This year's Opening had Mayor David Miller and Olivia Chow in attendance at the Bloor Cinema who spoke along with the organizers and Board on stage. There was a female taiko drum performance which was appropriate for the opening film, The Drummer. Outside the Bloor Cinema, the crowd had lined up to the end of the block and around waiting in line to get in and media snapped photos and had tv and video cameras for interviews. Inside every seat was taken with the Mayor at the front sitting with the Reel Asian organizing team. In its 12th year in Toronto, it has done its job to showcase Asian films from Canada and around the world. In a big city like Toronto with a big Asian population, this is definitely important because films help promote culture and enhances our life experiences and broadens our minds. Art reflects life and life reflects art. The Drummer set in HongKong and Taiwan shows the city life and country life of the two cities and how people adjust their lifestyles and personalities to the settings. History in open space nature and the modern world among city skyscrapers and crowded streets can be very different and people change to suit the environments. The drum is an old instrument and the main character played by Jaycee Chan (son of the famous martial arts star) also drums on a modern set in a band but he changes when forced by his father to go to the island to hide where he learns to hit the old drum instead. Reel Asian Film Festival selects films from various Asian countries each year. This helps Asians get together despite the various Asian languages which require subtitling or dubbing of the movies to be understood by all in English; this of course also makes it easier for other Canadians to learn about Asian cultures. Aside from the films, there were parties in clubs, CinemAsia in Munk Center's Asian Studies in the University of Toronto, installations, pitch sessions for the industry, and lectures. Considering that movies are shown daily in all Asian countries, catching a few films once a year through Reel Asian and the other ethnic film festivals, is a rare treat. Films are a great way to promote cultures and allows outsiders as well an insider's view. There are more Asian films entering the Canadian mainstream chain theaters but in the meantime, try to go to the independent film festivals that bring them in once a year.
