REEL ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL from Thursday (November 5) to November 15, at various venues. reelasian.com
Here are a few highlights from the festival of Asian film:
Reel Asian’s opening-night gala, Driving With Selvi (Thursday November 5, 7:30 pm, Isabel Bader. Rating: NNNN) is an inspirational look at a young Indian woman who fled an abusive marriage to reinvent herself as the first female taxi driver in the city of Karnataka – a hard-won achievement that opened the doors to further opportunities. (Read full review here).
Korean-American director Lee shows the influences Asian American food have both taken on and inspired in Off The Menu: Asian America (Tuesday November 10, 7 pm, AGO Jackman Hall. Rating: NNN). Just as Asian immigrants have assimilated into North American society, so too have their foods, which adapt to other influences before they make it onto menus. (Read full review here).
Canadian writer/director Baraki’s first feature Mina Walking (110 minutes. November 12, 8 pm, Aga Khan Museum. Rating: NNN). is a vérité drama about a 12-year-old girl (Farzana Nawabi) caring for her disintegrating family in present-day Kabul. Except for her occasional visits to school, life is a constant hustle as she attempts to earn money and avoid those who would do her harm. (Read full review here).
