About this episode

Lance Chung interviews Deanna Wong about the evolution and impact of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and the importance of representation in Asian cinema.

Toronto is known as a city of film festivals. But for nearly 30 years, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival has done more than screen films. It has built a cultural home. In this episode of Mission Critical , Lance sits down with Deanna Wong, Executive Director of Reel Asian, to explore what it really means to steward a platform that shapes how Asian stories are told, funded, and remembered in Canada. From growing up searching for a single non-stereotypical Asian face on television, to witnessing the global impact of films like Crazy Rich Asians, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Turning Red, Deanna reflects on the long arc of representation (and why progress still feels fragile.) This conversation is about how culture gets built, protected, and passed forward. It's about breaking the “model minority” narrative and trusting audiences to embrace nuance without explanation. And, ultimately, why the work is far from finished. Key Highlights How the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival evolved from a grassroots gathering into Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival. Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s searching for dignified Asian representation on screen…

People in this episode

Host: Lance Chung

Guest: Deanna Wong

Topics covered

• Asian cinema
• representation
• film festivals
• cultural identity
• storytelling
• Hollywood

Keywords

• Asian representation
• film festivals
• Toronto Reel Asian
• cultural home
• model minority
• mentorship
• funding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Reel Asian

Books & works: Crazy Rich Asians, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Turning Red, The Joy Luck Club

Places: Toronto

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