Reel Asian film fest announces 11th edition lineup

CBC News

A mockumentary about the search for Bruce Lee's successor and a Japanese period drama set to a modern rock score are among the new films that will unspool at the 11th annual Reel Asian International Film Festival next month.

Organizers of the Toronto event announced on Wednesday a slate of 77 films from 13 countries that will screen at several downtown venues from Nov. 14-18.

This year's festival opens with U.S. director Justin Lin's Finishing the Game.

Set in the days following the 1973 death of Chinese martial arts legend and action hero Bruce Lee, the comedic faux documentary follows studio executives and producers on a frantic search for a stand-in so they can complete Lee's final, unfinished movie, Game of Death.

Sakuran, based on the manga of the same name, will be shown at the closing gala. Photographer Mika Niagawa makes her feature film directorial debut with the lavish and vibrant movie.

Though set in the 18th-century world of Japanese courtesans, Niagawa's film reflects an ultra-modern sensibility and contemporary rock soundtrack in its tale of a reluctant young woman pulled into the hierarchical world of prostitution, where she ascends to the highest ranks.

Other films to screen at the festival include:

Chen Shi-Zheng's Dark Matter, a drama about a brilliant Chinese science student at a U.S. university who become disenchanted with those around him, to tragic consequences. Liu Ye, Meryl Streep and Aidan Quinn star.

Owl and the Sparrow, which follows a young Saigon street urchin who attempts to make a love match between two lonely adults she meets.

No Regret, a South Korean indie film about the tragic romance between a young male art student and a wealthy man.

In addition to movie screenings, Reel Asian will hold music-related events and industry sessions for filmmakers.