The RepresentASIAN Project

Content warning: suicide. When documentary filmmaker Min Sook Lee was 12 years old, her mother died by suicide. It’s a loss that echoed through Lee’s whole life, but it wasn’t until recently that the Korean Canadian documentarian decided to turn the camera to her own life and her mother’s death 40 years ago. “How do you make this film that I have wanted to make probably my whole life?” Lee asks, reflecting on her journey to making her new documentary There Are No Words.

Share this Article When Toronto’s Suresh Doss sits down to eat, he’s not just tasting what’s on the plate. He’s tracing the movement of people, memory and migration that made it possible. For more than two decades, Doss has been the country’s go-to voice on local hidden gems, from strip-mall Sri Lankan spots to suburban taquerias.

Content created in partnership with Penguin Random House. “Pick a colour.” It’s how every nail appointment in any salon starts. The phrase is also the inspiration for Souvankham Thammavongsa’s debut novel Pick a Colour. In Pick a Colour, which has already been longlisted for the Giller prize, Thammavongsa uses the familiar setting of a busy nail salon as the backdrop for observations on class, gender and race. The novel follows Ning, a retired boxer working at a salon.

Share this Article The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Canada’s biggest pan-Asian film festival, is back! The festival, which celebrates and showcases contemporary Asian cinema and work from the Asian diaspora, returns for its 29th edition from November 5th to 15th, 2025, with events across downtown Toronto, and November 10th to 23rd, 2025 online across Canada. This year, the festival’s lineup is 17 features and 45 short films deep, with works from around the world.

Share this Article Every year, the Toronto International Film Festival becomes the ground for some of the most daring, inventive and conversation-starting films of the year. The 2025 edition was no exception. Alongside buzzy premieres and Oscar hopefuls, the festival lineup was stacked with stories that span continents, genres and eras, from Shakespeare reimagined in present-day London to a psychological horror born from a viral video game.

Share this Article Welcome to The K-pop Chat, a monthly column dedicated to all things K-pop. In collaboration with the bunni pop newsletter, join writer Samantha Lui as she rolls out lists, content and interviews to keep you updated on the latest from the K-pop industry. For more K-pop content in your inboxes, subscribe to bunni pop for weekly posts. As a teenager growing up in Toronto, Maggie Kang hid her love of K-pop from her friends.

Share this Article When Jonita Gandhi stepped on stage in Chennai with Ed Sheeran earlier this year, it was just one stop in a whirlwind schedule that saw her go from performing in Malaysia with Anitta to Delhi with Arijit Singh—all in the span of a few days. That dizzying timeline is par for the course for Gandhi, whose voice has captivated audiences across continents, languages, and genres. She even opened for Dua Lipa a year before.

Share this Article Dim light spills across the shelves at blind box toy store Mindzai in Toronto, reflecting off the glassy eyes of dozens of tiny plush monsters. Some are dressed as witches, others as cowboys or pumpkins. Outside, the street bustles with traffic and chatter, but inside, a soft lo-fi playlist hums in the background. A young woman makes her way to the display case, eyes scanning for a familiar figure: wide grin, patchy fur and crooked little teeth.

Share this Article When Francis Libiran takes the stage at Nathan Phillips Square this weekend for the Mabuhay Philippines Festival, it will mark a triumphant return nearly a decade in the making. The acclaimed Filipino fashion designer, whose creations have been donned by the likes of Gwen Stefani, Priyanka Chopra, and countless Miss Universe winners, last showed his work in Toronto in 2016. “It’s been almost 10 years,” he said.

Share this Article The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is back for its 50th year! The festival, which this year will showcase 209 feature films from around the world, is a must-visit event for cinephiles, celebrity watchers, pop culture fans and international movie lovers from all walks of life. Plus, there is a massive slate of Asian-created and led films of all sizes—from Park Chan-wook‘s buzzy new project No Other Choice to Canadian-made indies—to check out.