ReelWorld raps up its biggest year yet

Last Sunday night, the ReelWorld Film Festival hosted its closing night gala at Toronto’s Sheppard Cinemas, where filmmakers, actors, sponsors, board members and supporters came through to network and celebrate the success of the festival with an open bar and catering provided by Orange Blossom.

After the mingling and celebration, all were welcomed to the theatre for the screening of the festival’s final feature film, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, a romantic comedy, written and directed by Shakun Batra, as his debut feature film. Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, two of Bollywood’s most well-known actors starred in the piece, set in Las Vegas, about an anxious architect named Rahul Kapoor, and a carefree hairdresser named Riana Braganza. The two form a strong friendship, in which Rahul falls for her, but the feelings are not reciprocated. The audience laughed along with the film, as its story line seemed relatable to many in attendance.

Sasha Stoltz who runs the sponsorship, publicity and event planning at the ReelWorld festival said that the film was an excellent way to wrap up the festival. “It’s an amazing film; a great plot and a really great soundtrack to it as well, so we’re really excited to have it here with us,” she said.
Moe Jiwan, chairman of ReelWorld said that the Canadian-based festival gives opportunity to those interested in all aspects of filmmaking a chance to shine and supports the underdogs and diversity in film.

“Our biggest thing is giving filmmakers of colour that are Canadian or having a Canadian connection an opportunity to show their work. The other side of the coin is exposing young people who may think that, ‘No, I don’t fit the mold to be in the film industry,’ so maybe you’re from a different socio-economic or something, so give them a potential eyesight only opportunity in entertainment because it’s not just about being an actor, you could be a talented writer, you could be a talented cinematographer, a costume maker — there’s a lot of jobs within the film industry, we try to expose them to that as well,” he said.

Jiwan has seen the festival evolve throughout the past 11 years he has been on the festival’s board due to the unique nature of the films that it highlights and he said this year’s festival was the most successful one yet. The team has high hopes for the future of the festival in the city of Toronto and worldwide.“Our programming this year has probably grown by 30 per cent in terms of quality, so I think we’ve made a huge leap forward,” he said. “We’ve set ourselves up for a higher bar for next year.”