Montreal Asian International Film Festival (MAiFF)

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Arts East-West proudly presents the 13th edition of the Montreal Asian International Film Festival (MAiFF), running from May 14 to June 13, 2026, across nine venues in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal.

This landmark edition marks the official transformation of the Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC) into MAiFF: a bold new platform launching during Asian Heritage Month, featuring more than 60 Asian art-house films and events under the 2026–2027 theme Tangibility: Soil, Body, Stories. The festival presents three programming categories — KFFC, AmérAsia, and East Meets West — reflecting the organization’s 30-year commitment to Asian and Asian-Canadian arts. Films from Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Australia, the United States, and First Nations communities will be screened across Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Cinéma du Parc, Goethe-Institut Montreal, Ada X, Groupe Intervention Vidéo, Place Ville Marie, Korean Community Association of Montreal, and Providence St-Dominique.

OPENING NIGHT
Thursday, May 14 – 5PM @ Cinéma du Musée
The Opening Ceremony will be hosted by singer-songwriter Big Daddy Queen Power and award-winning novelist Jinwoo Park (MAiFF’s Director of Communications); it will also feature live performances by Big Daddy Queen Power and jazz pianist Anna Chowattanakul.

The Opening Film Program includes three films: There Are No Words (2025), an award-winning documentary by Min Sook Lee, currently touring the international film festival circuit, followed by a Q&A with the director in attendance; Saekdong / Colour of Korea by HAN Okhi, presented as part of a special retrospective honouring the pioneering figure of Asian women’s experimental cinema since the 1970s; and Red Star Alley, a short paper-cut animation by Jenny Yujia Shi.

“It feels especially meaningful for my film to begin its journey at the 13th Montreal Asian International Film Festival, in a space committed to Asian and Asian-Canadian artists. Festivals like MAiFF create the conditions for our community’s stories to be held collectively, across generations and communities, and to be engaged with in their full complexity. I’m grateful to MAiFF for its long-standing commitment to artists and to building a space where diasporic voices can be seen and heard with care and intention.” – Min Sook Lee, Director of There Are No Words

FILM HIGHLIGHTS

Opening Film: May 14, 2026, 5:00pm at Cinema du Musee

There Are No Words (2025) by Min Sook Lee
Quebec Premiere, Director in Attendance

MAiFF 2026’s official Opening Film is a bold and deeply personal documentary in which filmmaker Min Sook Lee searches for the truth behind her mother’s death by suicide, retracing her childhood between Toronto and Hwasun, South Korea. Moving through memory, testimony, and speculation, the film explores grief, trauma, and inherited history — a daughter’s attempt to give form to an enduring absence. Currently touring the international film festival circuit and garnering widespread critical acclaim.

Special Congratulatory Film: May 14, 2026, 8:30 PM at Cinema du Musee

Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema (2025) by Kim Dong-ho
Canadian Premiere
MAiFF is honoured to present a special screening celebrating Kim Dong-ho, founder of the Busan International Film Festival and a pivotal figure in Asian cinema. This is his third film, following one short drama and two feature documentaries. In this intimate documentary, Kim travels the world to reconnect with old friends, reflect on cinema’s past and future, and bear witness to a landscape in transformation. Featuring a remarkable gathering of the world’s most celebrated filmmakers and actors — Bong Joon-ho, Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Tsai Ming-liang, Johnnie To, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Brillante Mendoza, Garin Nugroho, Eric Khoo, Luc Besson, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and actors Tang Wei, Lee Jung-jae, and Jeon Do-yeon — the film is a rare and sweeping portrait of the artists who have shaped Asian and world cinema. Affectionately known in Korean and international cinema circles as 청년감독 (aka: Chungnyeon Gamdok) — the “young director” — Kim embodies a spirit of insightful curiosity and quiet humility that has defined his life in cinema, at 88 years old.

Closing Film: June 13, 2026, 6:00 PM at Cinema Moderne

In the Sea of Strange Thoughts (2025) by Choi Jeongdan
Canadian Premiere, Director in Attendance

A 21-year chronicle of philosopher Kim Uchang examines his reflections on life and death alongside a life lived in strict alignment with his beliefs. As he remains tied to his family home and possessions, the film questions attachment, meaning, and whether he can complete his final book. The film world-premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2025, and most recently won two awards at the Moscow International Film Festival in April 2026. As Choi’s debut feature, it also competes in MAiFF’s Dancheong Competition for emerging filmmakers.

For the full program, schedule, and tickets, visit: www.artseastwest.ca/maiff/2026-films