Toronto Spark

6 days ago | torontospark.ca | Charlie Smith

Thirteen Canadian musicians—including seven from the Greater Toronto Area—will perform at this weekend’s annual Jade Music Fest in Asia. Almost all of them are bilingual or multilingual, which will enable these ones to perform in either Taiwanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Hakka when they go on-stage. The festival runs from Friday (April 25) to Sunday (April 27) at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei.

1 week ago | torontospark.ca | Charlie Smith

Multidisciplinary artist Van Lefan 樂凡 drew upon lessons from counselling school for her second full-length album. As a student, the Vancouver musician learned the value of writing in coming to terms with trauma and grief. “Writing has become a huge part of how I process experiences through my life, whether it’s poetry or journal entries or letters to myself,” Lefan tells the Toronto Spark over Zoom in advance of her upcoming performance at the Jade Music Fest in Asia.

2 weeks ago | torontospark.ca | Charlie Smith

There’s no shortage of Hollywood films about Vietnam, such as Platoon to The Deer Hunter to Good Morning, Vietnam. It’s less common to come across documentaries and narrative films by Vietnamese and diasporic Vietnamese directors. In recognition of Asian Heritage Month, TIFF Cinematheque plans to correct this imbalance with a series called Flights: Vietnam on Film.

2 weeks ago | torontospark.ca | Charlie Smith

Stand up for Canada by sitting down to watch a great Canadian film. That’s the motto of National Canadian Film Day , a.k.a. CanFilmDay, which will showcase Canadian cinema on April 16 in a multitude of ways. According to REEL Canada, approximately 100,000 Canadians will attend live events at home or abroad. And two million people will take in Canadian offerings at home through broadcasts or streaming.

1 month ago | torontospark.ca | Charlie Smith

A celebrated Indian American artist, researcher, and filmmaker will have his first institutional solo exhibition in Canada at Mercer Union. Suneil Sanzgiri will premiere a new film, An Impossible Address, in an exhibition of the same name. It will run from April 12 to June 14 at the non-profit artist-run centre in Toronto. According to a Mercer Union news release, the film continues Sanzgiri’s examination of the life of Sita Valles.