The new Showcase joins the Black Performers Showcase as part of the union’s efforts to promote the diverse landscape of cultures and voices within ACTRA Toronto’s membership.
TORONTO, ON (May 21, 2024) – ACTRA Toronto has launched the Asian Performers Showcase as part of a revamped Diversity Showcase website (diversityshowcase.ca).
Presented by ACTRA Toronto in partnership with Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (TRAIFF) and in collaboration with the Casting Directors Society of Canada (CDC), the Asian Performers Showcase features a curated catalogue of 14 established and up-and-coming ACTRA Toronto Performers from pan-Asian communities and who self-identify as Asian. Performers’ profiles include a biography, self-tape, demo reel and contact information.
New this year, Showcase participants were unveiled at a live event at the TIFF Lightbox on May 17. Supported by TIFF, the live event opened with a discussion with ACTRA Toronto members Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience, Run the Burbs) and Jasmeet Raina (Late Bloomer), moderated by Deanna Wong (executive director, TRAIFF), about the importance of Asian representation in the film, television and digital media sector.
“All Canadians deserve the opportunity to see themselves represented onscreen and this starts with authentic casting in the telling of authentic stories,” says ACTRA Toronto President David Gale. “As we always say, you can cast the world in Toronto, and ACTRA Toronto’s Asian Performers Showcase will help cultivate Asian representation on screen.”
“ACTRA Toronto remains committed to dismantling barriers and biases in the industry, but we cannot do this work alone,” says Luisa Alvarez Restrepo, Manager, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. “I’m grateful to our partners and supporters that made this edition of the ACTRA Toronto Diversity Showcase possible, and call on other industry stakeholders to work together to create much-needed change.
“We applaud ACTRA Toronto and the Asian Performer Showcase for not only spotlighting Asian talent but also challenging the roles Asian performers are expected to play. We encourage the industry to hire authentically and meaningfully, creating the opportunity for Asian performers to help shape the narratives on our screens,” says Deanna Wong, Executive Director, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
The Casting Directors Society of Canada: “Through decades of collaboration, the CDC and ACTRA have helped to shape the Canadian entertainment industry. Together, we’ve navigated challenges, championed diversity, and elevated standards. We look forward to this continued collaboration.”
ACTRA Toronto gratefully acknowledges the partnership with the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and collaboration with the Casting Directors Society of Canada in the creation of the Asian Performers Showcase.
Plans for additional Showcases featuring ACTRA Toronto Performers from other communities are underway.
About the ACTRA Toronto Diversity Showcase
Launched in 2021 with the Black Performers Showcase, each Showcase within the ACTRA Toronto Diversity Showcase is primarily intended to be used as a promotional tool to provide local and international casting directors and producers with a window into the rich diversity and talent – such as a specific language, dialect or cultural background – of ACTRA Toronto’s membership.
Changes to the revamped website include new accessibility features, a partners’ page, and resources for Producers and Performers.
About ACTRA Toronto
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing over 15,000 of Canada’s 28,000 professional performers working in recorded media in Canada. An advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.
About Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
Founded in 1997 by producer Anita Lee and journalist Andrew Sun, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival® is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from Asian-identifying artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and around the world. As Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival, Reel Asian® provides a public forum for Asian media artists and their work and fuels the growing appreciation for Asian cinema in Canada.
About the Casting Directors Society of Canada
Founded in 1981, the Casting Directors Society of Canada (CDC) is the only organization in Canada to represent professional casting directors working in every medium where professional actors are required; film, television, commercials, theatre, industrials, even trade shows. Part of the CDC’s support for the Showcase includes screening and the selection of the Showcase participants from the hundreds of submissions received by ACTRA Toronto.
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Media contact: Jennifer McGibbon, Public Relations Officer, 416-642-6710, jmcgibbon@actratoronto.com
Resources:
ACTRA Toronto Diversity Showcase: https://diversityshowcase.ca/
Asian Performers Showcase: https://diversityshowcase.ca/black-performer-showcase/
Black Performers Showcase: https://diversityshowcase.ca/asian-performer-showcase/
ACTRAonline Diversity: https://diversity.actraonline.ca/