TORONTO, April 27, 2025 – The Pride Asian Film Festival (PAFF) has just announced its first-ever edition, running from May 29 to June 1, 2025 in Toronto, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk. As a non-profit organization, PAFF celebrates the richness of East Asian cinema while uplifting LGBTQ2S+ voices, promoting gender equity, and fostering meaningful cross-cultural connections between Asia and Canada.
A Festival with Purpose
PAFF is built on a foundation of core values:
● Community Engagement – Creating spaces for reflection, dialogue, and connection. 2025 Festival Highlights Opening Night – May 29
Blossom Under Somewhere – A film about teenage girls’ struggles|Trailer
Canadian Premiere
A daring and intimate debut from director Riley Yip, following a stuttering high school girl navigating a double life ending up with selling her panties. With themes of fetishism, morality, and female empowerment, this Hong Kong drama is produced by Fruit Chan and earned a Best New Performer nomination at the HK Film Awards.
May 30
Yen and Ai-Lee – All about a mother-daughter relationship|Trailer
Canadian Premiere
Director Lin Shu-Yu’s emotionally layered drama follows two women with shared secrets and mirrored identities. As a mother-daughter relationship unravels across time, the film explores trauma, inheritance, and the thin line between love and pain.
● Diversity & Inclusion – Showcasing the cultural depth and complexity of the Asian diaspora.
● Gender Equity – Championing women and gender-diverse filmmakers.
● LGBTQ2S+ Representation – Bringing queer Asian stories to the forefront.
Pride Asian Film Festival (PAFF) 2025 Lineup in Toronto
May 31 (Matinee)
Shunga: The Lost Japanese Erotica – A Documentary of traditional Japanese erotic art|Trailer Canadian Premiere
This visually stunning documentary uncovers the artistry and history of Edo-period erotic art. With humor and elegance, it reclaims the beauty of shunga, celebrating sexuality as joy and self-expression.
May 31 (Evening)
The Handmaiden – Extended Version – This decade’s classic about lesbian|Trailer
Canadian Premiere
Experience Park Chan-wook’s sensual, twisted thriller in its uncut theatrical form. Set in colonial Korea, this tale of deception and forbidden love is a cinematic feast—and a queer feminist classic.
Closing Night – June 1
Queerpanorama – A boy’s experimental journey of open relationships|Trailer
Canadian Premiere
Jun Li’s third feature is a poetic, semi-autobiographical reflection on queer identity. Shot in black and white and primarily in English, it follows a man who morphs with each past lover, blurring memory, performance, and truth.
Tickets & Festival Passes
The VIP ALL-FILM Pass is now available, granting access to all screenings. Individual tickets go on sale from April 22, 2025.
For more information, visit: www.prideasianfilmfestival.ca
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