Current Programs
January
Pancouver Cover Story
One of the co-founders of the MENA Film Festival, Arman Kazemi, says that he is constantly gaining insights into Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). Even though the festival presents films about the region or by SWANA diasporic directors, he and other organizers haven’t created a list of countries that fall under the MENA umbrella.
Pancouver Cover Story
Taiwanese illustrator Zhou Jian-xin 周見信 says that on the surface, one of his graphic novels comes across as a conversation between a squirrel and an old tree.
“But in reality, it’s me describing myself,” the Tainan-born comic artist tells Pancouver over Zoom. “It’s about my journey after leaving Tainan and then returning and facing my mother.”
February
Films
In many Asian cultures, Lunar New Year is an extended holiday—the perfect time to take the family out to the theatres for some goofy classics. Building on this tradition, LNY Splash invites Vancouver to join us in welcoming the Year of the Horse with more tears, laughter, and stories!
This year, we are expanding the Lunar New Year film series with Vancouver Public Library. With this documentary, we explore East Asian culture and history through a personal lens.
Films
In many Asian cultures, Lunar New Year is an extended holiday—the perfect time to take the family out to the theatres for some goofy classics. Building on this tradition, LNY Splash invites Vancouver to join us in welcoming the Year of the Horse with more tears, laughter, and stories!
Continuing our partnership with the Vancouver International Film Festival, LNY Splash presents four films from Asia centered on the theme of family, self-discovery, and love.
March
Pancouver Cover Story
Vancouver actor Praneet Akilla describes his character in Behind the Moon as a “dreamer”. In the Touchstone Theatre production of Anosh Irani’s play, Ayub is a hardworking employee of the Mughlai Moon restaurant. According to Akilla, his character is an excellent cook and cleaner. Even though Ayub appears deferential to his boss, Qadir Bhai (Dhirendra), he has a lively sense of humour and considerable inner strength.
Pancouver Cover Story
In 1959, a 29-year-old Detroit record-store owner, ex-boxer, and musician founded the most influential Black-owned record label in history. Berry Gordy’s Motown Records produced a slew of hits by a such legendary performers as The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Four Tops, and Smokey Robinson.
April
楓糖愛玉共演
Jade Music Festival is a global music industry conference being held in the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. JMF’s inaugural year (2022) goal is to present a majority of Chinese language artists from Canada, in the hopes of giving the Chinese language speaking Canadians the representation and equal opportunities in the Canadian and international music industry they very much deserve.
May
Pancouver Cover Story
Before internationally respected cultural arts strategist Nina Buddhdev immigrated to Canada, she was immersed in London’s cultural life. She curated at the Southbank Centre, which operates venues for everything from music to visual arts, and from comedy and dance to literature and poetry.
“What was really strange for me when I moved here is that people follow the presenter, not the art form,” Buddhdev, also a visual artist and heritage arts advocate, tells Pancouver over Zoom. “Since living in B.C. for the past 20 years, I see so much segmentation in the arts world.”
Pancouver Cover Story
Melissa Karmen Lee describes the Chinese Canadian Museum’s major new exhibition as “a celebration of sound, style, and diasporic imagination”. Moreover, she adds, Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s-2000 tells a story about Vancouver that has largely been overlooked
“At its heart, Dream Factory is about how Canada and especially Vancouver played a central role in shaping one of the most influential music movements in Asia,” Lee, the museum’s CEO, declares on a media tour of the exhibition.
June
Pancouver Cover Story
Vancouver dance artist Jennifer Toshiko Aoki has been keenly interested in Japanese Canadian history for many years. It was triggered by her family history. In 1942, her grandmother’s family was rounded up along with 22,000 other Japanese Canadians in response to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Detainees’ possessions were seized and most were taken to Hastings Park before being sent to live out the war in B.C. internment camps or as farm labourers on the Prairies.
July
Pancouver Cover Story
Taiwanese Indigenous musician Sauljaljui embraces a philosophy of “finding a way home through music”. This is reflected through her three albums, a TV show that she hosts, and appearances at many international music festivals.
“I feel my music is quintessentially Taiwanese,” Sauljaljui tells Pancouver in Mandarin over Zoom. “It’s a blend of Indigenous influences and other elements, including global ones, making it truly diverse.”
Pancouver Cover Story
At the entrance to a new Museum of Vancouver exhibition, visitors encounter a giant installation shaped like a bird in flight. To form this impression on the wall, Vancouver artist Gu Xiong relied on 3,000 crushed red Coca-Cola cans. The inspiration came from when Gu worked in a UBC cafeteria in the 1990s shortly after immigrating to Canada. Students would flatten their pop cans under their shoes before discarding them in the trash.
August
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
TAIWANfest, Yanting Qiu, Louise Lee-Hsiu
This year, TAIWANfest extends an invitation to the Chinese-speaking community through a series of lectures, literary events, music, and art programs. From sexual violence, sexual trauma, LGBTQ+ rights, and transgender experiences to explorations of the body and self, the festival hopes to provide an opportunity for unspoken experiences to be heard, fostering mutual understanding across generations.
2025 TAIWANfest
The concept of “saudade” is one that cannot be translated from the original Portuguese, but a feeling that can be understood from different cultural perspectives. Saudade is a deep, bittersweet longing often tied to the Portuguese diaspora. The festival invites audiences to reflect on these shared experiences of departure, resilience, and cultural evolution.
September
TAIWANfest, Yanting Qiu, Louise Lee-Hsiu
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
Sexual trauma and the #MeToo Movement are not merely modern phenomena. They have always been part of our history, but it is not easy to hear the voices of victims. Writer Nathalie CHANG (CHANG Yi- Hsum) hopes to engage with current discourse on these issues through an examination and analysis of the role of literature.
Ted Liao
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
With a background in food science and brewing technology, Ted founded the culinary laboratory Monsoon, which has been recognized by the Michelin Guide on multiple occasions. In recent years, he has focused on reimagining Hakka cuisine through plant-based cooking, exploring the relationships between food, terroir, migration, and local stories.
Ipo Demaladas aka. Hilo Wang (Nanwang sisters)
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
For many Indigenous peoples of Taiwan, singing is far more than artistic expression. It is a living vessel of memory, history, and cultural transmission. From the songs of forestry workers to ancient tribal melodies and ceremonial chants, music holds the relationships between Indigenous communities, their ancestral lands, and their ancestors.
Sung-En Lin
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
During her 26 years at the National Museum of Prehistory, Sung-En LIN (Senayan) has worked closely with Indigenous communities across eastern and southern Taiwan. In this lecture, she shares what she has learned through years of collaboration and friendship, reflecting on the intersections of gender, community, and power through lived experiences rather than academic theory.
Nathalie Chang (Chang Yi-Hsu)
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a close relationship with literature. I often joke that I was raised by Eileen Chang and Wang Wen-hsing. Their clear-eyed observations of family life have served as a second layer of protection in my life. The first layer of protection was my grandmother, though she was virtually illiterate—when I wrote, she always felt like ‘the distant realm of literature.’ Though far away, she was always there.
P!SCO
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
“There will always be people who understand why we do this—use this to give others courage and help people feel less lonely and more understood. Even if it only brings about a small change, the world will already be different.”
There’s always a rainbow flag on P!SCO’s stage—it represents the belief they want to convey.
Mimi Sung
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
Travel back in time to the 19th century with Dr. Mimi Sung of Tainan Theological College. Starting from the history of churches, immigration, and transoceanic migration, we will gain a new understanding of the deep, yet rarely discussed, connections between Scotland, Canada, and Taiwan. Following the migration of people throughout time, let’s explore how the three societies have shaped multicultural identity respectively, and how this can guide us toward the future.
Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho, Julia Lin, Ed Lin
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
How does Taiwanese and Taiwanese diasporic culture play into historical and crime fiction, a biography, and a family memoir? This panel will see three authors—two born in the island nation, and the third in New York City—delve into their heritage while also moving forward to tell their stories. As Taiwan itself sees cultural shifts, what is preserved and what is lost in tales set in North America? Come for a lively discussion, audience Q&A, and book signing!
Dr. Leith Davis & Sybaritic String Band
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
On November 5, 1688, a Dutch nobleman, William of Orange, landed on the coast of England and marched his sizeable army toward London, ousting the reigning British monarch, James II/VII, and becoming joint monarch of Britain. For a significant percentage of the population of the British Isles, however, who became known as the Jacobites, William and his successors were usurpers.
Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho, Julia Lin, Ed Lin
2026 TAIWANfest - Hope Talk
How does Taiwanese and Taiwanese diasporic culture play into historical and crime fiction, a biography, and a family memoir? This panel will see three authors—two born in the island nation, and the third in New York City—delve into their heritage while also moving forward to tell their stories. As Taiwan itself sees cultural shifts, what is preserved and what is lost in tales set in North America? Come for a lively discussion, audience Q&A, and book signing!
October
Kapa Arkieh
Pancouver Cover Story
Kapa Arkieh is a Vancouver musician with a big dream. A charismatic performer, he’s aiming for a level of success that enables him to change the world for Indigenous kids on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
November
Jade Music Fest brings together 25+ musicians both local and international. Get ready for our Granville Island Takeover—a whole day where Chinese-language music will be heard from all corners of the island. Follow us on social media for the latest updates on how to be part of the takeover.
December
The Society of We Are Canadians Too is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered here, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples of this land while we engage in meaningful conversations of culture and reconciliation.
