FascinAsian Film Festival - Winnipeg

05/26/2026

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHORT FILM AWARD at the 2026 FascinAsian Film Festival - Winnipeg goes to… .lynnrose for her performance as Bree in TOP OF MY SCHOOL, directed by Katherine Lynn-Rose. 🏆

“It was no easy task selecting just one performance from this year’s incredible lineup of short films. We witnessed deeply emotional performances, intense dramatic scenes, and actors who carried entire films with remarkable presence and skill. But this year’s recipient truly did it all — delivering dynamic musical performances, intimate family drama, moments of romance, and scenes of ruthless ambition, all while directing herself with confidence and precision.

is proud to present the Best Performance in a Short Film Award to Katherine Lynn-Rose for her outstanding performance as Bree in TOP OF MY SCHOOL.” - Leslie Supnet, Executive Director of the Winnipeg Film Group.

Thank you to Katherine for sharing her acceptance speech video (swipe), and for creating this powerful film!

TOP OF MY SCHOOL

Director: Katherine Lynn-Rose
Screenwriter: Katherine Lynn-Rose
Producer: Katherine Lynn-Rose, Ethan Ordower
Cast: Katherine Lynn-Rose, Zoe Buddie, Michael C. Liu, Yen Wen Chen

An ambitious high school student’s obsession with winning the student council election spirals out of control when a classmate unexpectedly enters the race.

Sponsored by .

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The sixth annual FascinAsian Film Festival – Winnipeg took place May 1–3, 2026, featuring its most ambitious programming to date. Celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse, this year’s festival showcased an inspiring lineup of local, national, and international Asian filmmakers whose stories captivated audiences both on and off the screen.

Stay tuned as we continue announcing this year’s award recipients, including the Building Bridges Award, Best Short Documentary Award, Best Narrative Short Film Award, and the 2026 Erin Hembrador Emerging Filmmaker Award.

A heartfelt thank you to our distinguished jury members for their care, insight, and dedication in recognizing this year’s outstanding films and artists.

05/26/2026

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD at the 2026 FascinAsian Film Festival - Winnipeg goes to…Montreal, ma belle, directed by 🏆

Selected by festival audiences from across the entire 2026 Winnipeg program, the Audience Choice Award recognizes the film that resonated most deeply with viewers and sparked lasting conversation beyond the screen.

A heartfelt thank you to writer and director Xiaodan He for visiting us in Winnipeg, sharing the story behind the film, and connecting with audiences during the live post-screening Q&A. We were honoured to have you as part of this year’s festival. ✨

MONTREAL, MA BELLE

Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother living in Montreal, whose life has long been shaped by duty, silence, and sacrifice. When she meets Camille, a free-spirited young Québécoise, a long-suppressed desire resurfaces. During a sweltering Montreal summer, Feng Xia dares to choose herself for the first time — embarking on a deeply personal journey of love, identity, and liberation.

Director: Xiaodan He
Screenwriter: Xiaodan He
Producer: Christine Falco, Xaiodan He
Cast: Joan Chen, Charlotte Aubin, John Xu
Cinematographer: Marie Davignon
Editor: Tao Gu
Production Design: Greg Nowak
Sound Design: Jonathan Lafond, Sandy Pinteus, Gordon Neil Allen
Music: Gaëtan Gravel

🎞️

The sixth annual FascinAsian Film Festival – Winnipeg took place May 1–3, 2026, featuring its most ambitious programming to date. Celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse, this year’s festival showcased an inspiring lineup of local, national, and international Asian filmmakers whose stories captivated audiences both on and off the screen.

Stay tuned as we continue announcing this year’s award recipients, including the Best Performance in a Short Film Award, Building Bridges Award, Best Short Documentary Award, Best Narrative Short Film Award, and the 2026 Erin Hembrador Emerging Filmmaker Award.

A heartfelt thank you to our distinguished jury members for their care, insight, and dedication in recognizing this year’s outstanding films and artists. 🎞️

05/22/2026

🎬✨ FascinAsian Film Festival – Winnipeg 2026 would not be possible without the incredible support of our funders, sponsors, and community partners.

Thank you for believing in the importance of Pan-Asian storytelling and helping us create space for artists, filmmakers, audiences, and community to come together through film.

Your support helps make every screening, workshop, Q&A, and shared moment possible. We’re so grateful to have you alongside us on this journey. 💛

05/07/2026

💛 Volunteer Appreciation 💛

FascinAsian Film Festival wouldn’t be what it is without our volunteers! 🙌

Over the years — and especially this festival — we’ve had the privilege of working with such an incredible group of people who show up, bring the energy ✨, and help create the experience from start to finish. From greeting guests 🤝 to running tech 🎧, capturing moments 📸, and everything in between — you are the heart of this festival!

🎤 A Message from Karen | Volunteer Coordinator

“I’m so proud of the support our volunteers provided to help the festival run smoothly - they serve as ambassadors for FascinAsian. They were always on hand to step in and help out, sometimes over and above their assigned tasks. I take great pride in building the team every year and ensure they get the most of their experience. Half of them were returning volunteers, and I was so grateful to be able to work with them again. It’s my great pleasure to welcome all volunteers to our FascinAsian family!” -

To all our volunteers, thank you for your time, care, and the role you played in making this year so special. Congratulations to one of our volunteer leads, Zooey, for winning the Volunteer Recognition Award 🏆✨

Thank you to our volunteer sponsor Manitoba Liquor Mart

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👉 Follow us on all our socials and an eye out for next year’s volunteer call — we’d love to have you join us!

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

Three days of stories, culture, and community ✨🎬

This year’s festival meant so much to us. Seeing both familiar faces and so many new ones come together to experience, support, and celebrate these stories is something we don’t take lightly.

Thank you for showing up, for being present, and for being part of what FascinAsian is all about!

We’re already dreaming bigger for what’s to come in 2027. 💫

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Thank you to our funders , .fmc, ,

FilmFestival AsianFilm SupportLocalFilm WinnipegEvents

05/05/2026

💛 Our final day together at FascinAsian Film Festival 2026

From powerful shorts in Beyond Words and Hard Hits & Heavy Hearts to our closing film Cutting Through Rocks, day three was a reminder of how impactful storytelling can be.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on our final day of the festival. We hope you left feeling inspired, connected, and moved by the stories shared on screen.

Stay tuned 👀✨ — we’ll be sharing more recap videos, interviews with our guest filmmakers, and special thank yous to the incredible contributors and supporters who made this festival possible.

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Thank you to our funders , .fmc, ,

FilmFestival AsianFilm SupportLocalFilm WinnipegEvents

05/03/2026

A look into what Day Two at FascinAsian looks like 👀✨

From live pitches at REAL TALK! to a heartfelt screening of Space Cadet….add in an incredible lineup of shorts and a powerful closing feature with Akashi — day two truly delivered!

Thank you to everyone who came out yesterday and showed their support. We hope to see even more of you today as we close out the festival 💛

🎟️ It’s not too late to join us — tickets are still available for our final day of programming and Closing Awards Dinner through our website FascinAsian.ca (link in bio).

05/02/2026

SOLD OUT Opening Night ✨🎉

An incredible start to FascinAsian Film Festival 2026 — from live performances to a packed theatre for Montréal, ma belle. The energy, the stories, the community… thank you for being here!

Still more to look forward to this weekend ahead!

You can still purchase tickets through our website at FascinAsian.ca (link in bio) 🎟️🔗