WHITE ELEPHANT + MICHELLE

Pooja is an Indian Canadian teenager trapped between two worlds and doesn’t have anyone she can rely on. She’s from a minority neighborhood and struggles to fit in her high school where everybody’s idea of fun is limited to one eatery. Pooja finds escape through movies, and fantasizes about love and along comes Trevor, a White heartthrob she instantly falls for. Her infatuation doesn’t last when conflicts arise from a clash of cultures. Undeterred from her pitfalls, Pooja manages to find renewed confidence through adversary.

This coming-of-age story deals with the angst and frustrations of high school and blends it with the immigrant experience with a 90’s flair. This is Andrew Chung’s first feature and has won Outstanding Feature Film, Standout Director, Standout Writer, and Standout Actress at the 2020 Reelworld Film Festival in Toronto, and Best Canadian Feature Film and People’s Choice Best Overall Performance at the 2020 Vancouver Asian Film Festival. — Jason Nou

THIS FILM IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND AND INCLUDES Q&A. 

About the filmmaker: Andrew is a Director based in Toronto, Canada. His short films, “Ma”, “Lovebites” and “Sleepwalk”, have screened at festivals around the world, and broadcast on Air Canada and the CBC. His digital series, “Millions”, received acclaim from online critics internationally, including Tubefilter, and won him Best Director at the Marseille Web Fest in France. His first feature film, “White Elephant”, won Outstanding Feature Film, Standout Director, Standout Writer, and Standout Actress at the 2020 Reelworld Film Festival in Toronto, and Best Canadian Feature Film and People’s Choice Best Overall Performance at the 2020 Vancouver Asian Film Festival.

Co-Presenter: 3rd i South Asian Film

Preceded By

MICHELLE

Directed by Kenya Gillespie

Growing up can be hard, especially a shy Asian American girl who’s being picked on by high school bullies.