Five years is a long time to run a program, yet, it doesn’t feel long enough.
Since 2019, we’ve published 33 critics and 54 pieces ranging from long-form critical writing, podcasts, and interviews to zines, comics, video essays and mixed media pieces. We’re about to publish five more writers this month who’ve worked tirelessly (anxiously, angrily, confusedly) on their pieces over the last few months.
How do we write words that we are willing to let go into the world? What does it mean to be accountable to them? What are they saying and what are they for? How do we build a long relationship with language?
Every year, my takeaway from running this program is, “Don’t underestimate the writing process.” I mean that it’s rough in the way of choppy waters and stormy waves: all flow and no ground. I also mean that the undertow will suck you in and spit you out into an ocean you never knew existed. In other words, it’s awesome.
It’s always a real journey to do this program every year with the youth critics. The beating core of the Youth Critics program is that criticism is a mutual responsibility to the stories we tell ourselves and each other. We’ve spent the last eight months cultivating that responsibility. Now it’s your turn. May these pieces offer stories of all kinds to you and every passing reader.
Jasmine
As the mentees across the years may know, I am the type of writer who loathes and pains the ordeal of writing. From this condition, I truly admire and respect each and every one of the writers who has written and published over the years of YCI.
To engage with film (meaningfully), to engage with art (in a way that matters), is to cut into flesh and stare into wounds. To be drawn to writing is akin to being drawn to pulling teeth. Yet it is a great moment of pride—as the editor who stood by and coaxed them along or adjusted the grip—to look upon the bloody molar, pulled out by the pliers gripped by the hands of the writer during this profound journey of experimental dentistry (writing).
That is to say, I’m so proud to have been a part of this great publication series and I implore everyone to appreciate the full breadth of painstaking work put into every piece released over the five years of YCI, especially this one.
Grayson
As each YCI cohort passes, I am continually inspired by the talent in our communities, their passion, and their dedication to the shifting cartography of criticism. Each critic strikes me as a strange botanical species. Witnessing their growth, and their moments of facing inevitable fatigue and anxiety, I am reminded that creating, whether writing or filmmaking, is a practice that requires perpetual and reflexive efforts — of mindful watering. I am immensely envious of the hard work done by these critics. It has resulted in a collection of not only insightful and thought-provoking reflections but one that is also unflinchingly honest.
Good criticism, similar to filmmaking, begins with slow, truthful observations. However, unlike filmmaking, criticism can often be taken as a form of unsolicited advice. And while some unsolicited advice can be irritating, or at best benign, ignoring them can come at our peril.
The valuable labour of these writers, toiling hands and knees on the grounds of film criticism, is an act of love. These writers spent many months oscillating between their admiration and their desire for penetrating analysis of the media texts, mirroring in many ways the fragile realities where progress coexists with ongoing challenges and violence. This critical act of encouraging nutrient-dense soil is not only for their own growth but also for the benefit of other writers and filmmakers, enriching the Reel Asian garden and Asian cinema at large.
To this year’s cohort, thank you for trusting me with your words. I am honoured by your camaraderie and to have taken part in your rigorous discussions. And to you, gentle readers, as you visit a corner of this garden, please know that your acts of care can impact the flourishing of these critics and can influence the shape of this filmic landscape. Please be kind and watch your step.
Vince
What is the Youth Critics Initiative?
The Youth Critics Initiative (YCI), run by TACLA, emerged from a desire to share and nurture the tools of criticism and review amongst community members who were emerging creators, writers, researchers and programmers. Hosted in partnership with the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, YCI offers an eight-month mentorship program designed to build skills in long-form criticism and alternative formats and nurtured through the lens of critical rigour and community care.
Youth Critics are given an all-access pass to the festival (November 2023), begin working on their pieces after it ends, and are published together in digital format the following May (2024) during Asian Heritage Month!
We’re excited to be publishing the work of 5 youth critics this year in a variety of formats, and encouraged by the tender labour they have taken up toward the creative efforts of Asian diasporic filmmakers and creators.
You can check out the work from past cohorts here: (YCI4), (YCI 3), (YCI2), and (YCI1).
