Meet Our Team

2025 MEMBRES DU PERSONNEL

Mi-Jeong Lee
Artistic and Executive Director

As Founder and Artistic and Executive Director of Arts East-West (1995), MAiFF, and AAPLab, Mi-Jeong leads the organization's mission, programming, and artistic direction, and oversees its day-to-day operations. Through engaging with young staff, internships, and collaborative projects, she has been dedicated to cultivating emerging talent and future leadership, both in the transformation of Arts East-West's media arts community and in her vision of solidarity with Asian arts organizations in Montreal. An independent artist and scholar of Asian film, media, and visual arts, her current research and curatorial work centre on Korean and Asian Canadian diaspora arts.
Mi-Jeong's own artistic practice is interwoven with her aesthetic concept of Slow Forms — an approach that intertwines traditional and contemporary arts and the relationship of Host and Guest. Lee's site-specific exhibitions-in-progress in 2026 include Tender Passage: Green Runway, Worn Again, and Kids' Creative Playground, a miniature of her Ungnyeo's Cave: Body that Hums. Her ongoing textile project, Stitching Colour: Dancheong Saekdong Bookmarks, is on its way toward a full exhibition.
Portfolio: https://mijeonglees.art/slow-forms

Smiling woman with black hair wearing a black sari with dangling earrings, standing on a city street with brick buildings and parked cars.

Jinwoo Park
Director, Festival Book Dongne

Jinwoo Park is a Korean Canadian writer and literary translator based in Montreal. He obtained his master’s in creative writing at the University of Oxford in 2015. In 2021 he won the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers’ Award. He has also been actively working as a literary translator after winning the Emerging Translator Award from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea in late 2023. Oxford Soju Club is his first novel.

Femme souriante aux cheveux noirs portant un sari noir avec des boucles d'oreilles pendantes, debout dans une rue de la ville avec des bâtiments en brique et des voitures garées.

Arismita Ghosh
Coordinateur adjoint

Arismita Ghosh serves as the Coordinator at Arts East-West, where they coordinate all daily operational activities and lead project coordination for all events. As an emerging cultural worker, Arismita is deeply passionate about Arts East-West's mission to uplift Asian and Asian-Canadian artists, and they hope to create space for diverse voices within Montreal's vast cultural scene in the years to come. Arismita holds a BA in Honours English Literature from McGill University. For more information about Arismita and their writing portfolio, see here.

L'ÉQUIPE DE PROGRAMMATION DU MAFF 2026

Stacy Jung
‍McGill AIO Intern

Stacy Jung is an undergraduate student at McGill University studying Psychology and Economics. She is interning with Arts East-West as an emerging programmer and graphic designer.

Madeleine Le
McGill AIO Intern

Madeleine is an undergraduate student at McGill University studying Canadian Studies, Political Science, and History. This summer, she is interning with Arts East-West as an emerging cultural worker, supporting initiatives that engage Montreal’s Asian diaspora and arts communities. As the daughter of a Vietnamese refugee to Canada, Madeleine is passionate about preserving and sharing Asian histories and stories. Through her academic pursuits and community involvement, she is committed to creating spaces for dialogue, reflection, and cultural understanding.

Hasna Kone
Intern

Hasna Kone is an industrial design student at UdeM, contributing as a graphic designer for the 11th and 12th editions of MAiFF. She is passionate about Korean culture and design, and finds the experience enriching for expanding her practice and understanding.

Gayeon Song
Programmer

Gayeon Song worked as an Assistant Programmer and Translator for the 9th Korea Film Festival Canada (now MAFF) in 2022. She majored in Korean Language and Literature and Media Studies at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. She has a strong interest in diverse cultures and languages. Currently, she lives in France, where she is studying French.

Viola Picicur
Intern

Viola Picicur is an undergraduate at McGill University, currently completing a degree in East Asian Studies with a Minor in Linguistics. She is interning with Arts East-West as part of the media relations and translations team, working across 3 languages in English, French, and Korean.

Sarah-Maude Lemieux
‍Volunteer

Sarah-Maude Lemieux is a film student studying cinematography and storytelling at Université de Montréal. She has volunteered with Arts East-West for two years, including at KFFC 2025 and MAIFF 2026. For the 2026 edition she took most of the festival photos, served on the student jury to select prize winners, helped coordinate volunteer schedules, and assisted with setting up the installation area. While working on her own short film. She is actively refining her technique and persevering to improve. Her ambition is to create her own films that are inspiring, emotional, and impactful.

Malado Sow
‍Volunteer

Malado Sow is a third-year economics student at McGill University with a minor in East Asian studies. She finds the intersection between language, culture, and economic development in Asia fascinating, whether explored through films, history, books, or travel experiences. This is her first time volunteering with Arts East-West.

Samantha Chan
‍‍Volunteer

Samantha Chan is a student at Concordia University, currently pursuing film studies. She has volunteered with Arts East-West for two years, and in 2026, she joined the team as a video editor and festival volunteer. Samantha designed the programming and logo trailers for the 13th MAiFF 2026.

McGill AIO Interns: Madeleine Le, Stacy Jung
Volunteers & Interns: Sarah-Maude Lemieux (UdeM), Samantha Chan (Concordia), Malado Sow (McGill), Viola Picicur (McGill), Shin Wah (McGill)
Festival Volunteers: Kurt Wang, Romina Arrieta, Taewoo Kim, Kayla Nguyen, Sara Behravesh
Returning team members: Sarah-Maude Lemieux, Hasna Kone, Samantha Chan, Gayeon Song

MAIFF 2026 team!
(From left to right: Samantha Chan, Madeleine Le, Claudia Tuyet Scheffel (film director), Nadja Furth (Goethe-Institut), Mi-Jeong Lee, Sarah-Maude Lemieux, Arismita Ghosh, Malado Sow, Viola Picicur, Stacy Jung.)

GUESTS & COLLABORATORS

ANNA CHOWATTANAKUL Web Designer, Musical Performer, Pianist
BIG DADDY QUEEN POWER; a.k.a. Tina Singer-songwriter, Musical Performer, Event Host
QI SHEN Musical Performer, Erhu Player
JINWOO PARK Event Host, Workshop Moderator, Author of Oxford Soju Club
VEENA GOKHALE Workshop Moderator, Author of Annapurna's Bounty
BARBORA RACEVICIUTE Workshop Moderator, National Director of IMAA
TESSA HILL Workshop Moderator, Operations Coordinator at IMAA
GUY REX RODGERS Panel Moderator, Author and filmmaker
MONA MAARABANI Panelist, Director, Producer, and Programmer
TYRA MARIA TRONO Panelist, Artist and Programmer at Ada X
NICK MATURO Panelist, Director of Programming at ELAN

PARTNERS

NADJA FURTH (Director of Goethe-Institut Montreal)
TATIANA BRAUN (Programming Coordinator at Goethe-Institut Montreal)
BENJAMIN PELLETIER (Programming Director at Cinema Moderne)
JEAN-FRANÇOIS LAMARCHE (Programming Director at Cinema Cinema)
MATHILDE AUBERTIN-HOGUE (Rentals Manager at Cinema Cinema)
TEEJAY BHALLA (Programming Coordinator at Cinema Cinema)
FREDERIC LOURY (Director of Art Souterrain)

We are deeply grateful for the support from:
FUNDING PARTNERS: Department of Canadian Heritage, Emploi-Quebéc, David M. Culver Centre: Arts Internship Office at McGill University
VENUE PARTNERS: Cinema Cinema, Cinema Moderne, Goethe-Institut Montreal, Groupe Intervention Video (GIV), Ada X, Providence St. Dominique, Korean Community of Greater Montreal.
PROGRAMMING PARTNERS: Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA), Ada X, Art Souterrain, Korean Film Archive (KOFA), Asia Cultural Center Korea (ACC),
COMMUNITY PARTNERS: English Language Arts Network-Quebec (ELAN-Quebec), La Fondation Communautaire Canadienne-Coréenne du Québec (FCCCQ), Hanca Times
DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS: National Film Board (NFB), Film Movement, Janus Films, FilmOption

MAiFF 2026 PROGRAMMING TEAM

PROGRAMMEURS : Mi-Jeong Lee, Gayeon Song
PROGRAMMEURS INVITÉS : Tatiana Braun (Goethe-Institut Montreal), Benjamin Pelletier (Cinema Moderne)
ASSISTANTS DE PROGRAMMATION : Stacy Jung

CONSEIL D'ADMINISTRATION

MARIE BOTI Réalisatrice/Cofondatrice de Multi-Monde Productions/Vice-présidente de l'Alliance internationale des femmes (IWA), (Montréal, Canada)
MI-JEONG LEE Artiste indépendant, conférencier en arts visuels et médiatiques coréens, fondateur et directeur artistique d'Arts East-West (Montréal, Canada)
ALICE IL SHIN Réalisateur, écrivain (Toronto, Canada)
VINCENT TOI Développement de technologies et de sites Web, réalisation de films, studio de production et gestion de la marque d'entreprise à CBC Radio-Canada (Montréal, Canada)
HAMM SEUNG YEON Consultant en développement des marchés et studieux d'Air Canada, ancien bénévole chez Arts East-West (Toronto)

COMITÉ EXÉCUTIF (2025-2026)‍

MARIE BOTI Directeur exécutif
MI-JEONG LEE Directrice artistique et exécutive
MICHEL LAVIGUEUR Directeur des impôts et de la comptabilité

COMITÉ DU CONSEIL CONSULTATIF (2023-2026)‍

CANADA
JANET LUMB Artiste indépendant, interprète musical, cofondateur et ancien directeur artistique du Festival Accès Asie (Montréal)
YOUNGSUP CHUNG Professeur honoraire à la Faculté des arts et des sciences de l'Université de Montréal, directeur de l'École de langue coréenne du Grand Montréal (Montréal)
JACQUES DESBIENS Artiste, historien de l'art et conférencier (Montréal, Canada)
LIVIA MONNET Consultante, professeure titulaire au département des littératures et langues du monde de l'Université de Montréal (Montréal, Canada)
MINSIK KIM Consultante en développement marketing, PDG de Hanca Education
CORÉE
CHOI, président du conseil d'administration d'Africa Insight à DONGHWAN, ancien consul général à Montréal, représentant permanent auprès du Conseil de l'OACI (Séoul, Corée)
CHOI, JUNGBONG Dr. Écrivain et consultant, ancien professeur de cinéma à la NYU et à l'université de Hong Kong
KIM, SHIN DONG Professeur à l'École des médias et directeur de l'Institut pour la culture de la convergence de l'université de Hallym, directeur de la Knowledge Coop for Good Governance (Séoul)
KIM, cinéaste, artiste de SOYOUG, professeur d'études cinématographiques à l'Université nationale des arts de Corée, directeur de l'Institut transasiatique de culture de l'écran (Séoul)
LEE, JIYOUNG, professeur de philosophie et d'études cinématographiques à l'université des études étrangères de Hankuk (Séoul)

MERCI POUR VOTRE SOUTIEN LORS DE LA 12E ÉDITION DU KFFC !

Cinq membres de la 12e équipe du KFFC debout ensemble sur un fond rose et bleu dégradé avec leurs noms ci-dessous.

CURATEURS DU 12E KFFC

MI-JEONG LEE
ANNABELLE KANG
MATHILDE ELIE
ALEX SEOKBIN YOON

12E KFFC ART TALKS ARTIST

Alex Seokbin Yoon, Mentoré pour le projet de mentorat en matière de documentaires canadiens d'origine asiatique
Martin Dufresne, mentoré pour le projet de mentorat en matière de documentaires canadiens d'origine asiatique
Vincent Toi, Cinéaste et mentor pour le projet de mentorat en matière de documentaires canadiens d'origine asiatique
Philippe Szporer, cinéaste et mentor pour le projet de mentorat en matière de documentaires canadiens d'origine asiatique
Chaîne en cristal, Artiste multimédia

12E VOLONTAIRE DU KFFC

Trois jeunes femmes assises autour d'une table ronde dans un café, souriantes et faisant des signes de paix avec leurs doigts.

Merci tout particulièrement à :
Sarah-Maude Lemieux — Coordination des bénévoles
Ruotong Li — Soutien aux réseaux sociaux
Sojeong Kim — Naver Blog Management
Hasna Kone — Support graphique

Michèle Bayard, Samantha Chan, Daphne Yu, Olivia Curry, Reginald Tan, Prepa Alam, Emily Doyle, Rin Seo, Katherine Teleyon, Julianna Yip, Serena Grolund, Junha Park, Gracie Li

12E KFFC GRÂCE À

Chaouki Dakdouki, directrice générale régionale, Patrimoine canadien — Région du Québec
LEE, Jae-wan, consul général de la République de Corée à Montréal et ambassadeur de l'OACI
CHOI, Donghwan, président du conseil d'administration d'Africa InSightoh Suji, vice-consul de la République de Corée à Montréal
Zaynab Raza, adjointe exécutive au directeur général, Patrimoine canadien — Région du Québec
MA Hyunjoo, Administration générale de l'Institut King Sejong de Montréal
Tina Big Daddy Queen Power, chanteuse et animatrice
Zab Maboungou, directeur artistique, universitaire et fondateur de la Nyata Nyata Dance Company

Youngsup Chung, Ali Ihtyiar, Masoud Raouf, Xiaodan He, Philip Szporer, Marlène Millar, Marie Boti, Leonoa Moncada, Vincent Toi, Crystal Chan, Don Ritter, Maxime-Claude L'Ecuyer, Kichae Jung, Peter Xirogiannis, Tyra Maria Trono, Deb Vanslet, Paul Park, Young Kwon Kim, Takumi, Linda Lee Danny, Payne et tous les réalisateurs et artistes.
‍
Patrimoine canadien, la FCCCQ, l'Institut King Sejong de Montréal, le Bureau des stages de McGill, le Consulat général de la République de Corée à Montréal, le Cinéma du Musée, le Cinéma Moderne, le Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata, le Goethe-Institut de Montréal, le MKFCM, le Cinéma sous les étoiles, la Korean Film Archive, l'Académie coréenne des arts cinématographiques, Dano Foods, Ada X et bien d'autres encore !