Meet Our Team

ARTS EAST-WEST & MAiFF 2026 STAFF

Mi-Jeong Lee
Founder, 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.

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 and Communications Consultant

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.

Arismita Ghosh
Coordination

Arismita Ghosh serves as the Coordinator at Arts East-West, where they coordinate all daily operational activities and lead project management 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.

Stacy Jung
‍Programming & Graphic Design (McGill AIO)

Stacy Jung is an undergraduate student at McGill University studying Psychology and Economics. In 2026, she served as a McGill AIO Intern at Arts East-West for the 14th edition of MAiFF, as a programming assistan. She is continuing with Arts East-West as a Programmer and Graphic Designer.

Madeleine Le
Communications (McGill AIO)

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.

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
Communications

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.

Hasna Kone
Graphic Design

Hasna Kone is an industrial design student at UdeM, contributing as a graphic designer for the 11th, 12th, and 13th editions of MAiFF. She is passionate about Korean culture and design, and finds her experience with the festival enriching for expanding her practice and understanding.

13th MAiFF 2026 VOLUNTEERS & INTERNS

Sarah-Maude Lemieux
‍Photography and Volunteer Coordination

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.

Samantha Chan
‍‍Video Editing

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.

Malado Sow
Technical Support

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.

Sara Behravesh
Social Media Mentee

Sara Behravesh is an aspiring journalist from Iran, with a background in Russian literature paving her way through the world of journalism. She is currently finishing her Master's degree at Concordia University in Journalism. She participated in the 2026 MAiFF Social Media Mentorship, during which she interviewed directors and audience members and created videos for the MAiFF social media page.

Shin Wah
Outreach and Communications

Shin Wah is a recent Communications graduate interested in how film connects culture, identity, and storytelling across borders. Shin volunteered at the 13th edition of MAiFF to conduct outreach with other organisations, draft social media content, and assist on-site at events.

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 PROGRAMMING TEAM

PROGRAMMERS: Gayeon Song, Mi-Jeong Lee
INVITED PROGRAMMERS: Tatiana Braun (Goethe-Institut Montreal), Benjamin Pelletier (Cinema Moderne)
PROGRAMMING ASSISTANTS: Stacy Jung

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

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MARIE BOTI Film director / Co-Founder of Multi-Monde Productions / Vice-chairperson of International Women’s Alliance (IWA), (Montreal, Canada)
MI-JEONG LEE Independent Artist, Lecturer on Asian visual and media arts, Founder and Artistic Director of Arts East-West (Montreal, Canada)
ALICE IL SHIN Film Director, Writer (Toronto, Canada)
SEUNG YEON HAMM Consultant for Market Development and Research at Arts East-West, Cabin Crew at Air Canada, former staff member at Arts East-West (Toronto, Canada)
VINCENT TOI Film Director / Production Studio and Corporate Brand Management at CBC Radio-Canada (Montreal, Canada)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (2026-2029)‍

MARIE BOTI Executive Director
MI-JEONG LEE Artistic and Executive Director
MICHEL LAVIGUEUR Taxes and Accounting Director

ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEE (2026-2029)‍

CANADA
JANET LUMB Independent Artist, Music Performer and Co-founder and former Artistic Director of Festival Accès Asie (Montreal)
YOUNGSUP CHUNG Honorary Professor at Université de Montréal, Faculty of Arts and Science, Principal at the Korean Language School of Greater Montreal (Montreal)
JACQUES DESBIENS Artist, Art Historian and Lecturer (Montreal, Canada)
LIVIA MONET Consultant, Tenured professor in the Department of World Literature and Languages at the Université de Montréal (Montreal, Canada)
MINSIK KIM Marketing Development Consultant, CEO of Hanca Education (Montreal, Canada)
JINWOO PARK Author and Translator, Director of Communications at Arts East-West (Montreal, Canada)
GUY REX RODGERS, Filmmaker, Author, Co-Founder of ELAN, QDF, QWF (Montreal, Canada)
KOREA
KIM, SHIN DONG Professor of the Media School and Director of the Institute for Convergence Culture at Hallym University, Director of the Knowledge Coop for Good Governance (Seoul)
CHOI, DONGHWAN Board Chair of Africa Insight, former Consul General to Montreal, Permanent Representative to the ICAO Council (Seoul, Korea)
CHOI, JUNGBONG Dr. Writer and Consultant, Former Professor of Cinema at NYU and Hong Kong University
KIM, SOYOUNG Filmmaker, Artist, Professor of Cinema Studies at the Korea National University of Arts, Director of the Trans-Asian Screen Culture Institute (Seoul)
LEE, JIYOUNG Professor in Philosophy and Film Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Seoul)
PARK, HEUI-TAE Professor of Film Studies at Sung Kyun Kwan University, Ph.D. in Contemporary Literature at University of Paris (Seoul)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING THE 12TH KFFC!

Five members of the 12th KFFC team standing together against a gradient pink and blue background with their names below.

12TH KFFC CURATORS

MI-JEONG LEE
ANNABELLE KANG
MATHILDE ELIE
ALEX SEOKBIN YOON

12TH KFFC ART TALKS ARTISTS

Alex Seokbin Yoon, Mentee for the Asian Canadian Documentary Mentorship Project
Martin Dufresne, Mentee for the Asian Canadian Documentary Mentorship Project
Vincent Toi, Filmmaker and Mentor for the Asian Canadian Documentary Mentorship Project
Philippe Szporer, Filmmaker and Mentor for the Asian Canadian Documentary Mentorship Project
Crystal Chan, Media Artist

12TH KFFC VOLUNTEERS

Three young women sitting around a round table in a café, smiling and making peace signs with their fingers.

Special thank you to:
Sarah-Maude Lemieux – Volunteer Coordination
Ruotong Li – Social Media Support
Sojeong Kim – Naver Blog Management
Hasna Kone – Graphic Support

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

12TH KFFC THANKS TO

Chaouki Dakdouki, Regional Director General, Canadian Heritage – Quebec Region
LEE, Jae-wan, Consul General of the Republic of Korea to Montreal, and Ambassador of ICAO
CHOI, Donghwan, Board Chair of Africa InsightOH Suji, Vice Consul of the Republic of Korea to Montreal
Zaynab Raza, Executive Assistant to the DG, Canadian Heritage – Quebec Region
MA Hyunjoo, General Administration of King Sejong Institute in Montreal
Tina Big Daddy Queen Power, Singer and MC
Zab Maboungou, Artistic Director, Scholar and Founder of Nyata Nyata Dance Company

Youngsup Chung, Ali Ihtyiar, Masoud Raouf, Xiaodan He, Philip Szporer, Marlene 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 and all directors and artists.
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Canadian Heritage, FCCCQ, King Sejong Institute in Montreal, the McGill Internship Office, Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Montreal, Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma Moderne, Centre Création Danse Nyata Nyata, Goethe-Institut Montreal, MKFCM, Cinéma sous les étoiles, Korean Film Archive, Korea Academy for Film Arts, Dano Foods, and Ada X and many more!