Riceboy Sleeps

Winner of TIFF's Platform Prize in 2022 and most popular Canadian Film Circuit title of 2023, Riceboy Sleeps is a coming-of-age film set in the 90s about a Korean mother raising her teenage son in suburban 1990’s Canada. 

“Numerous key Canadian films have addressed the trauma of immigrating to this country, but few have been as emotionally devastating as Anthony Shim’s assured, moving Riceboy Sleeps”. 

Loosely based on the filmmaker’s own experiences, the film was primarily shot on location in and around Victoria, BC. “Compassionate and poetic, Riceboy Sleeps has the emotional scope of a classic Bildungsroman, signaling the arrival of a significant new Canadian filmmaker.

Ethan Hwang is a Canadian-Korean performer based in Toronto. He began his career booking small roles on projects such as Titans, Nirvanna the Band the Show, the independent short film Being Brave and the dramatic feature Dancing Through the Shadow. Later transitioning to larger opportunities, Ethan landed a recurring role on the series 2nd Generation. He then went on to book the role of Young Ben in the widely acclaimed Netflix hit The Umbrella Academy. In addition to acting, Ethan is a natural athlete who excels at hockey.

Content advisory: themes of racism, mental illness, and drug use

Director: Anthony Shim | Cast: Ethan Hwang, Choi Seung-yoon, Dohyun Noel Hwang | Country: Canada | Year: 2022 | Language: English, Korean