Ontario's first-ever kung fu film festival is happening this month

Ever attended a film festival and thought to yourself, 'where's all the kung fu?' well, this one's for you. There's a new festival coming to Toronto and Markham this month, celebrating the kung fu genre in all its forms.

Taking over Cineplex Scarborolugh and Cinemas Markham and VIP between May 31 and June 1, Kung Fu Film Festival Canada is the perfect culmination of Asian Heritage Month — although, if you ask me, any time is a good time for a kung fu movie (a kung fuvie, if you will,) marathon.

The festival is set to feature seven separate movie screenings over 48 hours, with informative post-screening talks about the films, the history and legacy of kung fu as an art form, the significance of kung fu cinema and the enduring relationship between Canada and Hong Kong.

Beyond seeing them grace the big screen, you'll also get the chance to see some big names in kung fu, kung fu cinema and beyond at the festival.

Hong Kong multihyphenate, Si Yeung Ping (Shaolin Temple, The Grandmaster) and Korean actor In-Shik Hwang (The Way of the Dragon, Hapkido), are just a few of the instrumental players on the kung fu cinema scene who you'll be able to see up-close at the festival.

Just not too close, you may end up taking a swift kick to the head instead of a selfie.

While tickets to individual screenings aren't available to the public, you can get VIP access to all of the film screenings by making a $200 donation to the two designated charities, Cherish Integrated Services and Under the Banyan Tree.

Following the opening ceremony on May 31, the first screening will take place at Markham Cineplex and VIP, while all subsequent screenings will take place at Scarborough Cineplex.

Here's the full schedule of screenings that you can see at the film festival this year.

• May 31, 10 a.m. — Shaolin Temple (1982)
• May 31, 1 p.m. — The Martial Club (1981)
• May 31, 3 p.m. — Ip Man 3 (2015)
• May 31, 5 p.m. — Kids from Shaolin (1984)
• June 1, 12 p.m. — Hapkido (1972)
• June 1, 3 p.m. — Shaolin Temple (Special AI Anime Version) (2024)
• June 1, 5 p.m. — Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)