2023 Dream Tree Award Recipient

KCSF is proud to announce that this year's 2023 KCSF Dream Tree Award will be presented to Anita Lee, TIFF's Chief Programming Officer, at the 2023 KCSF Gala. The Dream Tree Award recognizes Korean Canadian individuals or organizations whose contributions and accomplishments carve new paths for future generations or raise the profiles of Korean Canadians.

As TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer, Anita Lee helms artistic and strategic leadership for TIFF and TIFF Lightbox. Prior to TIFF, Lee served as the Executive Producer and Studio Head of NFB Ontario. A veteran media executive with over 25 years in the industry and 15 years in public media, Lee led the programmatic and strategic vision for Canada’s award-winning public agency in Toronto.

Lee is also recognized widely for her past producing achievements of critically acclaimed films including Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell. Anita Lee founded the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival in 1997 and was honoured in 2021 with a festival award in her name, the Anita Lee Firehorse Award for change-makers. Lee has also been recognized with a 2022 WIFT - Toronto Crystal Mentorship Award as well as the Rogers-DOC Luminary Award in 2022. She has received two Peabody Awards and three Canadian Screen Awards, including the 2023 Award for Best Feature Length Documentary (To Kill a Tiger). She has been a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences since 2016.