1. Media Space

  2. Press Kit

Restaurant Kids

Enfants de resto | 餐館的孩子
Sylvia Mok
2026 | 12 min 21 s
Documentary
English, Cantonese

Coming of age behind the counter. 

Raised between dining rooms and take–out counters, the children of Halifax’s Chinese restaurateurs share stories of family, hard work and identity. Through intimate conversations and personal memories, Restaurant Kids celebrates a tight-knit community whose businesses became gathering places, livelihoods and second homes for a generation growing up between cultures.

Produced as part of REDEFINED, a TIFF and NFB initiative supporting emerging Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers aged 30 and under. 


Logline

Restaurant Kids offers a glimpse into a small but tight-knit community of Chinese restaurateurs in Halifax and the second generation of kids who were raised with a restaurant as their second home. 




Cantonese pronouncer for Title

Restaurant Kids



Excerpts

Excerpt 1: Gary


Excerpt 2: canadian-chinese food


Excerpt 3: growing up in restaurants



Images


Title: RestaurantKids_2_10112611_300dpi_tiff
Photo:
Caption:
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/RestaurantKids_2_10112611_300dpi_tiff.jpg
Description: Image from the film - Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Download

Title: RestaurantKids_10025908_72dpi_EPK
Photo:
Caption:
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/RestaurantKids_10025908_72dpi_EPK-1.jpg
Description: Image from the film - Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Download

Title: RestaurantKids_4_10053704_72dpi_tiff
Photo:
Caption:
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/RestaurantKids_4_10053704_72dpi_tiff.jpg
Description: Image from the film - Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Download

Title: RestaurantKids_3_10100720_72dpi_tiff
Photo:
Caption:
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/RestaurantKids_3_10100720_72dpi_tiff.jpg
Description: Image from the film - Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Download

Title: RestaurantKids_4_10073315_72dpi_tiff
Photo:
Caption:
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/RestaurantKids_4_10073315_72dpi_tiff.jpg
Description: Image from the film - Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Download

Title: RestaurantKids_5_10042323_72dpi
Photo:
Caption:
URL: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/wp-content/uploads/RestaurantKids_5_10042323_72dpi.jpg
Description: Image from the film - Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Download

Team


Sylvia Mok
Filmmaker - Restaurant Kids

Photo




Liz Cowie
Producer

Photo
Photo : Liz Cowie



John Christou
Executive Producer, Director of Production & Operations, Programming | Creation

Photo
Photo : NFB


A National Film Board of Canada production in collaboration with the Toronto International Film Festival

 

Credits

RESTAURANT KIDS
餐館的孩子

Dedicated to my mom and dad.

Written and Directed by
Sylvia Mok

Produced by
Liz Cowie

Participants

The elders
Eric Yeung | 楊力維
David Cheung | 張文偉
Fred Fong | 方耀榮
Andy Mok | 莫廣鴻
Lloyd Yu | 余來
Donald Tan | 譚俊衡

The kids
Gary Yeung | 楊𠗕豐
Fionica Guan | 关芷慧
Melody Li | 李沫
Michael Li | 李荣轩

Melody & Michael’s mother
Shan Shan Liu | 刘闪闪

Director of Photography
Joshua Saunders

Editing
Calum Moore
Outsider Editorial

Sound Designer
Matthew Kinahan

Original Music
Simon Rostis

Executive Producer
John Christou

Line Producer
Stéphanie Quevillon

Production Administrator
Justine Chevarie-Cossette

Senior Production Coordinator
Adriana Sanchez-Sanfaçon

Production Manager
Sarah MacLeod

Production Assistant
Shkeysha Morris

Researcher
Toni Chan

Sound Recordist
Erik Southey

Additional Photography
Christian Cocuzzo

1st Assistant Camera
Giavanni Picarelli

Key Grip
Justin White

Digital Imaging Technician
Giavanni Picarelli

Set Photography
Liz Cowie

Technical Project Coordinator
Paul Ballerini

Technical Support – Editing
Pierre Dupont
Albert Kurian
Marcus Matyas
Patrick Trahan

Colourist & Online Editor
Serge Verreault

Outsider Editorial

Executive Producer
Kayan Choi

Assistant Editor
Daniel Karan

Credits
Sylvia Mok
Mélanie Bouchard

Re-Recording Mixer
Cory Rizos

Guzheng Performer
Ziqing Zhou

McGill Digital Composition Studios Coordinator
Richard McKenzie

Cantonese Translation
Power of Babel

Coordinator, Versions and Accessibility
Sylvie Azoulay

French Translation and Subtitling
difuze

Programming Manager
Brigid Tierney

Senior Marketing Advisor
Laurianne Désormiers

Marketing Project Manager
Geneviève Bérard

Marketing Coordinator
Michelle Rozon

Director, Communications and Public Relations
Magalie Boutin

Senior Advisor, Communications Strategist
Justine Baillargeon

Publicists
Jennifer Mair
Sophie St-Pierre

Legal Advisor
Peter Kallianiotis

Toronto International Film Festival
An initiative of TIFF Next Wave

Chief Programming Officer
Anita Lee

Vice President, Public Programming
Keith Bennie

Manager, Next Wave
Ikoro Sekai

Selection Committee
Ollie Coombs
Emma Cheuk
Nara Wrigglesworth
Winnie Wang


NFB.CA © 2026 National Film Board of Canada

 


Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 7,000 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.

  • About TIFF

    TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world, through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.