Maggie Kang and Jacob Tierney will receive honors at this year’s Toronto Departure Festival and Conference.
The two directors made significant and powerful waves this year with “Golden” blasting out on the radio for the summer before “All the Things She Said” taking over in the winter. Both Kang and Tierney, directors and writers for KPop Demon Hunters and Heated Rivalry respectively, have been lauded for their creative vision and direction. Kang will receive the Cultural Innovator Award and Tierney will receive the Creative Impact Award.
Prior to her hit film KPop Demon Hunters, Kang was the head of story for 2017’s The Lego Ninjago Movie and worked on other DreamWorks Animation titles as the story artist such as Rise of the Guardians and Kung Fu Panda. KPop Demon Hunters was borne out of her desire to write a story about her Korean heritage and celebrate her culture. The film which follows a trio of demon-slaying warriors who use their voices to create a protective barrier against demons rose to become Netflix’s top-watched title. The soundtrack has been breaking records. Kang won Director of the Year at the Marie Claire Asia Star Awards and the Animation Award at the Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema and Television. Most recently, KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animation Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.
Tierney had already directed another hockey show before Heated Rivalry—Shoresy which is a comedy spin-off of Letterkenny. Letterkenny had won several awards including Best Direction and Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series as well as Best Comedy Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. Heated Rivalry was adapted from the second book of Rachel Reid’s Game Changer series and was launched on Crave in November 2025. The story, about two rival hockey players who fall in love with each other in a sport and league where all eyes are on them, became an instant hit and garnered critical acclaim for the direction, scripting, and acting. Tierney and his co-producer Brendan Brady were honored at the NYC LGBT Community Center with the Cultural Impact Award. Heated Rivalry is nominated for two awards at the GLAAD Media Awards and Queerties.
The Departure Festival will take place on May 7 at Koerner Hall in Toronto.
Source: Instagram
