A Chinese-Canadian veteran filmmaker, Xiaodan He already has several short films and documentary features to her name, but her latest feature film represents a tidal shift in her work that is quickly garnering global and local attention.

Montréal, ma belle tells the story of 53-year old Feng Xia (played by Joan Chen), a Chinese immigrant and mother living in Montreal who feels suffocated by a life defined by familial responsibilities and self-denial. Falling in love with a young Quebecois woman, Camille (Charlotte Aubin), Feng Xia is forced to confront her repressed queerness and sets her on the path towards self-actualization.

25 years in the making

He has always longed to make a film for immigrants—specifically middle-aged immigrants like her. Much of the film echoes her own lived experiences: In 2002, having freshly graduated from the Beijing Film Academy of China, He moved and eventually settled in Montreal to study filmmaking. She has vivid memories of her first attempts to write the story that would eventually evolve into Montréal, ma belle. Writing fluid dialogue in a language foreign to her caused many early frustrations, but they were buoyed by the support of her peers and one Université de Montréal professor who encouraged her to keep writing, confident that she would “get the story right one day.”

Montréal, ma belle represents decades of work; of refining and piecing together a narrative which honors the veracity and complexities of its subject. Having spent almost 25 years in each of her homelands of China and Canada, He felt ready to make a film which amalgamates both perspectives through a fresh angle.

The Voice of the Immigrant Mother

Chinese immigrant representation has come a long way since the days of The Woman Warrior and The Joy Luck Club; but still there are dominating narratives which have made the genre stagnant and tired, especially for first- and second-generation immigrant audiences.

But in recent years, the voice of the Immigrant Mother has been quietly emerging as a protagonist in these narratives, even taking centre stage as seen in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once or Riceboy Sleeps by Canadian filmmaker Anthony Shim. These stories deconstruct this archetypical role through much more humanistic interpretations, elevating the Asian Mother above the tyrannical Tiger Mom stereotype into a fully-fledged character.

Montréal, ma belle seems to be in direct conversation with these works, and in larger contemporary conversations surrounding immigration and intersectionality which are ever-changing and especially relevant now.

The portrayal of a middle-aged, lesbian, Chinese immigrant battling the pressures of assimilation, tradition, motherhood, and internalized homophobia all at once is one which has never been explored in Asian or in Western film. This is precisely why He was compelled to explore these nuances. Above everything else, He wants to celebrate these challenges and portray how one can still pursue true self-liberation despite all the societal forces which seek to confine and to repress them. “That’s what I really want. I want Feng Xia, and people like her, to be happy,” said He.

Taboo subject matter

When Montréal, ma belle premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in late 2025, He was anxious of how the film would be received by other immigrants. Its explicit depiction of same-sex relationships could be contentious with older, more conservative generations of Chinese diaspora, but the responses she’s gotten have been overwhelmingly positive across all age demographics.

Trailers and clips from the film have also been gaining positive reactions on Chinese social media, even though it may never be released in cinemas in Mainland China because of its taboo subject matter. According to He, younger audience members have told her that the film reminded them of their own parents’ struggles, which they had rarely seen depicted onscreen. A 70-year-old Chinese immigrant confessed to her that the story had nearly moved her to tears.

For He, there was never any doubt about setting her film in Montreal, the city where she honed the technical skills as a director and found the confidence to discover her own voice as an artist. “She’s like my old friend and I love her,” He said of the city.

“Montreal, for me, represents liberty and love, and (the) liberty to love,” He said. “The film is a kind of love letter from me, too. I want to give my thanks for this city, which has given me so much, which helped me become the filmmaker I am.”

There's more where that came from.

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25 years in the making

The Voice of the Immigrant Mother

Taboo subject matter

There's more where that came from.

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Olivia Shan

Montréal, Ma Belle is a Quiet Revolution in Immigrant Storytelling