‘Authentic’: Chinese-Canadian director’s queer love story starring Joan Chen

Sep 13, 2026

Director Xiaodan He immigrated from China to Montreal, Canada, 24 years ago. While many of her previous film projects were filmed in China, she returned to the French-speaking city for her newest film, Montreal, My Beautiful (2025). “The decision was very simple: I just really wanted to shoot a film in Montreal because I hadn’t done so yet,” she says. “I think it feels very cinematic, and through my eyes, it would look very beautiful on screen.” The 51-year-old Chinese-Canadian filmmaker did not...

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