Chinese-born filmmaker Xiaodan He is carving out a space in Canadian cinema, bringing the complexities of immigration and identity to the big screen. Born and raised in China, He studied at the Beijing Film Academy before moving to Montreal in 2002.
She says she has always been drawn to film’s unique blend of artistic forms.
“Cinema includes so many art forms — music, costume, storytelling, literature, theatre, space, lighting and photography — so many elements to tell a story that can influence people emotionally and spiritually,” she says.
While studying in Beijing, He developed a fascination with other cultures, watching foreign films even before she had travelled abroad. Though she had never left China at the time, she was curious about living in another country. Canada was already on her mind when she met her now ex-husband, who lived in Quebec.
“I thought it’s a pity to live in one country one’s whole life,” she says of her decision to immigrate.
When He arrived in Canada, she was optimistic but realistic about the challenges ahead. She knew directing a feature film immediately would be difficult. Instead, she focused on improving her French and developing her craft through short films and documentaries.
Her persistence paid off. He became the first Chinese producer-director to receive government funding in Canada and Quebec for her debut feature, A Touch of Spring, released in 2017.
The film follows a young Chinese woman in Montreal whose life is upended by a divorce from her Québécois husband. She returns to China to reconnect with family and a former lover, only to realize that people everywhere carry both pain and joy. In witnessing others confront their struggles, she finds the strength to face her own.
While A Touch of Spring draws from He’s personal experiences, it also reflects the broader immigrant journey — one shaped by belonging, loss and resilience.
After the success of her first feature, He set out to explore new dimensions of the immigrant experience. Though much of A Touch of Spring was filmed in China, she wanted her next project to be rooted in the city she has called home for more than two decades.
“I wanted to give a love letter to this city that has given me so much nourishment,” she says.
That vision led to her second feature, Montreal, My Beautiful. The film tells the story of Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant wife and mother who has long lived according to duty and cultural expectations. When she meets a free-spirited Québécoise woman, Xia’s suppressed desires surface, forcing her to confront questions of identity and sexuality.
He says she was eager to explore both immigration and Chinese homosexuality, a subject that remains sensitive — and often taboo — for many.
“There’s a lot of layers, a lot of conflicts to deal with,” she says.
The film premiered at the 2025 Festival du nouveau cinéma and received several accolades, including the Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist from the Toronto Film Critics Association.
Montreal, My Beautiful presents immigration as a transformative experience and underscores the courage required to live authentically in a new environment. For He, the immigrant journey is defined by change and self-discovery.
“While for some newcomers the change may be bigger or faster and for others it may be slower or more subtle, there’s a new discovery of oneself when you immigrate to a new place,” she says.
Through the film, viewers see how Montreal’s cultural diversity and relative openness can offer space for reinvention. He says the city gave her protagonist the courage to embrace desires she had long suppressed.
Making the film also reshaped He’s perspective on her own cultural background.
“If I didn’t live here, if I always lived in China, I don’t believe I could make this movie,” she says.
Through her work, He hopes audiences gain a deeper understanding of the dilemmas immigrants face — and the possibilities that come with starting over.
“I hope that immigrants, no matter what nationality, can find hope and courage to be themselves here in a new country,” she says.
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