CONTENT ADVISORY
domestic/sexual violence, gender violence, nudity, explicit sexual content
Canada2025116 minFrench, Mandarin with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Directed By Women, Drama, Lesbian, Reel Asian Award Winner, Romance
Feng Xia, 53, lives a modest but decent life in Montreal: She has a house and is married with two children. But she finds herself growing dissatisfied with her loveless marriage and cloistered life of obligation. After taking a conversational French class, Feng Xia finds the city has opened up to her in new ways, including curious dalliances with dating apps. There, she meets Camille, a Quebecois woman who challenges her spiritually and sexually. Their affair awakens Feng Xia’s long-buried desires during a glowing Montreal summer.
The iconic Joan Chen fearlessly takes on the challenging role of Feng Xia, dexterously shifting between timid matron and sensuous explorer. Director Xiaodan He creates no easy answers, though, determined to show the complexities and conflicts of being a middle-aged Chinese mother in Montreal who yearns to break out. For those like Feng Xia who carry the weight of life’s duties, self-discovery can have collateral damage.
– Aram Siu Wai Collier
Joan Chen
Charlotte Aubin
John Xu
Xiaodan He
Xiaodan He, a Montreal-based Chinese Canadian filmmaker, studied film production at the Beijing Film Academy of China. After immigrating to Canada, He founded Red Dawn Productions, which received financing for five feature film projects. He is the first Chinese immigrant director and producer to receive governmental grants in Quebec and in Canada for a feature film.
7 Nov, 2025 8:15 pm
TIFF Lightbox C3AA
CONTENT ADVISORY
domestic/sexual violence, gender violence, nudity, explicit sexual content
IN PERSON ACCESSIBILITY
This film is being presented with English subtitles for all spoken dialogue (no sound cues indicated).
Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Join us for a Q&A session immediately after the screening moderated by Reel Asian's artistic director Aram Siu Wai Collier, with director Xiaodan He.
Director's Note NARMADA: A VALLEY RISES launched my career as a documentary filmmaker — but more importantly, it was the film that transformed the way I see the world. Made against all odds, the film stands as a testament of endurance and persistence.
Explore the XR worldbuilding practices of media artists working at the confluence of body, space, and technology.
In collaboration with the Independent Media Arts Alliance, Reel Ideas will co-host a three-day mini-conference focused on artist advocacy, fair pay, and building an equitable arts ecosystem.
Founded in Toronto in 1997, Reel Asian is Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival and a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing Asian and Asian diasporic artists and storytellers. What began as a grassroots film festival has grown into a national platform supporting filmmakers and audiences through screenings, education, industry initiatives, artist development, and community programming presented across Toronto, the GTA, and online across Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
