MY FATHER’S JOURNEY
Directed and produced by Xiaodan He
DOCUMENTARY / 87 MINUTES / 2021
Distributed by Filmoption International
The protagonist of this documentary is Chong Ren He, born in 1937, in Li Jiang, a small town close to the border of Tibet. He is a descendent of the Naxi, one of the fifty-six Chinese minorities which has a population of 300, 000. Their particular pictogram is the only living one in use today and is called the “living fossil”. Besieged by the constant political upheavals and the assimilation of the dominant Chinese modern culture, this film will explore how can an individual of 80 years of age build his own spiritual castle to protect himself and his frail yet precious culture.
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FESTIVALS
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Rendez-vous du Cinema Québécois 2020 (Nominated for the Award Pierre-et-Yolande-Perrault)
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The Silk Road International Film Festival (Ireland)
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The 30th International Festival of Ethnological film (Belgrade)
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The 39th International Festival of Films on Art (Montréal)
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Barcelona Indie Filmmakers Festival 2021
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Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival 2021
A TOUCH OF SPRING
Written, directed and co-produced by Xiaodan He
FEATURE FICTION / 86 MINUTES / 2018
Distributed by Filmoption International
Li Fang, a Chinese immigrant has been living in Montreal for 10 years. Physically infertile and her violent separation from her québécois husband, has pushed her to the brink of despair. Escaping the chaos in Montreal, Li Fang visits her grandfather in Dazu, her birthplace in south China. The support and inspiration of her families and old lover helps her break the impasse in her life.
AWARDS
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Best drama (Rome Independant Cinema Festival)
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Best emerging director (41th Asian American International Film Festival, NY)
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Best screenplay (Barcelona Planet Film Festival 2019)
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Best drama nominated (Polish International Film festival 2019)
FESTIVALS
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Asian Film Festival, Los Angles Hollywood 2020
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Canada perspective in Cannes 2018
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21th Shanghai International Film Festival 2018
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Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal
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THE FALL OF WOMENLAND
Written, directed by Xiaodan He
DOCUMENTARY / 50 MINUTES / 2009
Distributed by Filmoption International
A documentary on the unique sexual culture of the Mosuo people – a small minority situated in the South-West of China, and one of the last remaining matriarchal societies in the world. Without a formal marriage contract, the Mosuo traditionally build relationships based on free love and sexual satisfaction. But can the sexual liberty and power of the Mosuo women survive as modern Chinese society encroaches their ancestral land? We follow Bima, a young Mosuo woman, and learn of her reality and of the dangers that threaten her inherited way of life.
FESTIVALS
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National Geographic Film Festival (Washington D.C.)
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Reel China Documentary Biennial (New York/Yale University)
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Montreal World Film Festival (Montreal)
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Barcelona International Women’s Film Festival (Barcelone)
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Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois (Montreal)
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Geneva Film Festival (USA)​
GRANT
All Roads Film Grant of National Geographic
