Sunday, march 15 / 1:30 pm / Ottawa Art Gallery

Program: Muses, Montréal, Ma Belle

Feature presentation \

It’s never too late to find love–with others, and yourself. Feng Xia (Joan Chen) is a Chinese immigrant wife and mother living in Montréal who has lived a life of duty and obligation. One balmy Montréal summer, she decides it’s time to finally live her life for herself. She takes French classes, no longer wanting to rely on her daughter as her translator. Displeased by her husband’s ideas for their sex life, she allows herself to discover her own sexuality. She meets Camille (Charlotte Aubin), a young Québécoise woman with her own ideas about sex, love, and intimacy. Together, both women explore the parts of themselves they’ve been hiding, despite the costs of their liberation.

With beautifully intimate performances from Chen and Aubin, Montréal, Ma Belle is so much more than a romance. Proving one can “come of age” at any age, Feng Xia’s midlife awakening is an inspiration to anyone who feels they’ve been hiding their true self.

-Tish Black

Short film \

Muses

2024 / 7 minutes / Quebec
Director: Simon Vermeulen
Language: No dialogue

Content warning: Nudity

At the heart of their deteriorating intimate relationship, a dancer seeks to break free from the grip of his unfaithful choreographer.