Love Bound – Shanshan Chen and Qiuyan Chen at The Watershed

Working with Bristol Pride, I was asked to photograph a screening and Q&A session of Love Bound with director Shanshan Chen, Queer China UK activist Qiuyan Chen and hosted by Monica Wat.

The film was a beautifully edited documentary that sensitively showed the challenges Qiuyan and Bling faced in a homophobic China, then finding love in the UK.

The documentary charts the wider struggles LGBT+ people experience when facing difficult family oppression. It made me realise that, for all of the UK’s shortcomings, we are privileged to live in such a safe space, comparatively. 

Qiuyan and Bling’s incredible ongoing resilience and positivity is inspiring, even when discussing sensitive ultimatums.