Love Bound

Directed by Shanshan Chen

LGBTQ+ activist Qiuyan Chen became an unexpected celebrity due to her courageous legal battle against homophobic university textbooks in the 2010s. However, this newfound fame came at a price: she was outed by her tutor, subjected to conversion therapy by her parents, and monitored by the Chinese government. To escape these pressures, Qiuyan left for the UK, where she met her partner Bling: but her struggles were far from over. Interweaving reflections on Qiuyan’s sexuality and relationships, Shanshan Chen’s documentary examines this inspiring activist’s commitmentto building a close-knit community designed to support queer East Asian people in the UK: a solo endeavour that evolves into a movement with a growing support base.