Based on a true story, transgender filmmaker Iizuka’s remarkable film is set in 1960s Japan, a time of Olympic pride and a crackdown on “public morals.” Anti-prostitution laws targeted women but a legal loophole exempts male sex workers, the so-called “blue boys.” When police arrest the doctor performing their sex reassignment surgeries, the sensational “Blue Boy Trial” begins. Three transgender women, all played by trans actors, take the stand, igniting a national debate on identity and happiness. The story combines a remarkable cast with production and costume designs to recreate the 60’s-era Tokyo of smoky nightclubs and bustling back alleys as well as the intense courtroom atmosphere. Half a century later, this buried history still reverberates in the lives of sexual minorities. Deeply affecting and very relevant.
Kasho Iuzuka
Miyu Nakagawa, Ryo Nishikido, Kou Maehara, Ataru Nakamura, Kiyohiko Shibukawa
Japan
2025
In Japanese with English subtitles
Grand Prize Jury – Special Mention at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival 2026
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Credits
Producer
Hitoshi Endo
Screenwriter
Mainichi Miura, Yuko Kato
Cinematography
Akiko Ashizawa
Editor
Shinichi Fushima
Original Music
Shoji Ikenaga
Vancouver Japanese Film Festival
Experience the best in contemporary Japanese cinema with films spanning historical jidaigeki and samurai films, contemporary dramas, comedies, literary adaptations, documentaries, children’s films, and art-house fare.