Screening of the Japanese courtroom drama 'Blue Boy Trial', directed by Kasho Iizuka and set in 1965 Tokyo, as part of the Queer East Festival 2026.
Blue Boy Trial screens at Storyhouse Cinema on Saturday 7 November at 5pm, as part of the Queer East Festival 2026. It's a courtroom drama directed by Kasho Iizuka, running about 106 minutes.
The story takes us back to Tokyo in 1965. At the time, the government introduced anti-prostitution laws that applied only to women, which left a legal loophole for trans sex workers, who were known as 'blue boys'. Frustrated by that, the police instead prosecuted the doctor who performed their gender-reassignment surgery, and his lawyer called trans women as witnesses. It's a specific, historical moment in Tokyo's queer history, and the film builds around that trial.
On screen, Ataru Nakamura and Ryo Nishikido lead the cast, with Miyu Nakagawa as the star witness. The film is part of Queer East, a cross-disciplinary festival that brings together queer cinema, live arts and moving-image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities. Storyhouse is Chester's only independent cinema, and it runs a membership scheme that gives 10% off theatre and cinema tickets.
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Tickets are £8.90 for members and £9.90 for non-members, with under-16s at £6.75 for members and £7.50 for non-members, and £5 for a Young Storyhouse Card. There's a multibuy discount too: 25% off when you book two Queer East films, and 50% off when you book three or more. The screening is at 5pm on Saturday 7 November, and it runs for roughly 106 minutes.
