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The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026: Blue Boy Trial (12)
Tavistock Place
Plymouth
Devon
PL4 8AT
Opening Times
| Season (26 Mar 2026) |
|---|
Prices
Standard £9.50 | Matinees £7.50 | Over 66 £8.25 | 25 & Under, Students, AUP Staff, Budget (unwaged/ low income) £4.50 | Bringing in Baby, Family screenings £4.50 | Friends 10% discount and £6.50 on Tuesday
About us
Original title: ブルーボーイ事件 (Blue Boy jiken)
Dir. IIZUKA Kasho, Japan, 2025, 106 mins. In Japanese with English subtitles. Cast. YAMANAKA Takashi, NAKAGAWA Miyu, NISHIKIDO Ryo, MAEHARA Ko.
Tokyo, 1965. Amid growing internationalisation after the Olympics, the government introduces new measures to reinforce public morals, particularly public prostitution by women. However, the so-called "Blue Boys", transgender women who live and work as prostitutes, cannot be prosecuted as they are legally registered as male. Frustrated, authorities instead arrest Dr. AKAGI Masao (YAMANAKA Takashi), who performs gender-affirming operations, accusing him of violating the Eugenic Protection Law.
Meanwhile, Sachi (NAKAGAWA Miyu) is quietly planning her future with her fiancé (MAEHARA Ko). She, too, is transgender and one of Dr. AKAGI's patients. When defence attorney KANO Taku (NISHIKIDO Ryo) asks her to testify in court for Dr. AKAGI, Sachi confronts her past and identity before a society unwilling to see her for who she really is.
Based on the real-life "Blue Boy Incident," this powerful film sheds light on a ground-breaking yet long-overlooked case that questioned the legality of gender-affirming surgery and what is means to find happiness. The director of Angry Son (JFTFP23), IIZUKA Kasho (a transgender man), and actor NAKAGAWA Miyu (a transgender woman) bring to life a moment that reshaped Japan's understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and continues to resonate today.
Content guidance: contains sexual references and offensive language.
© 2025 "Blue Boy Trial" Film Partners
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026
Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema
Season Pass: Get a discount (each ticket for £7.50) when you book tickets for the 4 films in the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme at the same time.
Silence of the Sea – Thursday 5 March, 6pm
The Real You – Thursday 12 March, 8.30pm
Strangers in Kyoto – Thursday 19 March, 6pm
Blue Boy Trial – Thursday 26 March, 8.30pm
The UK's largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back again. This is the place where cinema comes alive!
Knowing others — let alone ourselves — is not easy, as we behave differently depending on the relationship, environment, or even intention. In an age of advanced digital technology, where imagery can be readily manipulated, it is even harder to define who we, or others, truly are. This notion of identifying the self has been repeatedly explored in cinematic narratives in various ways. However, is it really possible to know our true selves? And if so, would such revelations lead to happiness and freedom, or might they instead bring disastrous and harsh consequences? With these questions in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 showcases some of the most unmissable Japanese films nationwide across the UK. From powerful social crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to gender-defining films, fantasy, and horror, the programme offers something for everyone.
