Regional UK Tour For Queer East: On The Road 2025 Announced

The richness of Asian and queer communities has formed a vital part of the UK’s identity and over the past six years, Queer East has forged a space for bold, alternative and multifaceted expressions of artistic queerness.

This ambition continues when, from October to December, Queer East: On The Road 2025 will introduce remarkable entries from this year’s programme to an ever expanding roster of sites across the country. Expect a boundary pushing line-up of features, documentaries and shorts that explore the ever-evolving queer landscape across East and Southeast Asia. 

Activism, community and the collective memory of queer history take centre stage in this year’s programme: from a drama which subtly critiques the social expectations surrounding gender and sexuality set on a small Japanese island (My Sunshine), a vivid portrait of girlhood, teenage love, and frustrated desire in Singapore (1 Girl Infinite); to a moving documentary on the Korean trans experience (Edhi Alice), the festival continues its commitment to screening a vital and diverse programme that will get audiences talking. 

Queer East: On The Road 2025 nationwide tour will bring highlights of its programme to Chester, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bradford, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Birmingham (tour cities and partnering venues TBC and subject to change). 

In addition to the film programme the tour will include a series of special events including film introductions and Q&As, panel discussions, networking events and more, plus unique collaborations with local institutions. 

Film highlights will include (subject to change):

Kubi (Dir. Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 2023)

Legendary actor and director Takeshi Kitano (Violent Cop, Sonatine, HANA-BI) reconfigures the historical epic, with his mesmerising and outrageous view of Japanese history as rival warlords battle to reign supreme over feudal Japan. Offering a darkly comic perspective on the political intrigue and homoerotic desire, this strikingly violent film comprehensively debunks the myths of masculinity, ethics and honour that have defined the samurai genre onscreen. 

Edhi Alice, (Dir. Ilrhan Kim, South Korea, 2024)

Interrogating how documentaries about trans communities are made: the creative decisions, relationships, and ethical questions involved, the subject of the documentary is Edhi, who works as a counsellor for LGBTQ+ teens in Seoul, and has decided to undertake gender reassignment surgery. Edhi’s story intertwines with that of Alice, the lighting technician on the film crew and an older trans woman, who is preoccupied with challenging popular stereotypes about female and male bodies. This powerful and thought-provoking film refuses to compromise in its depiction of post-surgery recuperation, but offers an authentic portrayal of the trans experience and allyship in South Korea. 

Murmur of Youth (Dir. Lin Cheng-sheng, Taiwan, 1997)

Two adolescent girls in Taiwan meet when they get a job in a cinema box office. The pair begin to bond as they chat about family, work and school; but gradually, their conversations become more intimate. Lin Cheng-Sheng’s (Sweet Degeneration, 1997; Betelnut Beauty, 2001) poignant coming-of-age story from 1997 beautifully captures the bittersweet essence of youth.

Rookie (Dir. Samantha Lee, Philippines, 2023)

An awkward teenager in the Philippines moves to an all-girls school, where she is forced to join the volleyball team. She is initially no good at the sport and socially ostracised, but things begin to change when she falls for the team captain. From Samantha Lee, a filmmaker from the Philippines who advocates for better representation of women and the LGBTQ+ community in cinema, this heartfelt film is powered by authentic performances.

Where is My Love? (Dir. Jo-Fei Chen, Taiwan, 1996)

Taipei in the 1990s: Ko is a young gay writer who must decide whether or not to remain in the closet. This acclaimed film from 1996, the directorial debut of Chen Jo-fei, a filmmaker who has worked behind the scenes within the Taiwanese film industry including on Edward Yang’s A Brighter Summer Day and Lin Cheng-sheng’s Murmur of Youth, artfully evokes the furtive queer lifestyles of the time while subtly capturing the rhythm of the writing process and the textures of everyday life. 

Incidental Journey (Dir. Jo-Fei Chen, Taiwan, 2000)

After breaking up with her girlfriend, student Ching goes on a road trip around Taiwan, encountering Hsiang, a solitary artist. Travelling to a peaceful farm in the mountains, the women contemplate their pasts. A meditative reflection on female desire, Incidental Journey made its mark in Taiwan’s film history, offering a daring and frank portrayal of lesbian love on screen.

A Journey in Spring (Dir. Tzu-Hui Peng, Ping-Wen Wang, Taiwan, 2023) – UK Premiere

Khim-Hok is an elderly man who has come to depend on his wife Siu-Tuan over the years. Absent from their life, however, is their estranged son, whose existence remains largely unspoken. Shot on 16mm film, this feature debut by co-directors Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang paints a raw and sensitive portrait of domestic life. The film was the recipient of the Best Director at the 71st San Sebastian International Film Festival in 2023.

Looking for an Angel (Dir. Akihiro Suzuki, Japan, 1999)

Takachi, a young gay porn star, is found dead in Tokyo. At his wake, two of his friends, Reiko and Shinpei, recollect their time together, attempting to piece together fragments of Takachi’s life. Interweaving past and present, memories and stories, Looking for an Angel is a quintessential example of Japan’s dynamic queer cinema scene. 

My Sunshine (Dir. Hiroshi Okuyama, Japan/France, 2024) – UK Premiere

On a small Japanese island, the young Takuya becomes fascinated with Sakura, a figure skater from Tokyo. Coach and former champion Arakawa spots potential in Takuya, and decides to mentor him to form a duo with Sakura for an upcoming competition. My Sunshine poetically evokes the joy of childhood emotions. Director Hiroshi Okuyama, who collaborated with Hirokazu Kore-eda on the screenplay for his series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, offers a subtle critique of the social expectations surrounding gender and sexuality, poetically evoking the joy of childhood emotions and the struggle for acceptance.

Batch ’81 (Dir. Mike de Leon, Philippines, 1982)

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mike de Leon and hailed as one of the greatest Filipino films of all time, Batch ’81 is groundbreaking psychological drama: both an unflinching study of sadomasochistic college fraternity traditions, and a camp metaphor for life in the Philippines under the Marcos regime.

1 Girl Infinite (Dir. Lilly Hu, USA, Latvia, Singapore, 2025) – UK Premiere

Lilly Hu directs and stars in this vivid portrait of girlhood, teenage love, and frustrated desire. In Changsha, Yin Jia and Tong Tong have carved out a life together, but when Tong Tong begins a relationship with a drug dealer, the devoted Yin Jia is prepared to sacrifice all that she has. 

Crazy Love (Dir. Michio Okabe, Japan, 1968)

Michio Okabe’s underground film was shot on 16mm in Shinjuku in 1968, and documents the radical spirit of Japan’s creative and artistic scene in those years. Structured as a collage of diverse activities and performers, Crazy Love is a testament to a liberated, experimental moment in art and film.

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking (Dir. Petersen Vargas, Philippines, 2024)

Following the death of his boyfriend, the teenage Zion runs away from home and meets a group of street hustlers at a Manila bus terminal one night. Award-winning director Petersen Vargas conjures up an edgy and erotic nightscape in this lyrical exploration of desire, home, and belonging.

Queer East: On the Road 2025 nationwide tour takes place October to December in the following cities (tour cities and venues TBC and subject to change): Chester, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bradford, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham.

For further Queer East Festival announcements: https://queereast.org.uk/ 

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