Queer East: On the Road 2025 in Leeds

Queer East Festival: On the Road 2026 arrives in Leeds with a fantastic selection of films from 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), 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.

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.

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

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.

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.