Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to live unconventional lives in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ culture in contemporary Japan.

Graham Kolbeins directs this in-depth look at queerness in Japanese society, delving into the tensions present in the LGBTQ community of Japan, as this film examines the impact of invisibility, otherness, changing times and the return of old traditions that empower Japanese queer folk. Featuring interviews with Gengoroh Tagame (Manga artist and author of My Brother’s Husband and Pride), Aya Kamikawa (the first openly transgender elected official in Japan), Vivienne Sato (drag artist), Atsushi Masuda (Butoh dancer), and a score by Will Wiesenfeld (Baths).

The locations showcase Japanese nightlife in places such as Bar Goldfinger and Department H as on the other side of the globe an array of artists and activists share their experiences as Queer Japanese People. This remarkable documentary also examines how a non-Western, non-Christian tradition informs the queer experience of millions of Japanese citizens: from Erotic Mangaka to trailblazing politicians, latex drag queens to lesbian bar owners, craftswomen to historians, G-men and more.

Queer Japan celebrates a variety of queer expressions and offers an intimate look into the everyday triumphs and struggles of being a sexual minority in modern Japan.

Screened in Japanese and English with English subtitles.

Graham Kolbeins  |  USA/Japan  |  2019  |  99 mins.