The 25th Rainbow Reel Tokyo - Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, screening films with LGBT (sexual minority) themes, will be held from July 9th to July 15th at Cinemart Shinjuku in Shinjuku 3-chome, Tokyo, and from July 15th to July 18th at Spiral Hall in Omotesando, Tokyo.

First held in 1992 under the name "Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival," the festival has grown in scale with each edition. Following the establishment of the non-profit organization "Rainbow Reel Tokyo" as its operating body last year, the festival will change its name to "Rainbow Reel Tokyo" this year, marking a new beginning.

Rainbow Reel Tokyo aims to be a place for creating a diverse and free society through the screening of films that deal with a variety of sexualities, including not only lesbian and gay but also bisexual and transgender people, and also aims to contribute to the creation of visual culture by introducing domestic and international films that focus on sexual minorities, which do not often have opportunities to be screened.

In addition to 12 feature films, the festival will screen 4 short films. The feature-length films include "From Away," starring Alfredo Castro, the renowned actor known for "NO" and "The Club," which won the Golden Lion, the highest award at last year's Venice International Film Festival; "How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)," Thailand's entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards; "The Dukes of Burgundy," a controversial film that sparked discussion with its stunning visual beauty and depiction of a perverse love relationship between women; and "Gayby Baby," a documentary that follows the daily lives of four "gaybies" whose parents are same-sex couples. Many of these films will be shown in Japan for the first time. Additionally, as part of a retrospective of director Gregg Araki's work, the festival will feature a digitally remastered version of "The Living End," a New Queer Cinema masterpiece that garnered attention as a gay version of "Thelma & Louise" when it was released in theaters in 1993. Also on display will be "Mysterious Skin," a coming-of-age film based on Scott Heim's novel "Mysterious Skin," featuring a sensitive performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, star of "500 Days of Summer." The short film lineup will feature works recommended by film festivals affiliated with the Asia Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance (APQFFA), which was established last year to support and promote LGBT films in the Asia-Pacific region. Four films, including "The Fox That Borrows the Tiger's Might," "A Night on Sowol Road," "My Secret," and "School Daze," will be screened for the first time in Japan as part of the "QUEER×ASIA ~APQFFA Masterpiece Selection~" program.

Details about the films being screened, screening times, and admission fees can be found on the festival's official website. This film festival screens a selection of exquisite dramas and documentaries on the theme of sexual minorities, so why not get a feel for the current environment surrounding LGBT people?

[Event Information]
"25th Rainbow Reel Tokyo - Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival"

Venue: Cinemart Shinjuku
Address: Shinjuku Bunka Building 6F, 3-13-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Dates: July 9th - July 15th

Venue: Spiral Hall
Address: Spiral 3F, 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Dates: July 15th - July 18th