BEIJING — The 18-year-old student out for a stroll at night was wearing makeup and a skirt and high heels when a passer-by suddenly collided with him. “Sorry, miss,” the man said before continuing on his way. The student turned and stared at the man until he was out of sight, clearly delighted to have been taken for a woman.

This episode from “Escape,’’ an unlikely new film by a team of Beijing high school students about being young and transgender in China, depicts the first time that the student ventured out in women’s clothes. The film shows his struggles with his attraction to a boy and his ultimate acceptance of what he feels is his genuine female identity.

Over the past several weeks, the 75-minute film has received four screenings, including at the Beijing LGBT Center and the Wuhan Tongxing LGBT Center, with three more scheduled for this month, and has been the subject of largely positive articles in People’s Daily and other state news outlets. More than a hundred copies of the film have been sold online, and its 18-year-old director, Hu Ranran, plans to post an English-subtitled version on YouTube.

“I wanted to speak for transgenders and acquaint more people with this disadvantaged group,’’ Ms. Hu said in an interview. “Many people regard transgenders as very different. I wanted to make this film to tell people that they are as normal as anyone else.’’