Kalanchoe + Q&A

"Someone in our class is LGBT"

Kalanchoe (2017, 39 mins) is the breakout short of rising star Shun Nakagawa, whose feature, Sayonara, Girls. (2022), has garnered accolades on the festival circuit over the past year. This is the first time his work has screened in the UK.

During homeroom, a school class is given a brief lecture on the definition of LGBT. They later learn that theirs was the only class that was given one. A witch hunt for the LGBT student ensues, biases, preconceptions and empathy revealing themselves. All the while, a girl sits by the window, her feelings locked away deep inside.

Recalling the gentle rhythms of Naoko Yamada's Liz and the Blue Bird but from an outsider's perspective, Kalanchoe is a quietly observational gem and a potent conversation starter.

The screening will be followed by a live Zoom Q&A with Chiaki Yanagimoto, discussing her experiences in the Japanese and American film sectors and the founding of SAKKA, her streaming service dedicated to contemporary Japanese films

.
Queer Film Nights is an ongoing screening and discussion series at King's College London dedicated to spotlighting cinema from around the world that fosters greater understanding of LGBTQ+ identity and challenges what it means for cinema to be 'queer'.

This screening is presented in partnership with the KCL LGBTQ+ Society, KCL World Literature Society, KCL Careers and Employability, and SAKKA Films.

Kalanchoe and Sayonara, Girls. are available to buy and rent now on SAKKA.