Formerly known as Chinese Arts Now, the newly named Kakilang theatre company return from the 21st February with their multi-art form festival. Kakilang – meaning ‘one of us’, the perfect term to encapsulate the work staged by artists of East and South East Asian heritage. Set to take over various London based venues – the Barbican, Two Temple Place, Yard Theatre, Rich Mix and Shoreditch Theatre, as well as outside of London at York Theatre Royal, Kakilang will continue on with its mission to showcase a host of exciting new work. Ahead of this year’s event, Associate Artistic Director Si Rawlinson tells us more about curating this year’s line up, receiving support from the Bagri Foundation and what audiences can expect!
Kakilang will be hosting Kakilang Festival 2023 from the 21st February to 22nd April at the Barbican, York Theatre Royal, Two Temple Place, The Yard, Rich Mix and Shoreditch Theatre. How are you feeling ahead of the festival?
Kicking of their tour of FIREDANCE initially in February of 2020, Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez, like many creatives at the time, found themselves having to ground their show to a halt in response to the ongoing pandemic. Last year however, a couple of years on from the crisis, as we all emerged from the disruption, both were able to reignite the show’s unrelenting flames and bring it back to our stages. Showing no signs of slowing down, having both recently competed on the 2022 edition of Strictly Come Dancing, the dynamic duo have shown that they’re back with a vengeance, more so than ever. Due to tour from 23rd February, starting off at New Theatre in Peterborough before concluding its run on Saturday 1st April 2023 City Hall in Sheffield, Karen tells us more about the show’s inspirations, working with Gorka and what audiences can expect!
Established in 1978, Sundance is one of the world’s most recognisable film festivals. Celebrating 45 years of championing independent cinema, the festival continues to showcase the very best of filmmaking. Returning to the festival, after his film Bump was selected to screen last year, filmmaker and actor Maziyar Khatam presents Baba this year – the second instalment of his offbeat, comedy-drama short film series, a personal homage to his upbringing and Iranian-Canadian heritage. Currently screening at Sundance, Maziyar tells us more about the film winning Best Canadian Short Film at Vancouver International Film Festival, working with the creative team to realise the film and what he’s learned from creating it.
Currently, we’re breaking down exactly what intersectionality looks like and how this plays out in reality. Everyone with their very own unique set of experiences that continue to impact how they interact with the outside world. Delving into this further with solo performance Mix Race MixTape, Professor in Performing Arts at Stockholm University of the Arts John-Paul Zaccarini presents Mix Race, an exploration of the political and emotional minefield of intersectionality with poignancy. Ahead of its showing on 3rd February at Rich Mix as part of Certain Blacks Heroes Festival, John-Paul tells us more about creating the show, what it means to form part of Certain Blacks’ ninth festival and what audiences can expect!
With awards’ season well and truly underway, we’re yet again introduced to an array of mainstream and independent works deserving of acknowledgement for the effort put in both onscreen and behind the scenes. Marking Floodlight Pictures – Ross White and Tom Berkeley’s second collaboration (the first, Roy, seeing them make the shortlist of the 75th BAFTA Awards), An Irish Goodbye sees them contend for a spot on the final nominee list of the 95th Academy Awards, due to take place on Sunday 12th March, with the final shortlist drawn up on Tuesday 24th January. Ahead of the final nominee announcement, Ross and Tom tell us more about their heartwarming film – an exploration of estranged brothers Lorcan and Turlough who are forced to reunite following the death of their mother. Lorcan, who has Down Syndrome is left in Turlough’s care, but will only agree to leave the family farm once they have completed every single wish on their mother’s unfulfilled bucket list.