In partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, the British Council’s annual online programme of short films is back with five bold new stories from filmmakers around the world.
The films are all available online free of charge via the British Council Arts YouTube channel between the 19th and 30th of March.
To celebrate the launch of Five Films for Freedom 2025, we will hold a special preview screening and talk show on Tuesday 18 March.
We will be joined by a special guest – artist, writer, film critic, ‘non-architect’, and drag queen Vivienne Sato – for a discussion on the topic of Film and LGBTQIA＋, and will also have time for discussions and networking on related topics.
Overview of event
Date and time: Tuesday, 18 March, 2025; 18:30-20:30 (doors open: 18:00)
Venue: British Council (1-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
Capacity: 50 seats
Participation: free of charge
Language: the talk show will be in Japanese with interpretation to English; films will be in English with Japanese subtitle
Programme
· Welcome, Introduction to Five Films For Freedom
· Special preview screening from Five Films For Freedom 2025 (20 min.)
· Guest talk and discussions (30 min.)
· Networking (30 min.)
※ programme and timings subject to change.
※ representatives of the media may be present
Special guest
Vivienne Sato
Artist | Writer | Unbuilt Architecture | Drag Queen. An unorthodox creator across all genres, Vivienne has proudly embraced an identity as a drag queen for 30 years. Vivienne serves as a town revitalization consultant throughout Japan and as tourism ambassador for Onomichi. As a talent affiliated with Sun Music, Vivienne also holds the position of visiting professor at Taisho University. Vivienne’s deep love for Shinjuku is reflected in the declaration: "I am Shinjuku." "Shinjuku is me."
Registration
Please register via the online registration form.
Deadline: 9 p.m., Monday 17 March
Enquiries
British Council (Arts Team): uk-arts@britishcouncil.or.jp