Daniel Kaluuya, Kane Robinson, and more stars attended a special screening of Netflix’s new dystopian drama, “The Kitchen,” in New York City on Wednesday.
The screening at The Roxy Cinema was followed by a Q&A conversation moderated by Hip Hollywood journalist Jasmine Simpkins. Other attendees included rappers Dave East and Maino and journalists Brian “B Dot” Miller and Elliott Wilson. Kaluuya co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed “The Kitchen,” which will premiere on Netflix on Friday, Jan. 19. Robinson, who first came to fame as a rapper and songwriter before pivoting into acting, stars as the lead character, Izi. The British actor is best known for portraying Sully in the Channel 4/Netflix series “Top Boy.”
According to the film’s official synopsis, “The Kitchen” takes place in “dystopian London,” where “the gap between rich and poor has been stretched to its limits, and all forms of social housing have been eradicated, and only The Kitchen remains. A community that refuses to move out of the place they call home.”
Robinson’s character, Izi, must live in The Kitchen out of necessity and is “desperately trying to find a way out.” Izi soon encounters Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), a 12-year-old who is searching for family after the death of his mother. The pair struggle to “forge a relationship in a system that is stacked against them.”
“The Kitchen” is Kaluuya’s directorial debut, an experience that he previously described as “humbling.” “I didn’t realize how present you have to be and how many decisions you have to make consistently,” Kaluuya told CBS News. “It’s like, you have this fear of being rubbish. The realization is that you have to be rubbish. Like it’s literally part of the process. It’s kind of you’re going to get the first draft. It’s going to be rubbish.”
Kaluuya added that his Oscar win for his role as Black Panther Party deputy chairman Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah” gave him the confidence to pursue directing. “I definitely want to do directing. All roads have been leading to this,” he explained. “I’ve been in denial, essentially.”
“The Kitchen” recently scored two British Independent Film Awards, one for Best Effects and one for Best Production Design. Check out the official trailer:
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