FREAK ORLANDO

Supermarket antiquities, mediaeval industrial zoning, the Nazi Inquisition and modern freak shows: Orlando traverses ages and gender boundaries alongside the “freaks” of every era. A camp film divided into five non-narrative segments, inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel of the same name.

 

Content warning: Some of Ulrike Ottinger’s productions, such as for example Freak Orlando, might reinforce or perpetuate harmful stereotypes, raising representation and appropriation issues. People whose experiences of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, skin color or body shape are not regarded as the norm in society may find her work offensive.

 

In the context of Theatrum Mundi, young artists and film makers have been invited to engage with the work of Ulrike Ottinger.

 

On 10 December, Cinema RITCS will screen Ottinger’s Magnus Opum Freak Orlando to discuss the film with budding filmmakers. Film theorists Wouter Hessel (Cinema RITCS) and Ernest Mathijs (University of British Columbia in Vancouver) will give an introduction and discussion starters on Ulrike Ottinger’s work, followed by a heated debate. The event is open to everyone.

 

Ernest Mathijs is a Professor in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of British Columbia. He researches cult film, genre cinema, David Cronenberg, and European horror. He has written on the reception of digital cinema and fantasy (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), on Belgian cinema, reality-TV Big Brother, Thomas Pynchon, Joseph Beuys, The Room, and on the activism and acting of Delphine Seyrig.