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Preview: Orlando, My Political Biography (15*) + Conversation with Paul B. Preciado and Erika Balsom

,Cinema 1
A young person has a ruff fastened around their neck by an older person, also wearing a ruff.

In partnership with Fitzcarraldo Editions, we present a preview of the highly anticipated film by writer Paul B. Preciado based on the novel Orlando. 

The film is a reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s famed Orlando, centring around a young man who grows up to become a 36-year-old woman. 

In his response to Woolf’s text, Paul B. Preciado reflects on how the fictional character has transcended literature to become a tangible reality. Preciado explores the transformation of Orlando's body as a symbol that resonates with non-binary individuals worldwide.

Through the voices of young people undergoing similar journeys, Preciado narrates his own transformation in a poetic odyssey where life, literature, theory, and imagery blend in the pursuit of truth. He emphasizes that individuals like Orlando, who identify as transgender, face daily challenges navigating norms, legal systems, historical contexts, psychiatric perspectives, familial expectations, and the influence of pharmaceutical corporations.
 

Tagged with: Cinema

98 mins, 2023, France 

Cinema 1

Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.

Bios

Paul B. Preciado is the author of Counter-Sexual Manifesto (Columbia University Press), Testo Junkie: Sex, Drugs and Biopolitics (The Feminist Press) and Pornotopia (Zone Books), for which he was awarded the Sade Prize in France. He was Head of Research of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) and Director of the Independent Studies Program (PEI) from 2011 to 2014. From 2014 to 2017 he was the Curator of Public Programmes of documenta 14. He is currently Curator of Public Programmes at the Palais de Tokyo and lives in Paris.

Erika Balsom is a Reader in Film Studies at King's College London and the author of four books, including TEN SKIES (2021).