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Orlando, My Political Biography

Orlando, ma biographie politique

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Taking inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, writer and theorist Paul B. Preciado uses the nearly 100 year-old novel as a framework to investigate the very real contemporary struggles of trans and non-binary people. Orlando, My Political Biography blurs the borders between fiction and documentary, addressing issues of gender dysphoria, gender affirming surgery, the political construct of gender in society, and the bureaucracy that surrounds legal gender markers. Exuberant, joyful, and deeply thoughtful, this poetic cinematic essay is visually striking, thought-provoking, rooted in diverse trans and gender non-binary voices ranging from ages 8 to 70. The powerful and lively assemblage of 26 Orlandos gives voice to a community that has battled with government, medicine, society, and perceptions to freely live their own lives. This French documentary is a playful, deeply felt, original work of art; critic B Ruby Rich went so far as to call it “the first trans masterpiece.” Winner of the Teddy Award and Encounters Jury Prize at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.

 

Special Jury Award, Teddy Award for Best Documentary, Berlin 2023

 

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Oscar-Roza Miller, Janis Sahraoui, Liz Christin, Elios Levy, Victor Marzouk

Credits
Country of Origin

France

Year

2023

Language

In French with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
98 min
Award Winners Documentary LGBTQIA2S+

Book Tickets

Sunday October 08

8:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
Vancity Theatre
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Credits

Executive Producer

Annie Ohayon

Producer

Yaël Fogiel, Laetitia Gonzalez, Annie Ohayon-Dekel, Farid Rezkhallah

Screenwriter

Paul B. Preciado

Cinematography

Victor Zebo

Editor

Yotam Ben David

Original Music

Clara Deshayes

Director

Paul B. Preciado headshot

Paul B. Preciado

Paul B. Preciado is a writer, philosopher, curator, and one of the leading thinkers in the study of gender and body politics. Preciado is the author of six novels, including ‘Pornotopia’ which won the Prix Sade in France. Orlando, My Political Biography (2023) is his directorial debut. The film was screened at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, and won a special Jury prize. He was born in Spain and lives in Paris.

Filmography: Orlando, My Political Biography (2023)

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Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, the transgressive novel is used as a framework to investigate the very real contemporary struggles of trans and non-binary people. Winner of the Teddy Award and Encounters Jury Prize at Berlin Film Festival.

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