New US Trailer for ‘Orlando, My Political Biography’ Experimental Doc
by Alex Billington
October 6, 2023
Source: YouTube
“Come, come! I’m sick to death of this particular self. I want another.” Janus Films has revealed an official US trailer for an acclaimed experimental documentary film called Orlando, My Political Biography, from Spanish filmmaker Paul B. Preciado making his directorial debut. This has played at many festivals all over the world this year, including most recently at TIFF, NYFF, Vancouver, and AFI Fest this fall. Academic virtuoso turned filmmaker Paul B. Preciado’s award-winning doc tells his and others’ stories of transition through unique reenactments & visual interpretations of Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando: A Biography. “Not content to simply update a seminal work, Preciado interrogates the relevance of Orlando in the continuing struggle against anti-trans ideologies and in the fight for global trans rights.” The doc features 20 trans and non-binary people playing the role of Orlando as they perform interpretations of scenes. It may not be for everyone, but it looks like a fascinating experiment rethinking how art connects with contemporary society.
Official US trailer (+ poster) for Paul B. Preciado’s doc Orlando, My Political Biography, on YouTube:
Taking Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando: A Biography as its starting point, the academic virtuoso turned filmmaker Paul B. Preciado has fashioned the film, Orlando: My Political Biography, as a personal essay, historical analysis, and social manifesto which premiered and took home four prizes at Berlinale 2023. For almost a century so far, Woolf’s eponymous hero/heroine has inspired many readers for their gender fluidity across physical and spiritual metamorphoses over a 300-year lifetime. Preciado casts a diverse cross-section of more than twenty trans and non-binary individuals in the role of Orlando as they perform interpretations of scenes from the novel, weaving into Woolf’s narrative their own stories of identity and transition. Orlando, My Political Biography is directed by Spanish actor / filmmaker Paul B. Preciado, making his feature directorial debut with this project. Produced by Yaël Fogiel and Laetitia Gonzalez. This initially premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Janus Films will debut Orlando, My Political Biography in select US theaters later in 2023 – stay tuned for more. For info, visit their official site.
 |
