Opening Gala 34th Hamburg International Queer Film Festival

We look forward to seeing you again at Kampnagel, excited and anticipating a week of ‘festival universe’. The Opening Night Gala proves that glitter and political aspirations are not contradictory! This special evening not only focuses on and celebrates trans* people, but calls for more solidarity and empathy for queer people worldwide. Never has it been more important to show up as an ally* and together to become involved with the trans* community. The film for this year’s Opening Night fits this theme perfectly: Paul B. Preciado’s poetic film work “Orlando, ma biographie politique” which will follow the break after the Gala Show.

The gala will be interpreted into German sign language.

Present: Oscar-Roza Miller, Elios Levy (actors)

Orlando, Ma Biographie Politique | Orlando, Meine Politische Biografie

Paul B. Preciado (FR, 2023, 98")

Language: French / Subtitles: German, English

In an entertaining way, the film shows how important bodily self­determination is. Countries, time and gender boundaries are skillfully ignored. We are all Orlandos. 25 actors between the ages of 15 and 70 play the character and each Orlando, Preciado says, is a trans* person who confronts laws, history, psychiatry, traditional notions of family, and the power of pharmaceutical companies on a daily basis, risking their lives. All their personal experiences and biographies flow into the cinematic Woolf adaptation; the artist duo Pierre & Gilles play Orlando’s courtly doctors, the writer Virginie Despentes the judge, whose impressive, encouraging final scene becomes a plea for justice and love – and reminds us: trans* is beautiful!