Organised by Whitechapel Gallery
The first gay prime minister of Greece struggles to carry the legacy of LGBT history at a time of post-truth alt-right dystopia, while a mysterious algorithm of the collective unconscious and heavy-handed tradition of “the land of heroes” proves unshakable. Will liberal Europe provide an alternative or is it just another platform for neo-reactionary culture wars?
ORFEAS 2021 is a retro-futurist story of utopian politics, ideological conflicts, supernatural leaders and totalitarian spectacle, where cyberpunk queer pirates are pitched against rainbow homo-capitalist normies. The film explores post-internet identity politics through a contemporary take on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus.
This film is the first queer opera in Greek, a post-modern experimental work, oscillating between baroque melodrama, DIY collage, post-internet and VR/AI aesthetics.
The opera is influenced by and dedicated to the memory of Zak Kostopoulos/Zackie Oh, a queer performer and activist, murdered in 2018 in the centre of Athens.
The UK premiere of ORFEAS 2021 will be followed by a conversation with Foivos Dousos & Fil Ieropoulos (aka FYTA) and Librettist Andriana Minou, hosted by Nayia Yiakoumaki, Director of the Hellenic Centre in London.
Presented in collaboration with community partner Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest:a week of boundary-pushing film, art, performance, and community to London 20-25 September