III. Otherground

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the concept of ‘nature’ (as traditionally defined) contains ‘the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.’ This strand poses a visual challenge to such a construct, exploring how fashion and nature intertwine within imaginative worlds conjured by the moving image in its varying materialities. Metamorphoses, fantasy, camouflage, and digital shapeshifting dissolve perceived boundaries between human bodies and ecological systems.

Saturday 24 May, 11:00 | Barbican, Cinema 2

Our first-ever children’s programme showcasing the harmonious collaboration between humans and non-human species, while celebrating the power of animation to bring the impossible to life.


Saturday 24 May, 19:00 | The Horse Hospital

This rarely-screened film starring the iconic model Veruschka von Lehndorff, is a lush existentialist portrayal of personhood and contemplation of beauty as raw material. 

Introduced by festival co-curator Dal Chodha.


Tuesday 27 May, 20:00 | Garden Cinema, Screen 2

In this irresistible blend of ethnography and poetry, artist Ulrike Ottinger meditates on the lives of those who live in Japan’s Echigo region where the snow often lies several feet deep well into May. 


Friday 30 May, 19:00 | Barbican, Cinema 1

A programme of archival gems exploring the delicate and gloriously perverse associations between women, flowers and insects as envisioned by early 20th century filmmakers.

Featuring a special sonic performance by London’s experimental choir Musarc, plus a panel discussion with programme curators Marketa Uhlirova and Elif Rongen-Kaynakci.


Saturday 31 May, 15:00 | Rio Cinema

Operating at the edges of reality and fantasy, serenity and grotesqueness, this programme harnesses animation as a language through which to express complex ideas about the relationships between bodies, objects and environments. 


Sunday 1 June, 15:00 | Rio Cinema

A fantastical slant on the weight of wearing fur, examining the transformative effects of what we wear, and how our proximity to animality can liberate us from the restrictions of conventional fashions. 

Introduced by filmmaker Ray Sims.


Our first-ever children’s programme showcases the harmonious collaboration between humans and non-human species, while celebrating the power of animation to bring the impossible to life.

With curators Susie Evans and Marketa Uhlirova.

Veruschka, Poetry of a Woman
+ Intro

Saturday 24 May, 19:00 | The Horse Hospital

This rarely-screened film starring the iconic model Veruschka von Lehndorff is a lush existentialist portrayal of personhood and a contemplation of beauty as raw material. 

Introduced by festival co-curator Dal Chodha.


Under Snow
(Unter Schnee)

Tuesday 27 May, 20:00 | Garden Cinema, Screen 2

In this irresistible blend of ethnography and poetry, artist Ulrike Ottinger meditates on the lives of those who live in Japan’s Echigo region where the snow often lies several feet deep well into May. 

Into the Garden of Chimerical Delights
+ Live music + Panel

Friday 30 May, 19:00 | Barbican, Cinema 1

A programme of archival gems exploring the delicate and gloriously perverse associations between women, flowers and insects as envisioned by early 20th century filmmakers.

Featuring a special sonic performance by London’s experimental choir Musarc, plus a panel discussion with programme curators Marketa Uhlirova and Elif Rongen-Kaynakci.


Animation shorts:
States of Emergence

Saturday 31 May, 15:00 | Rio Cinema 

Operating at the edges of reality and fantasy, serenity and grotesqueness, this programme harnesses animation as a language through which to express complex ideas about the relationships between bodies, objects and environments. 

Donkey Skin (Peau d’Âne)
+ Intro

Sunday 1 June, 15:00 | Rio Cinema

A fantastical slant on the weight of wearing fur, examining the transformative effects of what we wear, and how our proximity to animality can liberate us from the restrictions of conventional fashions. 

Introduced by filmmaker Ray Sims.

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