“Directed with sly grace and quiet elegance by Sally Potter, it is not about a story or a plot, but about a vision of human existence.” - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
“A beautifully shot, imaginatively constructed, occasionally absurd, but more often tartly funny reverie on the limits of human existence and the possibility of transcendence.” - Elise Nakhnikian, The House Next Door
“To call Potter’s Orlando a great feminist film is to say too little and too much at the same time.” - Chris Wisniewski, Reverse Shot
Tilda Swinton holds the center of this wry and dreamy film, a bold, unsentimental re-working of Virginia Woolf's gender-bending novel in which an innocent aristocrat journeys through 400 years of English history first as a man, then as a woman. Immortal and highly imaginative, Orlando undergoes a series of extraordinary transformations which humorously and hauntingly illustrate gender as expression and expectation. Visually stunning and beautifully acted, ORLANDO is an intoxicating blend of romance, adventure, and illusion.
Awards & Nominations
1992 Venice Film Festival - Winner, Elvira Notari Prize
1994 Academy Awards- Nomination, Best Art Direction
1993 Sundance Film Festival - Official Selection
1994 Independent Spirit Awards - Nominee, Best Foreign Film
20th Century Queers | July 4–30, 2026
Contemporary queer cinema enjoys more visibility and mainstream success than ever before, but many of its roots lie in avant-garde and underground filmmaking. The films in this series trace that history, showcasing queer artists, in front of and behind the camera, who disrupted traditional cinematic form to suit their purposes, whether creating coded stories, exploring stylistic pleasures, or grossing out the normies.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu