Curator’s Notes

Born in 1942, Ulrike Ottinger began her career as a painter in Paris, and was widely exhibited in Europe before returning to Germany, where she directed her first film in 1971. She has lived and worked out of Berlin since 1973.

She gained major international attention for her first feature, Madame X – An Absolute Ruler (1977), a ‘lesbian pirate punk film' criticized by feminists, but also defended by other women filmmakers. Drawing on myths, fairy-tales, literature, painting, and theatre, Ottinger's lavish films verge on the fantastic and surreal. Her documentaries, which are often filmic travelogues, pursue her strong ethnographic interests. Focusing primarily on regions in Eastern Europe and Asia, they deconstruct the idea of the exotic and explore the lives of migrant and minority cultures. Opposing the acceleration of present day life these films take their time and consciously ignore common standards of filmic duration. Ottinger’s work has been screened in countless international festivals, venues and museums, including the Berlinale, the Viennale, the Feminale (Cologne), Festival d’Automne (Paris), the Mar de Plata, Jerusalem, Barcelona, Kiev, Munich, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Montreal, Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong and New Delhi Film Festivals, the Brussels Cinémathèque, Cinémathèque Ontario (Toronto), Cinémathèque française (Paris), Anthology Film Archive (New York), MOCA (Los Angeles), MoMA (New York), Tate Modern (London), Renaissance Society (University of Chicago), Documenta (Kassel) and Palais de Tokyo (Paris), among others.

Ottinger achieves her enthralling visual effects through innovative and expressionistic use of costuming, composition, and unusual settings. A versatile talent, she assumes many of the creative and administrative functions on her own films; beyond directing, her credits include that of screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and set designer. She has also worked as a theatre and opera director and ethnographer; her photographs have been exhibited in numerous venues, such as Kunsthalle Wien, Museum für Fotographie (Berlin), Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castellón (Spain), Center for Contemporary Arts (Rotterdam), David Zwimer Gallery (New York); she has also published several books.

For more information, visit ulrikeottinger.com

Filmography
Zwölf Stühle (Twelve Chairs, 2004)
Ester (2002)
Südostpassage (Southeast Passage, 2002)
Das Exemplar (The Specimen, 2002)
Exil Shanghai (1997)
Taiga (1991-92)
Countdown (1990)
Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia (1989)
Usinimage (1987)
Superbia – Der Stolz (Superbia – The Pride, 1986)
China. Die Künste – Der Alltag (China. The Arts – The People, 1985)
Dorian Gray im Spiegel del Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press 1984)
Freak Orlando (1981)
Bildnis einer Trinkerin (Ticket of No Return, 1979)
Madame X: Eine absolute Herrscherin (Madame X: An Absolute Ruler, 1977)
Die Betörung der blauen Matrosen (The Enchantment of the Blue Sailors, 1975)
Berlinfieber(Berlinfever,1973)
Laokoon & Söhne (Laokoon & Sons 1972-73)

Additional screenings

Tue Feb 26 | 7:00 p.m.
Ticket of No Return (Bildnis einer Trinkerin)
1979, 108 minutes, Color, German w/Engl. s.t., 35mm
In Person: Ulrike Ottinger
Free admission
CalArts, Bijou Theater

Wed Feb 27 | 5:00 pm
Ticket of No Return (Bildnis einer Trinkerin)
1979, 108 minutes, Color, German w/Engl. s.t., 35mm
In Person: Ulrike Ottinger
Free admission
UCLA, James Bridges Theater
Screening made possible through the sponsorship of the following UCLA organizations: The Crank, The Center for the Study of Women & The Cinema and Media Studies Program

Fri Feb 29 | 4:00 pm
Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia
1989, 165 minutes, Color, German, French, Mongolian w/Engl. s.t., 35mm
Free admission
CalArts, Bijou Theater Special thanks to Margit Kleinman