Uranians | I.K.U. & Fluidø & Sex Bowl

Screening in cooperation with FILMFEST MÜNCHEN and as part of URANIANS, a film and video program curated by A.L. Steiner.

I.K.U. 

Japan 2000 | Director: Shu Lea Cheang | Cast: Akira, Aja, Miho Ariga | 90 min | Original version with English subtitles

The year is 2030, and Reiko, a sex worker and replicant, is roaming the futuristic megacities of Japan in search of willing prey for sex marathons. As a coder for the GENOM Corporation, she collects data on orgasms. This data is used to develop a mobile phone chip that is designed to give people virtual orgasms “on the go.” When Reiko catches the mysterious “Tokyo Rose” virus in a nightclub, her mission appears to have failed, but a system reboot and masturbation in an effort to find herself replenish her chip. I.K.U. lives up to cyberpunk science-fiction porn by featuring a cast from the Tokyo nightclub and adult film scene, Y2K-era computer graphics, lots of sex, and indulgent consumerism.

FLUIDØ

Deutschland 2017 | Director: Shu Lea Cheang | Cast: Candy Flip, Bishop Black, Kristina Marlen, William E. Morris, Alexander Geist | 80 min| Original version with German subtitles

Shu Lea Cheang’s queer cypherpunk science-fiction film is set in 2060, after the government has announced the eradication of AIDS. Mutated HIV have, however, led to the creation of a new species, the ZERO GEN: genetically evolved gender-fluid humans whose ejaculation is the hypernarcotic of the 21st century. This drug spreads through contact with skin and produces an addictive high. A new war on drugs begins, and the ZERO GEN are declared illegal. They are caught between underground drug lords, glitched super-agents, a scheming corporation, and a corrupt government.

SEX BOWL

USA 1994 | Screenplay & Directors: Jane Castle & Shu Lea Cheang | 7 min | Original version with German subtitles

SEX BOWL uses quick cuts like a music video. The imagery is fast-paced, suggestive, and erotically charged, associating sports with sex. Sexually explicit content alternates with fingers penetrating bowling balls and lips sucking toes. In the narrative style and aesthetic of 1990s videos, Cheang’s short film celebrates the promiscuity and fetishes of various queer encounters.

Note: The films may contain explicit sexual depictions.