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Kazuo Ohno's Mr. O Trilogy | London
As part of Rebellious Bodies 2026, all three films of Kazuo Ohno's Mr. O trilogy will be screened at various locations in London. This was a project that Ohno focused on for a number of years when he took a break from performing onstage in the early 1970s.
Screenings will include short introductions to the film, and the final screening - Mr. O's Book of the Dead - will be followed by a talk with Mitsuyo Uesugi, who took part in the film 50 years ago, and is visiting the UK as part of Rebellious Bodies.
Portrait of Mr. O (1969)
BIMI, Birkbeck University | Fri 16 Oct - 7:30pm
The first of three experimental films made by butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno, and directed by documentary filmmaker Chiaki Nagano. Released in 1969, it was shot over a period of about a year in and around Ohno's home, the boiler room of Shoshin Girl's school (where Ohno was working at the time as a PE teacher), the uninhabited island of Sarushima in Tokyo Bay, and Hōshōji Temple in Yokohama, Japan. The results are experimental and dreamlike, blurring the line between documentary and dance film.
This free screening will be introduced by Dr. Irene González-López (Birkbeck University) and Mai Burns, director of Rebellious Bodies Festival.
Photo: Bob Fujisaki, courtesy of NPO Dance Archive Network
Mandala of Mr. O (1971)
RHB Cinema, Goldsmiths | Fri 30 Oct - 7:00pm
The trilogy's second chapter. Shot on a mountain in Gunma prefecture and the uninhabited island of Sarushima in Tokyo Bay, Nagano filmed Ohno as he danced taking inspiration from their surroundings. According to an interview with Nagano, this film was intended to reflect the inner life of Ohno even more so than the first film.
This free screening will mark the first time this film is being shown in the UK. It will begin with a short introduction to give context to the film, and has been put together with thanks to Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Image: From the film set, courtesy of NPO Dance Archive Network
Mr. O's Book of the Dead (1976)
The Garden Cinema | Thu 12 Nov - 8:00pm
The final instalment of the trilogy, and the only one in colour. Shot in numerous places across Japan from Lake Shikotsu in Hokkaido to Yokodai Pig Farm in Kanagawa, the film features 'Mr. O' (Kazuo Ohno) and a troupe of his students, including Mitsuyo Uesugi. In an interview Nagano once stated "to die is to be resurrected at the same time", and that this film was "about one of our deaths, and a starting point towards something new".
This screening will be followed by an exclusive talk with Mitsuyo Uesugi, who is visiting the UK from Japan, and will be sharing her experience of working on the film 50 years ago.
Photo: From the film set, courtesy of NPO Dance Archive Network
