Duration
8.6.25, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location
Theatiner Kino
Language
German, English
Admission
Tickets via the Theatiner Kino website
Info
In conjunction with the exhibition “KI$$ KI$$” at Haus der Kunst we are presenting a selection of Shu Lea Cheang’s seminal films at Theatiner Kino.
The first evening on 8.6.25 with films I.K.U. (2000) and UKI (2023) delves into themes of technology, sexuality, and identity, offering a provocative exploration of our digital and corporeal realities. With an introduction by Shu Lea Cheang and producer Jürgen Brüning.
Programme on Sunday, 8.6.25, 7 pm
with an introduction by Jürgen Brüning and Shu Lea Cheang.
I.K.U. (2000, 75 min, OV with engl. subtitles)
I.K.U. is a Japanese independent film that combines elements of science fiction and pornography. Set in a futuristic society, the narrative follows Reiko, a humanoid replicant employed by the GENOM Corporation to harvest orgasm data. After being discarded as obsolete, Reiko is abandoned in E-Trashville, a vast electronic waste dump. There, she undergoes a transformation, re-emerging as the virus UKI, aiming to infiltrate and disrupt GENOM's plans to commodify sexual pleasure. The film is renowned for its experimental approach and was notably the first pornographic film screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
UKI (2023, 63 min, engl. OV with German subtitles)
Serving as a sequel to I.K.U., UKI continues the exploration of bio-technological manipulation and its impact on human sexuality. The film is set in a world where the GENOM Corporation has developed BioNet, a system that alters human DNA to control and enhance sexual pleasure through pharmaceutical means. Reiko, once a data-harvesting replicant, now finds herself among the marginalized inhabitants of E-Trashville. Teaming up with hackers, mutants, and other outcasts, she seeks to dismantle GENOM's oppressive system and reclaim autonomy over her own body and data. UKI combines cyberpunk aesthetics with a critical examination of corporate overreach and personal freedom.
Tickets will soon be available on the Theatiner Filmkunst website.
The second evening on 21.6.25 features the experimental short Sex Fish (1993) followed by Fresh Kill (1994), Cheang’s debut feature which also serves as a starting point for her survey exhibition at Haus der Kunst. The “eco-cyber-noia” film is an inventive critique of toxic capitalism and digital surveillance.
The screenings are organised in collaboration with MUNICH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. The installation is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Chinese Republic (Taiwan).
