Sally Potter's 1992 film 'Orlando', an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel, is scheduled for a screening at London's ICA Cinema next week, on 25 October. The event forms part of The Independent's 'Celebrating Free Thinkers' festival, which commemorates the publication's 40th anniversary.
The film, which features Tilda Swinton in the titular role, tells the story of an Elizabethan nobleman who travels through four centuries of British society and wakes up as a woman. The adaptation has been noted for its exploration of gender identity, a theme that some, including Jeanette Winterson, have theorised makes Woolf's novel the first English-language trans novel.
Swinton, who played the androgyne Orlando, once described the book as a "magic mirror" and has stated that she re-reads it every four to five years, finding it consistently reflects phases of her life. The casting of Quentin Crisp as Queen Elizabeth I also added to the film's commentary on gender.