Reza Abdoh: Screening and Discussion

Join us at e-flux Screening Room on Tuesday, April 28 at 7pm for a rare screening of The Blind Owl (1992) by Reza Abdoh, followed by an in-person conversation with actor Tony Torn and scholar Patricia Ybarra.

Reza Abdoh was an experimental theater-maker known for large-scale productions that incorporated video in theatrical sets and often took place in unconventional spaces. On stages, in abandoned warehouses, and on the streets, his plays drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, from rave culture to BDSM, to compose unflinching examinations of oppression in its myriad forms. The Blind Owl is the only completed feature film by the late artist that will be discussed by Tony Torn, who performs in the film, and Patricia Ybarra, a scholar of Abdoh’s work.

Film

Reza Abdoh, The Blind Owl (1992, 84 minutes)

The Blind Owl tells a story of those marginalized by society forming their own networks of care and interdependence. A young Latino guy, Rickie, takes care of his mother Anna, who has fallen ill from factory work. While hustling to make ends meet, he also tends to blind psychic Joseph (played by Tony Torn), houses battered woman Janie, and befriends vagabond figure Tren. Similar to Abdoh’s theatrical productions, the film is a non-linear adaptation of its source material, the eponymous novel by the Iranian writer Sadegh Hedayat. Shot in East Hollywood, the film is in deep dialogue with Mexican-American culture and communities, as well as the queer punk performance milieu in Los Angeles. Neighborhood residents took on roles in the film, and performance artist Ron Athey and drag queen Goddess Bunny (aka Sandie Crisp) made guest appearances. The film weaves together a complex array of imagery and sources, both aesthetic and social, emblematic of Abdoh’s Burroughsian cut-up method. Working in precarious conditions, Abdoh did not manage to produce a final print of the film. The original reels have also been lost despite later posthumous efforts to complete the film. The existing version is a digital transfer from VHS tapes used in the editing process, enabling a glimpse at Abdoh’s artistic vision translated into cinematic form.

This event is initiated by Shaonan, a researcher currently based in New York. 

For more information, contact [email protected].

Accessibility – Two flights of stairs lead up to the building’s front entrance at 172 Classon Avenue. – For elevator access, please RSVP to [email protected]. The building has a freight elevator nearest to 180 Classon Ave (garage door) leading into the e-flux office space. A ramp is available for steps within the space. – e-flux has an ADA-compliant bathroom with no steps between the event space and this bathroom.

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