The third installment in Movies & Music on the Lawn’s 2023-24 series is coming up on March 23 (8pm) with a unique take on one of the most iconic films of all time, 1927’s Metropolis, with Louisiana’s own OTTO!
Of course, this season of Movies & Music on the Lawn continues to be open to all FREE OF CHARGE, thanks to our sponsors: John G. Turner & Jerry G. Fischer, The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, The Pennington Family Foundation, Cox, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, and BREC. PLUS, everyone in attendance enjoys free bottomless popcorn thanks to Visit Baton Rouge!!
Since 1998, Movies & Music on the Lawn has been an annual staple in Baton Rouge, bringing contemporary Louisiana-based musicians to compose and perform original scores for silent-era classic films while they’re projected on a towering inflatable screen under the stars.
Scroll down for info on OTTO & Metropolis
OTTO
About OTTO: Caribbean-born, New Orleans-bred Otto Orellana had already accumulated a vast collection of world music before turning his passion into a full time gig over 20 years ago here in Baton Rouge (while pursuing his Bachelor’s in Studio Art & Design at LSU). Even though his focus was printmaking and mixed media, his main interests were collaborating with visual & fashion designers.
Instead of splitting interest in both music & visual arts, in 2001, he decided to integrate his music archiving with the visual art scene. He gained recognition with his co-founding of Stabbed in the Art, along with his co-producers TJ Black & Alex Harvey. He was the music director for Uncommon Thread series working closely with creator Erin Rolfs & the dance company Of Moving Colors. After that, he went full-time into curating the music spaces & djing at Marrazil, Tsunami Rooftop at The Shaw Center for the Arts, and The Spanish Moon to name a few.
Although music was a full-time endeavor at this point, he continued to work and collaborate with art galleries, beauty/fashion, and performance icons in the community. In addition to BRG, Otto also frequently curated music for spaces such as The Oculus, Ephemeral Gallery, and LSU Museum of Art.
About Metropolis (1927): Unquestionably one of the most iconic films of the early 20th century, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis presented a unique marrying of visual effects and social commentary at the time of its premiere.
The sci-fi epic presents a highly stylized futuristic utopia that is both beautiful and cultured exists above a bleak underworld populated by mistreated workers. When the young and privileged Freder discovers this, he becomes intent on helping the workers. He befriends a rebellious teacher named Maria, putting him at odds with his authoritative father and leading to greater conflict.
“In all my years as a paid guest at movie palaces I have never seen such amazing pictures as are crammed into every reel of this gigantic production.”
- Robert E. Sherwood, LIFE Magazine, March 1927
