New guest contributors announced for big screen adaptation of V&A’s blockbuster exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser Cinemas nationwide from 14th October 2021
Additional guest contributors Bob Crowley, the Costume and Set Designer, and milliner Stephen
Jones have been announced for The V&A presents Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition
documentary, directed by Dione Orrom and Matt Askem. This unique filmed experience of the
V&A’s landmark 2021 exhibition will be screened in selected cinemas nationwide from 14th October,
marking the museum’s first exhibition to be adapted for the big screen since its globally sold-out
David Bowie Is show.
Produced by Trafalgar Releasing, the leading international Event Cinema distributor, this special
cinema event will give Alice fans worldwide the opportunity to discover more about the book’s
evolution from manuscript to global phenomenon and enjoy the V&A’s blockbuster exhibition at
their local cinema.
Presented by V&A Senior Curator Kate Bailey and broadcaster Andi Oliver, this entertaining and
informative private view of the exhibition has been filmed especially for the big screen with stunning
close-ups of key objects and insightful interviews. The production team worked with composer
James Pickering and Exhibition sound designer Gareth Fry to create an atmospheric soundtrack for
the film, capturing the surreal dreaminess of a Wonderland adventure.
Guest contributors Peter Blake and Ralph Steadman have already been announced and they will be
joined by Bob Crowley, the Costume and Set Designer, and milliner Stephen Jones, alongside Kinetic
Artist Anthony Howe and Artist and Costume designer Iris van Herpen, helping to unravel the
multifaceted cultural creations and interpretations that Alice in Wonderland has inspired.
The role of young Alice, played by Olivia Wells, adds a new dimension to the exhibition film format
as Director Dione Orrom explains: We wanted to find a dynamic, visual way to interact with the
exhibition, to help bring the experience of being in the live space to the screen. We also wanted to
show different layers of reality and to bring in an element of the magical, and that is how the idea of
having our own Alice in the space developed. We then discussed who our Alice would be and
considered some different actors– Olivia just jumped out as being the right person.
The V&A is the first museum to fully explore the cultural impact of Alice in Wonderland and its
ongoing inspiration for leading creatives, from Salvador Dalí to Tim Burton, Vivienne Westwood and
Little Simz. Cinema audiences will be transported into the V&A’s wonderful world of wonderland
designed by award-winning theatre designer Tom Piper: five Alice-inspired worlds arranged
thematically, spanning film, performance, fashion, art, music and photography.
Kate Bailey, Senior Curator, Design and Scenography at the V&A and curator of Alice: Curiouser and
Curiouser, commented: Creating a film of Alice’s exhibition Adventures is a dream and an incredible
way of sharing the experience with audiences who are unable to visit the exhibition in London.
Curating an exhibition is years of research and a cinema film is a great way of capturing the bigger
picture. It provides an exciting opportunity to delve deeper into the impact and legacy of Alice,
sharing unseen and extraordinary insights into the imagination of artists and designers creating
Wonderlands. It was particularly special to walk through the exhibition with Andi Oliver, following
Alice’s journey across time, place and media. Together we explore how and why Alice, with her brave,
curious and questioning character, continues to inspire us and audiences across the world.
The UK cinema release will be followed by international screenings in 2022. Marc Allenby, CEO of
Trafalgar Releasing comments: “Alice has been an inspiration for generations and is an icon for
today. We’re delighted to be partnering with the V&A to bring this ground-breaking exhibition to a
global cinema audience.”
The V&A presents Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser will be screening at selected Cineworld, Curzon,
Empire, Everyman, Light, Picturehouse, Odeon, Showcase, Vue and independent cinemas
nationwide from 14th October 2021.
