Past Film/Video | Documentaries | Series & Festivals

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

(Benjamin Ree, 2024)

Exclusive video introduction by director Benjamin Ree

Ohio Premiere

Info & Tickets

A videogame still of two characters a small dark-haired woman, and a large red-haired man, both in black.

Oct 20, 2024 1:00 PM

Film/Video Theater

$8 members and adults 55 and over
$10 general public
$5 students

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

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Sure to be one of 2024’s most discussed documentaries, the singular Ibelin blends video games and real life to tell a beautiful and deeply emotional hidden story.

When Mats Steen was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy and progressively lost his mobility, he dove into the world of cooperative computer games. Toward the end of his life, his parents worried about the isolation and loneliness of the disease. After his death at the age of 25, however, an outpouring of support and love from the gaming community revealed that Steen had led a rich and eventful online life. Through a blend of interviews and reconstructed animated gameplay, Benjamin Ree fashions a vivid portrait of Ibelin, Steen’s avatar in World of Warcraft. The film creatively illustrates how Steen was able to transcend the limits of his physical world and touch people around the globe. The winner of directing and audience awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Ibelin is one of the year’s most unforgettable and moving documentaries. In Norwegian and English with English subtitles. (101 mins., DCP)

See the complete Unorthodocs 2024 lineup.

IMAGE CAPTION
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, courtesy of Netflix.

Know before you go

Where to park: We recommend parking in Ohio Union South Garage to avoid special event parking fees and ensure your validation sticker for $2 parking applies. Learn more about parking validation.
Please allow extra time for travel and parking due to traffic impacts from the Columbus Marathon.

"A moving, multifaceted masterwork."

Siddhant Adlakha, Variety

Tag(s)

Unorthodocs 2024 is part of the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial: backstories.

FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
National Endowment for the Arts
Ohio Humanities

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Greater Columbus Arts Council 
The Wexner Family
Institute of Museum and Library Services 
Mellon Foundation
Every Page Foundation
Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts
CampusParc
Nationwide Foundation
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme
The Columbus Foundation
Axium Packaging

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Ohio State Energy Partners
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection
David Crane and Elizabeth Dang
Melissa Gilliam and William Grobman
Rebecca Perry Damsen and Ben Towle