Solas Nua's Irish Popcorn! film series and NYU Washington, DC present
The Queen of Ireland, by Blinder Films.
2015 | Documentary | Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes | English
This event took place on
Wednesday, May 26 • 7 PM ET / May 27 • 12 AM IST
Post-screening discussion with Rory O'Neill (Panti Bliss) in conversion with Anna McCarthy, Professor and Chair of Cinema Studies at NYU. Pre-recorded message by director Conor Horgan.
Screening presented by Solas Nua’s Kate Meenan-Waugh.
Rewatch the full discussion below | Runtime: 33 minutes
Part glamorous aunt, part Jessica Rabbit, Panti Bliss is a wittily incisive performer who is widely regarded as one of the best drag queens in the world. Created by Rory O’ Neill, Panti is in her own words 'a court jester, whose role is to say the un-sayable' and in recent years, has become a figurehead for LGBT rights in Ireland and was a figurehead in Ireland’s same-sex marriage referendum in 2015.
Ireland’s historic referendum was started by the incisive performer when she called out the systemic homophobia prevalent in Irish media. The Queen of Ireland documents the ensuing ‘panti-gate’ and the rise of Panti Bliss from drag performer to national figurehead for LGBTQ rights.
Within mainstream media, Rory O'Neill and his drag alter-ego Panti Bliss are commentators on the fringes, standing on the outside, looking in and saying the unsayable. Conor Horgan's five years in the making documentary follows Rory's journey of self-discovery against the backdrop of Ireland's 2015 referendum on marriage equality.
The Queen of Ireland is the first feature documentary from director Conor Horgan, whose feature debut One Hundred Mornings was met with critical acclaim and the Special Mention Award at Slamdance 2010.
Anna McCarthy is Professor and Chair of Cinema Studies at NYU. She edits the online site for the academic journal Social Text. Her books include Ambient Television, MediaSpace, and The Citizen Machine: Governing by Television in 1950s America. She also writes fiction, and recently published an essay on Ireland's longest running television program, The Angelus.
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