Panti Bliss documentary ’The Queen of Ireland’ is Released Wednesday, October 21st
The Queen of Ireland, a new documentary which explores the life of Rory O'Neill, AKA Panti Bliss, is released in cinemas this Wednesday, October 21st.
The opening night screening will be accompanied with a live Q&A with Panti, hosted by Brendan Courtney which will be broadcast live to participating cinemas from the Light House Cinema, Smithfield.
Created by Rory O'Neill, Panti is a drag queen, an accidental activist and in her own words ‘a court jester, whose role is to say the un- sayable'. Over the last few years Rory has become a figurehead for LGBT rights in Ireland and since the recent scandal around Pantigate, his fight for equality and against homophobia has become recognised across the world.
The Queen of Ireland is a documentary film that follows Rory's journey from the small Mayo town of Ballinrobe to striding the world stage. The fillm takes us behind the scenes with his alter ego Panti in the year she became the symbol of Ireland's march towards marriage equality. Directed by Conor Horgan (One Hundred Mornings, Deep End Dance) and produced by Blinder Films (Citadel, One Hundred Mornings) the film builds up a multi-faceted picture of a complex and compelling character through behind the scenes footage and interviews with friends, peers and protégés, including Bunny, Tonie Walsh, Shirley Temple Bar, Una Mullally, David Norris, the O'Neill family, the other half of CANDI PANTI, Angelo Pitillo, and long-time collaborators Niall Sweeney and Philip McMahon.
The Queen of Ireland has been met with acclaim from critics:
Entertainment.ie ★★★★★ "We're not seeing just Rory's story, we're seeing Ireland's story told through him. The Queen of Ireland isn't just a film, it's a document that chronicles the changing face of our country in an honest, compelling fashion."
Sunday Independent ★★★★★ "Expect this remarkable film to have legs, and deservedly so."
The Sunday Times ★★★★★ "There has been substantial advance buzz - and this brilliant documentary deserves it, having a strong narrative line, super visuals and a heart as big as its hair."
For a list of cinemas showing Queen of Ireland, see here.
Watch the trailer for Queen of Ireland here.