Factory International’s Weekend of Film and Music
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Two exclusive film events arrive at Aviva Studios this December for Factory International’s Weekend of Film and Music, as Max Porter and Aoife McArdle’s All of This Unreal Time starring Cillian Murphy is paired with a reimagining of Derek Jarman’s moving final film, Blue.
All of This Unreal Time was first presented during the 2021 edition of Manchester International Festival where it earned rave reviews. Now it’s back in town following a recent London premiere at the Southbank Centre. The film follows a man as he confesses his emotional, physical and political failings while walking through night and the city.
Star Cillian Murphy recalls, “It was made in the bleak depths of a pandemic, yet comes from a place of pure collaboration and love. We wanted to make a visual poem that scratches at concerns about masculinity, society, and personal responsibility.” In returning All of This Unreal Time to Manchester, Factory International have also assembled members of the creative team who will be present for a Q&A, in addition to live performances of new music from composers Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Jon Hopkins.
BLUE NOW gathers stars Travis Alabanza, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Jay Bernard and Joelle Taylor who will perform Jarman’s text.
The other half of the Weekend of Film and Music is given over to BLUE NOW, a live performance by Neil Bartlett who reimagines artist, filmmaker and activist Derek Jarman’s seminal 1993 film Blue. Finished just months before his death from AIDS-related illnesses, Jarman’s film consists of a shot of unchanging blue, accompanied by a monologue as the filmmaker considers his illness and its effect on his vision, mortality and lost loved ones. It is widely considered one of his crowning achievements.
BLUE NOW gathers stars Travis Alabanza, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Jay Bernard and Joelle Taylor who will perform Jarman’s text (originally voiced by Jarman alongside Nigel Terry, John Quentin and Tilda Swinton) in Manchester. There is also a new score which is to be performed live by original composer Simon Fisher Turner who will collaborate with cellist and composer Lucy Railton.
