Derek Jarman, Cillian Murphy & The National twins: A weekend of incredible film and music at Aviva Studios

Next weekend, Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International, hosts a double billing of incredible cinema.

As part of the two-day programme, there will be a chance to see a special live performance of Derek Jarman’s seminal film Blue.

Lauded as one of the great British filmmakers of the 20th century, Blue, which was released just months before his death from AIDS-related illnesses, is widely regarded as Jarman’s greatest masterpiece.

Thirty years on, director Neil Bartlett has created BLUE NOW – a live performance of the film and a celebration of its enduring legacy. The acclaimed show comes to Aviva off the back of a UK-wide sell-out tour last year.

Uniting a star-studded cast, Travis Alabanza, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Jay Bernard and Joelle Taylor perform Jarman’s powerful words alongside a new score created by original composer Simon Fisher Turner in collaboration with cellist and composer Lucy Railton.

Also showing will be Aoife McArdle, Cillian Murphy and Max Porter’s mesmerising All of this Unreal Time. Following the screening, there will be live performances of new music inspired by the film from The National’s Aaron & Bryce Dessner, and Jon Hopkins.

All of This Unreal Time was first presented as an immersive installation at Manchester Central during the 2021 edition of Manchester International Festival. The fascinating and engrossing short follows Murphy wandering the streets alone at night, his character confessing and dissecting his own failings in life.

The one-off screening will be followed by a Q&A with Max Porter, Aoife McArdle, Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, Jon Hopkins and Mary Hickson chaired by Keisha Thompson.

Book tickets to All of This Unreal Time here.

Book tickets to BLUE NOW here.