Department of Anthropology

Series Title: Irish PRIDE - Equality in Ireland

The Irish American Community of IU (IACIU) connects student, faculty, staff, and Bloomington community members who share interests in all things Irish. There have been persistent stereotypes of Ireland and the Irish as being mired in the 19th century and dominated by The Catholic Church. For many Americans, Ireland is the dichotomy of economic depression and picture-perfect vacations. The films of Irish PRIDE - Equality in Ireland will bring to the IU Cinema the LGBTQ+ experience in Ireland. As a country with strong ties to The Catholic Church, the LGBTQ+ community has historically struggled in Ireland. In recent years, the nature of this struggle has changed as Irish society has benefitted from membership in the European Union, and experienced emigration and immigration in new ways. In 2015, the Republic of Ireland voted to legalize same-sex marriage. The campaign to accomplish this outcome made the world take notice of people and subcultures that had been pushed to the fringes of Irishness.

This film series will expand the nature of the dialogue that often happens around Irish identity by including cinema and centering the voices of marginalized groups. By screening these films during LGBTQ History Month, we endeavor to honor the Irish and Irish-Americans who help bring about positive change for all.

Film Title: The Queen of Ireland

Year Made: 2016

Running Time: 82 minutes

Director: Conor Horgan

Country, Description, Other Notes: Ireland, Feature-length Documentary

Panti Bliss - AKA Rory O'Neill - is many things: Ireland's premiere drag queen, successful businesswoman and, most recently, an accidental activist and campaigner on the world stage championing LGBT rights. Described by long-time co-conspirator Niall Sweeney as a "glamorous aunt mixed with Jessica Rabbit", Panti is, in her own words, "the court jester whose role is to say the unsayable."

Telling Panti's breathless backstory from small-town Ballinrobe to 2014's Noble Call on the Abbey stage and the May 2015 marriage referendum victory, director Conor Horgan (100 Mornings) underpins his narrative with a focus on Ireland's own awakening, and the gay community's coming of age in the '80s, with cogent contributions from David Norris and Mark O'Halloran, amongst others. Emotive and uplifting, The Queen of Ireland imparts an infectious sense of hope and national pride.