Blue Now

Released just four months before his death from AIDS-related complications, at a time when his illness had left him partially blind and at times only able to see shades of blue, artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman’s 1993 film Blue is a powerful meditation on his impending death and the ravages of the virus on himself, his loved ones and wider society. Features a continuous shot of blue, the film is narrated from Jarman himself, alongside friends and collaborators Tilda Swinton, Nigel Terry and John Quentin. It is reimagined this December 1 by British director Neil Bartlett and actor Russell Tovey, in a special one-off performance to mark World AIDS Day. Featuring a new score by original composes Simon Fisher Turner and cellist Lucy Railton, it will star Tovey as the main narrator, alongside queer poets and performers Jay Bernard, Joelle Taylor and Travis Alabanza, and promises to be ‘a unique opportunity to reflect on the impact of the British AIDS epidemic’.