Imagine! Festival of Ideas & Politics presents the world première of Nicky Larkin’s (Cherrie, Me & HIV) documentary exploring the creation of The Belfast Ensemble’s provocative and powerful Abomination: A DUP Opera.

At midnight on 22nd October 2019, marriage equality rights were finally extended to Northern Ireland. With no sitting government in Stormont for three years, the law was passed through Westminster, much to the horror of the evangelical Christian right and the DUP.

Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of Loyalist east Belfast, a radical theatre group was in the process of creating the world’s first ever ‘documentary opera’. Led by enigmatic artistic director Conor Mitchell, The Belfast Ensemble were taking every homophobic phrase said by DUP politicians over the past 40 years, and putting it to music, verbatim. The opera is called Abomination, after the infamous Iris Robinson phone call to the Stephen Nolan Show where the then Health Minister of Northern Ireland described homosexuality as shamefully wicked and vile, live on air. The full-length opera investigates the power of language in the hands of politicians, and the damage it can do when used irresponsibly.

This screening will be followed by a Q+A with director Nicky Larkin and cast members.

Dir: Nicky Larkin | 2020 | UK | 42 mins + Q&A | Age 15+

Funded by Northern Ireland Screen

Nicky Larkin is a Belfast-based filmmaker. Recent credits include BBC NI doc Cherrie, Me & HIV, telling the story of his friend Matthew Cavan aka Belfast’s most-loved drag queen, Cherrie Ontop (who also stars in Abomination). This followed on from the success of his previous short, Becoming Cherrie, which was nominated for ‘Best British Short’ in the Iris Prize in Cardiff, won ‘Best LGBT Short’ at the Bolton International Film Festival, and screened at Dublin International Film Festival, Dinard Film Festival, Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, IndieCork, Docs Ireland, GAZE Film Festival, Chicago Irish Film Festival, and at the Contemporary Irish Arts Centre Los Angeles.