Iris Prize LGBT Film Festival to get underway

The Iris Prize festival is to raise the curtains tonight (Tuesday 11 October) at the 2022 LGBTQ Film Festival in Cardiff.

Launching the six-day international short film festival, the Opening Night will see six new Welsh produced films debut at the Premiere Cinema in the Welsh capital from 7 pm.

The films being showcased are:

Cardiff, directed by Sarah Smith (winner of the 2019 Iris Prize) 
Blooming, directed by Efa Blosse Mason and Sophie Marsh 
I Shall be Whiter than Snow, directed by Frederick Stacey  
Queens Cwm Rag, directed by Lindsay Walker  
Sally Leapt Out Of A Window Last Night, directed by Tracy Spottiswoode  
G♭, directed by Peter Darney, featuring Richard Wilson

The 16^th edition of Festival will see the biggest gathering of LGBTQ+ filmmakers in its history with 51 short films in competition throughout the festival as well as features, micro shorts, community and education shorts, industry talks, and the annual education day.

Over the six days, audiences will also be able to see 36 short films in competition for the £30,000 Iris Prize International Short Film Competition supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation; 15 short films competing for the Iris Prize Best British Short, supported by Film4; and 12 feature films, including premieres from Iris alumni and member of this year’s Iris Prize jury Dennis Shinners (Barrio Boy), and Trevor Anderson (Before I Change My Mind). 

Other jury members who are showing films this year and Kamil Krawczyck (Elephant), and Graham Cantwell (Who We Love).

This year, the prize for Best Feature will be chosen by a jury of students from the University of South Wales Film and TV School Wales.

New for this year is the Norway Focus, a retrospective of Norwegian LGBTQ+ short films created by Bård Ydén, the Chair of the 2022 Iris Prize Jury and the Executive Director and Artistic Director of Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival.

The programme marks the 50^th anniversary of the decriminalisation of male homosexuality in Norway. The retrospective is supported by the Norwegian Embassy and the Norwegian Film Institute.

Bård will also be hosting a talk with Norwegian filmmaker Magnus Mork, who won the Iris Prize in 2010 with The Samaritan.  Magnus went on to make and direct Burger, one of the most popular and successful short films made with Iris Prize money and facilities.  

Berwyn Rowlands, the Iris Prize Film Festival Director says: “We are thrilled to be returning to a face-to-face festival this year and are excited to welcome filmmakers, guests, and film fans from around the world and the UK to Cardiff.”

Of the opening night, which will once again be hosted by S4C’s Angharad Mair, “This is the moment during the festival when Wales shouts loud and proud to the world – look what we are, and here are our stories.”

Tom Abell, the Chair of the Iris Prize adds in reference of the 2022 festival being the first in-person festival since 2019, “It is wonderful to be able to welcome film lovers back to the cinema this year.  As well as the films we have on offer, there will be a chance to enjoy seven industry talks ranging from documentary filmmaking to making a feature film based on a short, and the role of straight allies in LGBTQ+ filmmaking.”

And the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, says, “I’m delighted that Creative Wales is able to support Iris Prize again this year. We are champions for inclusivity and diversity across the creative industries in Wales and are proud to support an initiative that showcases Welsh creative talent within the LGBTQ+ community and takes this to a global stage.  I’d like to wish participants the best of luck and congratulate them on their creative journeys so far.”

Full details of all the programmes and showtimes can be found here. You can book passes for the Iris Prize Film Festival here.