The line-up for this year’s Iris Prize has been released. The LGBT short film prize list is dominated by the US, who’ve taken nine of the 30 slots, with four Australian shorts included and 12 other countries (Canada, Germany, Brazil, Israel, France, Norway, Austria, Ireland, India, Sweden, Thailand and the UK) also represented.
The shortlist also includes the first short from a filmmaker based in the Iris Prize’s home city of Cardiff, with Jay Bedwani making the international shortlist with his film My Mother.
The eclectic list includes a celebration of everything ginger and male, the fears of a father with the sexual awakening of his teenager son living with Down’s syndrome, the alarming increases in secondary school bullying and a forced coming out story while shopping for a new bed.
The Iris Prize is the world’s largest international gay and lesbian short film prize, with the winner offered a chance to make a new short film with the prize valued at £25,000. The films will screen during this year’s Iris Prize Festival which takes place from October 9th-13th in Cardiff.
“Once again the shortlist for the Iris Prize represents the best of the best. Half of the short-listed films have been nominated by our partner festivals – film festivals from around the world that have their fingers on the pulse of upcoming gay and lesbian filmmaking talent. I’m confident that amongst this year’s shortlist we have yet another winner deserving of the Iris Prize,” said Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize founder.
Take a look below for the full shortlist, and you can find out more over at the Iris Prize website.
20MALEGAYNYC
It is all too common to hear young gay men today say “I hate gay guys”. 20MALEGAYNYC explores what it means to be 20-something, gay and living in New York in the year 2012; how we treat each other as young gay men; and how stereotypes play a role in our daily lives. (Get a preview of 20MALEGAYNYC here)
ALASKA IS A DRAG
Leo stands out in a crowd. That’s not always a good thing working in a fish cannery in Alaska. His dreams of leaving this small town are hard fought, until a new boy moves to town and sees him for who he really is – an international superstar.
BARRY’S BESPOKE BAKERY
Barry’s Bespoke Bakery is a lavish wonderland of refined cakes owned by the fastidious patissier Barry, where everything has its place, except for his talented employee Brian.
BUMPY NIGHT
When Jonas, an actor, encounters his ex-boyfriend Anton at a party, he struggles to keep his composure as he faces the pain of their seperation. But for Jonas, a young man who can’t differentiate between the stage and real life, the performance he puts on soon spirals out of his control.
CRABS IN THE SAND
Noam, 13 is spending his afternoon with his little sister, Maayan, 10, and their two girlfriends. They meet Michael, a 30-year old man with special needs and play with him like any other day. However, Noam takes it one step too far. A step that will change their friendship forever.
DANIEL
A poetic coming-of-age story as a teenage boy explores love.
DAWN
‘Dawn’ tells the story of two strangers who may have more in common than they first realise. After Tye detects what he considers to be a racist glance from another passenger on the evening train home, a confrontation ensues. While dispting their differences, Tye is shocked to discover they share something big in common.
DEFLATED
Chris has come to the shop with his dad to spend his pocketmoney- his heart set on getting a boncy ball. But when he gets to the toy aisle, he soon discovers that all of the balls in the ball cage are bright pink… except for one deflated green ball.
DIRTY TALK
Nathan, a conservative English teacher, tells his best friend Zach about a one-night stand with a hot Latin man who loves to talk dirty.
DRAFT DAY
In Thailand, all males turning 21 must participate in the military draft lottery. Drawing a black card grants exemption. Drawing a red card results in two years of military service. DRAFT DAY follows two girls, who were born as males, as they participate in the drafting process.
ETT SISTA FARVAL (A LAST FAREWELL)
A Last Farewell is both a calm and upsetting portrailt of an ageing author’s sorrow over the death of his long-term partner. Haunted by visions of his late husband, and in conflict with his daughter who is trying to renew the ties between them, he must tackle the impossible tas of moving on and finding piece in the wake of a devastating loss.
FIGHTING FOR AIR
KJ and her older sister, Hanna, have a tense relationship. When KJ arrives to school with bruises on her face, her teacher Amal starts to get suspicious. That is until she finds out KJ’s secret. Will they step towards each other or remain in their seperate corners.
FINDING FRANKLIN
Upon returning home for the funeral of her grandfather, Violet finds that she has been left with more than just mementos but also a mystery- a man named Franklin.
FOR DORIAN
A father fears the sexual awakening of his disabled son, a teenager living with Down syndrome, and struggles with the notion of letting him grow up.
GINGERS
Redheads. Fire crotches… This film collects samples of their testimonials and their body hair, skin and sperm. It is about being different genetically, about gay gingers, doubly in a minority, from Ireland to Israel to Brazil. A film made especially for ginger lovers.
GORILLA
On a weekend away, a newly formed couple are forced to face the unknown in their lives when a mysterious woman arrives at their secluded campsite.
GRACE
Grace came to Israel from the Philippines 20 years ago in search of work. Here she met and married an Israeli, and had three sons. After her divorce, she began to rediscover her sexuality finds herself torn between her love for a woman who returned to the Philippines, and her children’s desire to be Israeli and serve in the IDF.
JUNGGESELLIN
The bachelorette Stefanie is a young woman who, at 26 has not yet managed to live in an environment in which she can truly be herself.
MY MOTHER
Gustavo reminisces about his childhood and his relationship with his mother, the inspiration behind his weekend trips to San Francisco, where he lives as his alter ego, Donna.
SHOWER
A man enters the shower after his workout, but is soon sidetracked by a noise he cannot identify. He decides to seek ot the source of the sound, and enters a situation that will leave him completely exposed.
SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
A 30-year-old American woman enters into a teenage party in the South of France. Some of the guests wonder who she is and what she is doing there.
SPOONERS
After convincing his husband to retire their lumpy, old futon, Nelson is forced to come out in a spectacular way while shopping for a new bed at Drowzy’s mattress world.
STOP CALLING ME HONEY BUNNY
A couple take a proactive approach to enhancing their sex life and, in doing so, face deep questions about the nature of their relationship.
STRAIGHT WITH YOU
Straight with you is a documentary about eleven-year-old Melvin, who has a secret: he is not into girls. Although his family knows, he’s afraid to tell his schoolmates, as he thinks they might start bullying him. What should he do when the coolest girl in his class sends him a love letter.
TEENS LIKE PHIL
Inspired by the alarming increase in real life tragedies involving high school bullying and sicide, TEENS LIKE PHIL tells the story of a gay teen, Phil, and one of his classmates, Adam, who brutally bullies him. The film explores the complicated and painful circumstances surrounding this relationship in an effort to better understand the roots of the bullying epidemic.
THE FIRST DATE
Amanda recalls the embarrasing events surrounding her first date with a beautiful sous-chef named Kelly as she prepares to ask her out on a second date.
THE INEVITABLE STORY OF LETICIA DENIZ
The movie follows the journey of a gorgeous transgender (male to female), from her troubled childhood in a small town close to the Amazon, to her body hormonal transformation process and her initiation in the prostitution underworld of Rio de Janeiro.
THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE
‘The aim was to pick up chicks by sounding like a Frenchman. Hasn’t really worked out yet.’ Charlie’s a mess. His best friend’s not talking to him, he can’t concentrate on his work… and now the clock’s ticking on his fench exam. But the courage to speak can come from the most unlikely places. (Get a preview of The Language Of Love here)
THE LAST TIME I SAW RICHARD
In 1995, Jonah is proud to be the loner at the teen mental health clinic. But when a new patient, Richard, is admitted and the boys are forced to share a room, Jonah finds himself forming a connection, but will their bond be strong enough to protect them from the darklings that hide in the night shadows?.
URMI
Urmi is a transgendered person living in Mmbai. The city unfolds through her. She haunts public toilets and walks streets searching for love while going through violent encounters with homophobic people and authorities. One incident makes her decide to choose her real self and live it. The film incorporates the Bollywood style of moviemaking.
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