Every year in October in Cardiff, Wales, the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival presents an array of fascinating films. The centrepiece of the event is the Iris Prize, which has been justifiably been called the ‘Oscars of LGBT short film’. Filtering in the best shorts from LGBT films festivals around the world as well as those submitted directly to Iris, it offers the winning filmmaker £30,000 to make their next short film here in the UK, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation.
The organisers of the Iris Prize have now announced the 35 short films that will compete for the 2018 Iris Prize at the Festival, which takes place from October 9th to 14th. Iris Prize Chair, Andrew Pierce, comments: “This shortlist represents the very best in LGBT+ storytelling, offering a window into queer lives of the past, present and future. From love stories to tales of persecution, and from moving documentaries to joyous celebrations of freedom and pride.”
“I can’t wait to see them on a big screen and enjoy the conversations that flow after each screening. I’m always pleasantly surprised how much is packed into a short film.”
David Llewellyn, Iris Prize Media Co-ordinator, adds: “In previous years we’ve taken a kind of “Revels” approach to programming – you never quite know what to expect. There’s a lot to be said for that, but we’re also aware that audiences often want something a little more focused or tailored to their interests.”
“Certain themes always seem to emerge as the shortlists come together. In previous years, we’ve had an abundance of stories about parenting or disability or ageing. This year, we’ve noticed a number of films that tackled masculinity in interesting and provocative ways, and so we have a programme that brings together contemporary dance, brutal violence and challenging stories about gender.”
“Another programme deals with the idea of new beginnings. Stories tackling LGBT+ issues can be dark and upsetting, but the films in It’s a New Day are all life-affirming and positive, from the animated tale of a woman’s deepest desires, to a meditation on bottoming that features an animated talking poo (an Iris first).”
The films that will be competing are:
| TITLE | DIRECTOR | COUNTRY |
| Wild Beasts (Villdyr) | Sverre Kvamme | Norway |
| Pink Pill (粉色药丸) | Xiaoshan Xie | China |
| Three Centimetres | Lara Zeidan | Lebanon /UK |
| Don’t Call Me Bro (Nenn Mich Nicht Bruder) | Gina Wenzel | Germany |
| There You Are | Lisa Donato | USA |
| Profane Cow (Vaca Profana) | Rene Guerra | Brazil |
| Calamity | Severine de Streyker, Maxime Feyers | Belgium |
| Crashing Waves | Emma Gilbertson | UK |
| War. Room | Ben Hantkant | Israel |
| Michael Joseph Jason John | Scott T. Hinson | USA |
| Wren Boys | Harry Lighton | UK |
| Something About Alex | Reinout Hellenthal | Netherlands |
| Tasty | Meaghan Palmer | Australia |
| Dario | Mario Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil | Germany/Columbia |
| Superheroes | Volker Petters | Germany |
| Mrs McCutcheon | John Sheedy | Australia |
| When the World Changed | Anderson Clark | USA |
| Bachelor 38 | Angela Clarke | UK |
| The Red Tree | Paul Rowley | Ireland/Italy/USA |
| Pre-Drink | Marc-Antoine Lemire | Canada |
| Sleepover (Sova över) | Jimi Vall Peterson | Sweden |
| Our Skin | João Queiroga | Portugal/USA |
| Girl Talk | Erica Rose | USA |
| Masks | Mahaliyah Ayla O | USA |
| For the Good Times | Andres Daniel Sainz | Spain |
| How I Got to the Moon by Subway | Tyler Rabinowitz | USA |
| Rick | JP Horstmann | Germany |
| The Shit! An Opera | Kevin Rios | USA |
| Zero One | Nick Neon | USA |
| Bacchus | Rikke Alma Krogshave Planeta | Denmark |
| The Things You Think I’m Thinking | Sherren Lee | Canada |
| The Other Side (Al otro lado) | Rodrigo Alvarez Flores | Mexico |
| Ajay | Vikrant Dhote | India |
| The World is Round so that Nobody Can Hide in the Corners, Refuge: Part 1 | Leandro Goddinho | Brazil/Germany |
| Losing Sight of a Longed Place | Ka Chun Shek, Chun Long Wong | Hong Kong |
They join the 15 films announced last week that will be competing for Best British Short at the festival. You can find out more about those by clicking here. The full festival lineup, including the 13 feature films that will be screening, will be announced on August 21st. The winners will be announced at the the Iris Carnival, which incorporates the Awards Show, on Sunday October 14th.
Take a look at the montages below for both the films competing for the main Iris Prize and for Best British Short.
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