Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you looks at some of the short films that are up for this year’s Iris Prize, the world’s largest international gay and lesbian short film prize which takes place in Cardiff, Wales in October. Last week we brought the newly announced list of films that are due to compete, as well as the trailer for one of the shorts, I Am Syd Stone.

Now we have a ‘making of…’ featurette for The Phallometer, which comes from Cibrail and The Passenger director Tor Iben, as well as the company behind the comedy Men To Kiss.

Here’s the short film’s synopsis: ‘A refugee is taken into custody at an open border crossing. During the interrogation, he admits to being gay and is subjected to an absurd entry examination, a so-called phallometric test. The story is based on facts.’

In case you were wondering, a phallometric test involves strapping a device to a man’s penis and then measuring how excited it gets when the subject is shown sexual material. Although it has always been controversial, since it was invented in the 1950s its been used in some countries to try and scientifically prove things such as whether somebody really is gay. For example it’s been used when somebody tries to claim asylum due to their sexuality, or if they say they can’t go into the military because they’re gay.

Frank Christian Marx, the actor and owner of the company behind The Phallometer, Ente Kross Film, tells us of the firm’s plans, “Our second film and first short film The Phallometer was just announced to be in the short list for the Iris Prize and we’re right now in the pre-production for our second feature film, Locked up, which we´re shooting in October… It will be a gay psychothriller, which is quiet rare in the LGBT genre I guess.”

The Iris Prize Festival takes places October 8th – 12th in Cardiff. [Read more…]