Still from 2017 Iris Prize winner, Mother Knows Best

There are a lot of great LGBT short films made every year, most of which struggle to get the kind of exposure they deserve. However, one festival has not only championed LGBT shorts, but has developed an impressive reputation over the last decade, with some now referring to it as the ‘gay short film Oscars’ – Cardiff’s Iris Prize Festival.

Submissions for this year’s Iris Prize Fest have now opened, with filmmakers invited to send in their LGBT-themed short and see whether it can make it onto the annual shortlist of 35 films that will compete for the International Iris Prize, or the 15 up for the Iris Prize Best British Short. All the shortlisted film will screen in Cardiff during the festival between October 9th and 14th. The International Iris Prize award is worth £30,000 and continues to be the world’s largest short film prize, thanks to the generous support of The Michael Bishop Foundation.

The festival can certainly be a great springboard, as the inaugural winner of the Iris Prize in 2007 was Dee Rees, who is tipped for Oscar success with the highly praised Mudbound. After winning the top prize at Iris, Rees travelled to Wales to make Colonial Gods, a drama set in an immigrant community in Butetown, Cardiff.

Iris Prize Chair Andrew Pierce comments, “This is always an exciting period for us at Iris HQ – that time of year when we realise we are still able to offer a prize fund of £50,000 to invest in new LGBT film talent. Thanks to the generous support of The Michael Bishop Foundation, the Iris Prize continues to be the largest and only LGBT short film prize in the world which allows the winner to make a new film.”

“Thanks also to Pinewood Studios Group we are for the fourth year running able to support British film makers directly with a prize valued at £20,000 – sound post production on their next short film project. Iris is more than just a trophy that gathers dust or a certificate that yellows on the wall. Iris is what film makers need – funding, support and guidance.”

“This year we will be visiting locations across the UK to encourage more local submissions and to encourage more people to join us in Cardiff for our annual celebration of LGBT film.”

You can find out more about submitting films to Iris over on the official website.

Crowdfunding has given the opportunity to raise filmmaking funds to far more people than before, but even so, it can still be tough to reach your target. One gay-themed short film that’s currently hoping to raise funds to help get it made is Public Life, from young filmmaker Matthew Allen.

The short is currently running a Kickstarter in the hope of raising $5,000.

So what’s it about? Here’s the synopsis: ‘After befriending his new classmate John, Eric is forced to come to terms with both his sexuality and the tragic death of a friend. This is a coming-of-age film that examines what it is like to struggle with sexuality, depression, anxiety, and loss in high school. The characters in this story must also deal with these issues in the age of social media. A world where everyone knows what you’re doing and where nothing is ever really gone.’

On the Kickstarter, the director says that, “While everyone’s experience is different, a common theme while growing up gay is questioning who you really are. That process of discovery can be eye-opening, but can also be physically and mentally debilitating, especially when paired with other hardships happening in someone’s life. I experienced that struggle in high school when I realized my sexuality, but didn’t have to experience it while dealing with other problems.

“I want to tell this story because I feel like it’s a unique take on a story of loss and acceptance. It expertly weaves together the ideas of grief and guilt of losing a best friend, as well as the struggle of acceptance of sexuality. It does all this while also highlighting the contemporary issue of school shootings. Grief and confusion are never emotions that someone would choose to feel, but experiencing them can lead you to discovering who you really are.”

The hope is to shoot the film – which takes its stylistic influences from the likes of The Way He Looks, Call Me By Your Name, Short Term 12, and Precious – at the end of February. Take a look at the crowdfunding video below, and if you like what you see, head over to Kickstarter to help out. [Read more…]