The international jury has also been revealed, featuring DIVA’s editor-in-chief Roxy Bourdillon
BY ELEANOR NOYCE, IMAGE VIA IRIS PRIZE
Get excited! The organisers of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival have announced the shortlist of the 15 films competing for the Iris Prize Best British Award, supported by Film4. The two juries for the main prizes have also been revealed, with the international jury featuring none other than DIVA’s editor-in-chief, Roxy Bourdillon.
Bard Ydén, senior programmer at the Norwegian Short Film Festival, will be chairing the international jury and Tim Highsted, Senior Film Editor of acquired feature films for Channel4, the Best British. Excitingly, the 15 films shortlisted for the Iris Prize Best British Award include three films produced in Wales, including Skinny Fat (Mathew David), Nant (Tom Chetwode Barton) and Jelly (Samantha O’Rourke).
This year’s films range from a teenage footballer coming to terms with his sexuality to a group of Regency-era women gossiping on the street about a notorious gay scandal. Importantly, last year’s Iris Prize saw Rebel Dykes take home the Best Feature Award, having similarly received a Special Jury Mention at the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival and a nomination for The Raindance Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards.
The 2022 festival, marking its 16th year, sees the continuation of a three-year sponsorship agreement with Film4. A six-day celebration of LGBTQ+ film taking place annually in Cardiff, today the festival attracts almost 11,000 admissions with an online audience for its month-long coverage marking 84,000. Each film shortlisted for the Iris Prize Best British Short will be broadcast and streamed on Film4 so that LGBTQI film fans across the country can enjoy this year’s selection of LGBTQI talent. The winner will receive a package of services sponsored by Pinewood Studios Group.
Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize Film Festival Director, states: “We are thrilled to be able to present to our audiences 15 short films made in Britain and supported by one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly broadcasters and champion of the Iris Prize.
“We are pleased to announce a brand new performance award this year, sponsored by Out and Proud, Iris Prize Best British Performance. Our 17 jurors this year for both the international prize and Best British awards represent the very best from our industry and LGBTQ+ community, with some returning alumni in their midst, such as Dennis Shinners (Area X, 2017, and Barrio Boy, 2014), and Adam Ali and Sam Arbor (Iris Prize winners, 2021 with BABA), and Norena Shopland, the Welsh author of LGBTQ+ histories. We are also excited to be welcoming a host of filmmakers from home and abroad, along with cinema lovers from all over the country.”
Want to read more about the Iris Prize? Visit their website at irisprize.org, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
DIVA magazine celebrates 28 years in print in 2022. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQI media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
