These films took home the Iris Prize Community, Education, and Micro-shorts awards
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE PROVIDED
Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival have announced the winners of the Iris Prize Community, Education, and Micro-shorts awards. Announced tonight (14 October), these awards were sponsored by Mark Williams in memory of his sister Rose Taylor.
Taking home the Community Award, which celebrates a film created by non-professionals and grassroots groups, was Juliette Manon’s Dysgu Hedfan. The film tells the story of Erin, who starts to develop feelings for her best friend and, as a result, grows wings. The jury was impressed by the way it explored young queer love, stating: “All the jury found this piece emotive, well-filmed, and beautifully curated as that exhibition of becoming yourself.”
Olivia Phillips and Connie Beck took home the Education Award for their film After Everything. This award recognises films created by individuals in the education sector. After Everything follows the story of Levi, who finds himself in a panic after bumping into an old friend at a nightclub.
This year’s Micro-short Award, which honours films that are under two minutes long, went to Efa Blosse-Mason and Sofie Marsh’s The Gardener. The jury said: “The Gardener was a film that was unanimously enjoyed by the jury. We all agreed that the animation was beautiful to watch and paired perfectly with poetry. It evoked so much emotion despite being so short, which really impressed all of us.”
Iris Online is available until 7 November 2025.
Full details about Iris can be found here: www.irisprize.org
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