The film fest kickstarted its celebrations by awarding its third Iris Prize Fellowship to film publicist Paul Smith
WORDS AND IMAGES BY GRACE CROWLEY
The much-lovedIris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival celebrated the recipient of their Iris Prize Fellowship in London on 30 January.
Film publicist Paul Smith became the third recipient of the prestigious award for his contributions to LGBTQIA+ stories on screen at Vue Cinema, Leicester Square. Previous recipients of the Iris Prize Fellowship include Tom Abell and Jacquie Lawrence.
Paul said: “While I enjoy blockbusters, I’ve always preferred to concentrate on promoting an appreciation of LGBTQ+ cinema alongside genre films and world cinema […] Without big marketing budgets. Maintaining relationships between filmmakers, journalists, venues and significantly, community groups have, for me, been of paramount importance […] Thank you, Berwyn Rowlands and the Iris Prize team, for a gift that I will treasure more than any Oscar.”
Heartfelt speeches about both the importance of championing queer cinema and Paul’s outstanding work came from the managing director of Peccadillo Pictures, and chair of the Iris Prize Tom Abell, festival manager Grant Vidgen, director Mark Cousins and Iris Prize head of outreach Holly Russell-Allison and many more.
Tom said: “The whole purpose of the Iris Prize Fellowship is to recognise the people that aren’t generally recognised – the unsung heroes […] His dedication, his thoroughness, his absolute cheerfulness even when things are rough shines through.”
Grant spoke about how Paul’s contributions to the film fest has been “instrumental” to its success. He said: “Paul has become a great friend and continues to work with us at team Iris, being our beacon based here in London.”
Mark’s message was delivered virtually, with a hilarious topless video projected on screen. He said: “We met in Edinburgh in the 90s and you’re just one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. You’re a wonderful creative human being and I love you.”
This October, Iris Prize will return to Cardiff for its much-anticipated 20th anniversary edition. The celebration of Paul Smith was the perfect way to kickstart the celebrations. Yesterday (2 February), the Iris team also shared a teaser for what festival attendees have to look forward to in this year’s instalment of Iris.
Berwyn Rowlands, festival director and founder of the Iris Prize said: “We are working on projects to offer the public opportunities to celebrate the first 20 years of Iris. Each month in 2026 we are arranging access to more LGBTQ+ stories and opportunities to meet more amazing filmmakers.”
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the ways Iris is celebrating turning 20…
- Three Iris Productions, Cardiff, Burger and Spoilers, will screen on Channel 4 to celebrate 20 years of Iris
- Filmhouse in Edinburgh will join the Iris on the Move touring venues
- The Best British Shortlist 2026 will be announced during an event at SCENE in Manchester in August 2026
- Allison Dowzell will chair the Iris Prize Industry Day advisory committee
- The photographer for this year’s 2026 Pink Portraits will be Harrison Williams
- Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival will join Iris as a nominating festival in 2026
Iris Prize will return in 2026 for the 20th edition on Monday 12 October until Sunday 18 October.
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