Best of Iris to visit towns and cities across the UK

In February, organisers of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation will begin their annual grand tour of Britain.  Iris on the Move is sponsored by S4C, and during February, Iris will be visiting Manchester, Belfast, Blackpool, Swansea, Caernarfon, Plymouth, Liverpool, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Bournemouth and Pontardawe, and will be on the road again in May and June visiting Brighton, Abertillery, Porthcawl, Pontypridd, and Blaengarw.

Iris is taking two programmes of short films on tour: Best of Iris 2023, and Falling in love with Iris.  The Best of Iris 2023 includes four winning short films which impressed audiences, including the judges during the Cardiff based festival in October 2023. This diverse selection of outstanding short films showcases unique stories from around the world.

Grant Vidgen, Festival Manager said:

“We have been taking Iris on the Move for the last eight years and we love nothing more than sharing the films that made us proud over the last year.  We are very proud of all our Iris alumni and their short films, so it is an absolute joy to present our two programmes outside of Cardiff.

‘Excellence in storytelling is at the core of the Iris Prize, and our two programmes of shorts will certainly fill your hearts with joy and emotion.’

 

Iris On The Move 2024 will be visiting the following cities and towns:

• Manchester (HOME) Saturday, 3 February
• Manchester (HOME) Wednesday, 7 February
• Blackpool (Aunty Social) Thursday, 8 February
• Belfast (Queen’s Film Theatre) Saturday, 10 February
• Cardiff (Chapter Arts Centre) Sunday, 11 February
• Swansea (Taliesin Arts Centre) Monday, 12 February
• Swansea (Taliesin Arts Centre) Tuesday, 13 February
• Caernarfon (Galeri) Wednesday, 14 February
• Plymouth (Arts University) Thursday 15 February
• Cardiff (Chapter Arts Centre) Sunday, 18 February
• Liverpool (Fact) Sunday, 18 February
• Bangor (Pontio) Tuesday, 20 February
• Bournemouth (Arts University) Friday, 23 February
• Aberystwyth (Arts Centre) Friday, 23 February
• Bournemouth (Arts University) Saturday, 24 February
• Pontardawe (Arts Centre) Tuesday, 27 February
• Brighton Fringe, Sunday, 5 May
• Brighton Fringe, Monday, 6 May
• Abertillery (The Met Theatre) Wednesday, 5 June
• Porthcawl (Awel y Mȏr Community Centre) Friday, 7 June
• Pontypridd (Clwb y Bont) Wednesday, 12 June
• Bridgend (Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall, Friday, 14 June

If you would like your local cinema to get involved, please contact Iris at Adnan@irisprize.org  

Watch Iris on the Move 2024 Advert here: https://youtu.be/8Y6Bo_WyaRM

One of the highlights of the Best of Iris 2023 programme is the Iris Prize international winner Scaring Women At Night, directed by Karimah Zakia Issa, and Best British winner F**KED, directed by Sara Harrak.

Programme 1 – Best of Iris 2023 | 54 Mins

A curated collection of extraordinary short films that have been honoured and celebrated at the 2023 Iris Prize Film Festival.

Realness With A Twist (Winner: 2023 Youth Jury Award) – Rated 12A

Director: Cass Virdee

Producer: David Giles & Maria Salcher | Writer: Cass Virdee & David Giles

UK, 12 Mins

Synopsis: A talented footballer is forced to battle between his secret passion for voguing and the fear of his team-mate’s disapproval.

 

Ted & Noel (Winner: 2023 Co-op Audience Award) – Rated PG

Director: Julia Alcamo

Producer: Dan Hodgson, Mary Pattisson

UK, 25 Mins

Synopsis: Ted & Noel deals with a grieving LGBTQ+ activist who tries to find the strength for one last campaign.

 

F**KED (Winner: 2023 Best British) – Rated 15

Director: Sara Harrak

Producer: Emma Hammond, Meg Salter, Sara Harrak | Writer: Meg Salter

UK, 6 Mins

Synopsis: What exactly are the rules in an open relationship? With no rulebook, it’s down to the couple to draw their lines… F**KED raises the question many of us secretly ask ourselves – have I really explored and enjoyed my own sexuality?

 

 

Scaring Women At Night (Winner: 2023 Iris Prize) – Rated 15

Director. Karimah Zakia Issa 

Producer: Lindsay Blair Goeldner & Rosalind Goodwin 

Writer: Karimah Zakia Issa & Ace Clamber (story by Ace Clamber)

Canada, 11 Mins

Synopsis: Two strangers are scared on a late walk home. As they try to escape one another, their worlds collide at an intersection forcing them to question who they’re afraid of and why.

The Best of Iris 2023 is 54 minutes long. The trailer can be found here.

Our new programme of shorts for 2024 includes a heartwarming collection of LGBTQ+ stories about falling in love. Falling in Love with Iris, are perfect for Valentine’s week!

 

Programme 2: Falling In Love with Iris | 60 Mins

This programme is a collection of short films that explores looking for love, finding love, desire, and human connections in various forms.

Bubbling – Rated 12A

Director: Chang Che Ming

Producer: Lin Hsin Wu | Writer: Chang Che Ming

Taiwan, 23 Mins

Synopsis: Guang has difficulty focusing during school choir. He’s distracted by something more enticing than singing. When a charismatic new student arrives, Guang’s curiosity and sexual desire is taken to a new level.

 

 

Malwa Khushan – Rated U

Director: Preeti Kanungo, Sourav Yadav

Producer: Lotus Visual Productions & KASHISH Arts Foundation | Writer: Preeti Kanungo

India, 20 Mins

Synopsis: Coming of age story of two sisters Malwa and Khushan exploring sexuality and attraction in their adolescent years. A new girl arrives in Khushan’s classroom, and she starts developing feelings for her.

 

Single: Meat Cutes – Rated 15

Director: Tilly Robba & Steph Jowett

Producer: Steph Jowett | Writer: Ang Collins & Mike Costi

Australia, 12 Mins

Synopsis: We are first introduced to Luke, Bridie and Tilly as they rideshare to the pub for their separate dating-app dates. Disaster ensues on all counts, and the three end the night crammed in a skip-bin outside the pub—dateless and still single.

 

Diomysus – Rated 12A

Director: Emily Elizabeth Morus-Jones

Producer: Sara Ellen | Writer: Emily Elizabeth Morus-Jones

Wales, 5 Mins

Synopsis: An experimental film where a group of mice (voiced by members of the UK polyamorous community whose identities are masked using puppetry) discuss their experiences of polyamory. Diomysus asks the question – are we (the audience) more open to taboo ideas if unconscious bias is eliminated?

 

Falling in love with Iris is 60 minutes long. The trailer can be found here.

 

Iris on the Move 2024 is sponsored by S4C.

 

Iris Prize will return this year: Tuesday 8 October – Sunday 13 October 2024.

The main festival sponsors are: The Michael Bishop Foundation; Creative Wales, a Welsh Government agency that supports the creative sectors in Wales; the BFI awarding funds from The National Lottery; Ffilm Cymru Wales; Film4; University of South Wales; Cardiff University; Co-op Respect; Bad Wolf; S4C; Gorilla Group; Peccadillo Pictures; Pinewood Studios; Attitude Magazine; Diva Magazine; The Ministry Venues; Transport for Wales; Stadium Plaza; FROOT and Aberystwyth University. The festival also works in partnership with BAFTA Cymru, Pride Cymru and Stonewall Cymru.

Ends.  

 

For press enquiries contact:

Lynne (07774 280868 / lynne@irisprize.org / @msrupertbear)

www.irisprize.org   Twitter: @irisprize

 

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

The Iris Prize – the largest LGBTQ+ short film prize in the world is supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation. £30,000 is available to the winner to make a new LGBTQ+ themed film in the UK. In 2020, for the 5^th time, Iris was identified as one of the “top 50 film festivals worth the entry fee” by Movie Maker Magazine. The festival is a BAFTA qualifying festival for the BAFTA awards.

 

The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival is a six-day celebration of LGBTQ+ film which takes place annually in Cardiff, Wales, UK.  The 2023 festival will be our 17^th edition, and much has changed since the first 3-day festival in 2007 with 1,500 admissions. Today the flagship festival is almost a week-long, attracts 11,000 admissions, and the online offer is a month long with a UK on-line audience of 84,000.