We caught up with Arkasha to hear about her journey—from breaking barriers with Vessels to working on one of horror’s most iconic franchises.
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Every story begins with a storyteller. In this edition, we’re proud to spotlight Arkasha Stevenson, director of the short film Vessels, which won the Iris Prize in 2015. Since then, Arkasha has continued to make waves in the film world, most recently with her feature directorial debut, the 2024 horror film The First Omen.Arkasha Stevenson with two fellow Iris Prize winners at Iris Prize festival
Can you share your favourite memory from your visit to the Iris Prize Festival in 2015?
What I think is very rare and unique to Iris is that being brought into the festival is like being brought into a family. It feels like a big family reunion. There’s a real vibe of caring and collaboration amongst artists. I remember that it was just so fun to see how many ideas and collaborations were coming out of people meeting each other at the entire festival!Still from Vessels
What inspired you to submit Vessels to the Iris Prize, and how did winning impact your journey as a filmmaker?
Vessels was a project that I had wanted to make after meeting a number of transwomen in the LA area who were in a position where, in order to transition, they were forced to turn to underground and exceptionally dangerous options. The short film focuses on Diamond, a young transwoman, who seeks out black market breast enhancement surgery. It became a project very near and dear to me and my team of collaborators.
I don’t think that any of us anticipated how difficult it would be to make a film about a woman like Diamond. Both our team and our actors were the recipients of prejudice and blatant racism and transphobia throughout the process. Once we finally did finish the film, we were all so proud of the finished product. But, ultimately, we felt that our message was dismissed and in some way we had failed. Until the Iris Prize. Our entire team was so thrilled when we found out that we had won. It injected us all with a whole new wave of energy. We finally felt seen. For me, it was such a good lesson in perseverance. It taught me that you never know who your film may speak to. If something is incredibly important to you, there is a high chance that it will be important to someone else out there in the world and I was so thankful for the audience that the Iris Prize gave Vessels.
Furthermore, having the opportunity to create another short film through the Iris Prize was such a fantastic way to continue learning. It is so rare that you are allotted space and time as a creator to explore your impulses and your instincts. It is a genuine gift.
Watch Daisy & D made by Arkasha Stevenson after winning the Iris Prize:
Your debut feature, The First Omen, is a big step. What excites you most about this project, and what’s next?
I had never imagined that I would have the opportunity to be working on a project as large as The First Omen. What was so exciting and what was such a struggle for me was learning how to not self-censor my ideas. I had been so used to working on projects with fewer resources and was used to tailoring my ideas to fit within those boundaries. Yet, even on the biggest budget projects, resources get stretched thin. And, on The First Omen, it was such a master class getting to work with high caliber collaborators who were constantly finding the most creative and industrious ways to problem solve.
Fe wnaethon ni ddal i fyny gydag Arkasha i glywed am ei siwrnai—o chwalu rhwystrau gyda Vessels i weithio ar un o fasnachfreintiau mwyaf eiconig arswyd.
Mae pob stori yn dechrau gyda storïwr. Yn y rhifyn hwn, rydym yn falch o dynnu sylw at Arkasha Stevenson, cyfarwyddwr y ffilm fer Vessels, a enillodd Wobr Iris yn 2015. Ers hynny, mae Arkasha wedi parhau i dynnu sylw yn y byd ffilm, yn fwyaf diweddar gyda'i phrosiect cyntaf fel cyfarwyddwr ffilm, y ffilm arswyd o 2024, The First Omen.
Arkasha Stevenson gyda dau gyd-enillydd Gwobr Iris
Elli di rannu dy hoff atgof o dy ymweliad â Gŵyl Gwobr Iris yn 2015?
Yr hyn dwi'n meddwl sy'n brin iawn ac yn unigryw i Iris yw bod dod i'r ŵyl fel cael eich croesawu i mewn i deulu. Mae'n teimlo fel cyfarfod teuluol mawr. Mae naws go iawn o ofal a chydweithio ymhlith artistiaid. Dwi'n cofio ei bod yn hwyl fawr gweld faint o syniadau a chydweithio oedd yn dod ma’s o bobl yn cyfarfod â'i gilydd yn yr ŵyl gyfan!
Beth wnaeth dy ysbrydoli i gyflwyno Vessels i Wobr Iris, a sut wnaeth ennill effeithio ar dy daith fel gwneuthurwr ffilmiau?
Roedd Vessels yn brosiect yr oeddwn i wedi bod eisiau ei wneud ar ôl cwrdd â nifer o drawsferched yn ardal LA a oedd mewn sefyllfa lle, er mwyn trawsnewid, cawsant eu gorfodi i droi at opsiynau cudd ac eithriadol o beryglus. Mae'r ffilm fer yn canolbwyntio ar Diamond, trawswraig ifanc, sy'n chwilio am lawdriniaeth gwella'r bronnau yn y farchnad ddu. Daeth yn brosiect agos iawn ac annwyl i mi a fy nhîm o gydweithwyr.
Nid wyf yn credu bod yr un ohonom yn rhagweld pa mor anodd fyddai gwneud ffilm am fenyw fel Diamond. Roedd ein tîm a'n hactorion yn derbyn rhagfarn a hiliaeth amlwg a thrawsffobia trwy gydol y broses. Ar ôl i ni orffen y ffilm o'r diwedd, roeddem i gyd mor falch o'r cynnyrch gorffenedig. Ond, yn y pen draw, roeddem yn teimlo bod ein neges wedi'i diswyddo ac mewn rhyw ffordd roeddem wedi methu. Hyd at Wobr Iris. Roedd ein tîm cyfan wrth ein boddau pan wnaethon ni ddarganfod ein bod ni wedi ennill. Fe chwistrellodd ni i gyd gyda thon newydd sbon o egni. O'r diwedd roedden ni'n teimlo ein bod ni'n cael ein gweld. I mi, roedd hi'n wers mor dda mewn dyfalbarhad. Dysgodd i mi nad ydych byth yn gwybod gyda phwy y gallai eich ffilm siarad. Os yw rhywbeth yn hynod o bwysig i chi, mae siawns uchel y bydd yn bwysig i rywun arall allan yna yn y byd ac roeddwn i mor ddiolchgar am y gynulleidfa a roddodd Gwobr Iris i Vessels.
Ar ben hynny, roedd cael y cyfle i greu ffilm fer arall trwy Wobr Iris yn ffordd mor wych o barhau i ddysgu. Mae mor anghyffredin eich bod yn neilltuo lle ac amser fel crëwr i archwilio'ch ysgogiadau a'ch greddf. Mae'n rhodd go iawn.
Gwyliwch Daisy & D gan Arkasha Stevenson ar ôl ennill Gwobr Iris:
Mae dy ffilm nodwedd gyntaf, The First Omen, yn gam mawr. Beth sy'n dy gyffroi fwyaf am y prosiect hwn a beth sydd nesaf?
Doeddwn i erioed wedi dychmygu y byddwn i'n cael y cyfle i fod yn gweithio ar brosiect mor fawr â The First Omen. Yr hyn oedd mor gyffrous a'r hyn oedd yn gymaint o ymdrech i mi oedd dysgu sut i beidio hunan-sensro fy syniadau. Roeddwn wedi arfer gweithio ar brosiectau gyda llai o adnoddau ac roeddwn wedi arfer teilwra fy syniadau i gyd-fynd â'r ffiniau hynny.
Ac eto, hyd yn oed ar y prosiectau cyllideb mwyaf, mae adnoddau'n cael eu hymestyn yn denau. Ac, ar The First Omen, roedd yn ddosbarth-feistr I gael gweithio gyda chydweithwyr uchel o safon a oedd yn gyson yn dod o hyd i'r ffyrdd mwyaf creadigol a diwyd i ddatrys problemau.
