2026 Iris Prize

Them That’s Not

Andrea “Drea” Stoney, a down-on-her-luck poet, finds herself at her grandmother’s repass, along with her seditty larger-than-life family. But Drea is sticking out like a sore thumb; she’s introspective, Queer, artistic and proudly Deaf, albeit surrounded by her distant family members who don’t care to know ASL. So Drea resorts to finding solace in hidden, lonely moments that she can steal in the pockets of her grandmother’s generational brownstone.

DIRECTOR:

Mekhai Lee

PRODUCER:

Charles Hopkins, Redd Coltrane

WRITER:

Mekhai Lee

RELEASE YEAR:

2025

USA, 19 mins, Language: English

Director’s bio

Mekhai Lee is a graduate of the Drama programme at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He is the writer/director and co-creator of original web-series entitled For the Boys. Mekhai wrote/directed an original short film, Them That’s Not, which premiered at NewfestPride ‘25 Film Festival, and has since screened at numerous Film Festivals, including SXSW Film Festival, Palm Springs International Shorts Film Festival, and Chicago International Film Festival, where it was the recipient of the Golden Hugo Award, making the film officially Academy Award Eligible.

Mae Andrea “Drea” Stoney, bardd sydd wedi colli ei lwc, yn canfod ei hun yng ngwylnos ei mam-gu, ynghyd â’i theulu mawreddog, llawn meddwl. Ond mae hi mor amlwg â llaid ar farch gwyn; mae hi’n fewnblyg, yn Cwiar, yn artistig ac yn falch o fod yn Fyddar, er ei bod wedi’i hamgylchynu gan aelodau pell ei theulu nad oes ots ganddyn nhw wybod Iaith Arwyddion America. Felly mae Drea yn troi at ddod o hyd i gysur mewn eiliadau cudd, unig y gall eu dwyn yng nghorneli tŷ tywodfaen ei mam-gu.

Bywgraffiad y cyfarwyddwr

Mae Mekhai Lee yn raddedig o’r rhaglen Ddrama yn Ysgol Gelfyddydau Prifysgol Gogledd Carolina. Ef yw awdur/cyfarwyddwr a chyd-greawdwr y gyfres we wreiddiol o’r enw For the Boys. Ysgrifennodd/cyfarwyddodd Mekhai ffilm fer wreiddiol, Them That’s Not, a gafodd ei dangos am y tro cyntaf yng Ngŵyl Ffilm NewfestPride ‘25, ac ers hynny mae wedi’i dangos mewn nifer o Wyliau Ffilm, gan gynnwys Gŵyl Ffilm SXSW, Gŵyl Ffilm Byrion Ryngwladol Palm Springs, a Gŵyl Ffilm Ryngwladol Chicago, lle enillodd Wobr Golden Hugo, gan wneud y ffilm yn gymwys yn swyddogol am Wobr yr Academi.

2026 Iris Prize Shortlist