Iris Prize Documentary Fund 2024 Shortlist

- Six emerging filmmakers are shortlisted for the prestigious Iris Prize Documentary Film Finance Fund Sponsored by OUTflix and Aberystwyth University
- “In what are challenging times for filmmakers, Iris is delighted with the eclectic array of applications we've received in our third year of running this fund.”
Organisers of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival have today (Thursday 2 May 2024) announced details of the six shortlisted projects through to the final stage to be the third film commissioned by the Iris Prize Documentary Film Finance Fund. The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival established the fund (up to £20,000) to finance documentary films (running time: 22/25 minutes or 40 minutes) produced by emerging UK-based LGBTQ+ filmmakers.

The six shortlisted films are:

Naomi Abel-Hirsch - Documentary Fund 2024 Shortlist
  • Rose’s House – Naomi Abel-Hirsch
During the late 1970s and '80s, Rose's House, a nondescript terrace home in Sheffield, provided a safe space for a marginalised community of trans women to express themselves and find refuge from the hostilities they experienced in the wider world. 'Rose's House' will tell the story of the life of this community of gender-nonconforming women's resilience and joy in a time of fear through first-hand accounts from its founder, Martine Rose, and other members of this community, along with a photographic and video archive.
Emily Sargent - Documentary Fund 2024 Shortlist
  • Roaring Dyke – Emily Sargent
When activist and reporter Jackie Forster founded the lesbian magazine Sappho, she didn’t know it would be shot into the mainstream media in 1978 following the publication of a homophobic expose by the London Evening News on how the editors were connecting their readers with doctors willing to perform artificial insemination by donor. Anti-gay headlines were followed by protests by LGBT+ activists, fighting for the gay parents’ rights to what would become known as IVF.
Documentary Fund 2024 Shortlist - ANouk Witkowska-Hiffler
  • Rainbow Kids – Anouk Witkowska-Hiffler
Born into a same-sex family, the filmmaker and her sister embark on a journey to connect with children who grew up in queer households. They delve into the lives of four individuals of different backgrounds, ages, and origins within the LGBTQ+ family structure, highlighting the multifaceted nature of queer families.
  • Family Tides – Maddie Lock
Family Tides explores the relationship between queerness and the coast, inviting you into the reunion of three family members reconnecting years after all being in one place, brought back together through their LGBTQ+ identities. This is a personal story following Maddie’s family and their seaside homes of Eastbourne and Ramsgate.
Documentary Fund 2024 Shortlist - Amy Cuff
  • Love Far From Home – Amy Cuff
In the picturesque landscapes of South Wales, fate weaves an extraordinary love story as Tami (28, from Hungary), crosses paths with Ashwin (38, from India). Their encounter blossoms into a heartwarming tale of love, resilience, and cultural fusion. Tami was thrilled by the prospect of living out her childhood dream of being a princess bride…until the Barry-based couple came face to face with the difficult realities of traditional customs and expectations, not least because Ash is a devout Hindu, and Tami is a transgender woman.
Darius Shu - Documentary Fund 2024 Shortlist
  • Just Friends - Darius Shu
A bar encounter sparks an enduring bond between 78-year-old Philip and 36-year-old Arron, defying societal norms and showcasing the power of queer friendship across generations.
Angela Clarke, BAFTA-nominated documentary filmmaker who has been looking after the shortlisting process said: “In what are challenging times for filmmakers, Iris is delighted with the eclectic array of applications we've received in our third year of running this fund. The final six shortlisted projects are all worthy of the prize money, and I look forward to seeing these projects being developed further.”

Find More about Documentary Fund Here

Gwobr Iris yn cyhoeddi rhestr fer o chwech ar gyfer Cronfa Cyllid Ffilm Ddogfennol

  • Chwe gwneuthurwr ffilmiau newydd ar y rhestr fer ar gyfer Cronfa Cyllid Ffilm Ddogfennol Gwobr Iris a noddir gan OUTflix a Phrifysgol Aberystwyth
  • "Mewn cyfnod heriol i wneuthurwyr ffilm, mae Iris wrth ei bodd gyda'r amrywiaeth eclectig o geisiadau rydym wedi'u derbyn yn ein trydedd flwyddyn o redeg y gronfa hon."
Heddiw (dydd Iau 2 Mai 2024) mae trefnwyr Gŵyl Ffilm LHDTQ+ Gwobr Iris wedi cyhoeddi manylion y chwe phrosiect ar y rhestr fer hyd at y cam olaf i fod y drydedd ffilm a gomisiynwyd gan Gronfa Cyllid Ffilm Ddogfennol Gwobr Iris. Sefydlodd Gŵyl Ffilm LHDTQ+ Gwobr Iris y gronfa (hyd at £20,000) i ariannu ffilmiau dogfen (amser rhedeg: 22/25 munud neu 40 munud) a gynhyrchwyd gan wneuthurwyr ffilmiau LHDTQ+ o’r DU sy'n dod i'r amlwg.

Y chwe ffilm ar y rhestr fer yw:

  • Rose’s House – Naomi Abel-Hirsch
Yn ystod diwedd y 1970au a'r 80au, roedd Rose's House, cartref teras di-nod yn Sheffield, yn cynnig man diogel i gymuned ymylol o fenywod traws fynegi eu hunain ac i ddod o hyd i loches rhag yr elyniaeth a brofwyd ganddynt yn y byd ehangach. Bydd 'Rose's House' yn adrodd hanes bywyd y gymuned hon o wytnwch a llawenydd menywod sy'n angydffurfio rhywedd mewn cyfnod o ofn trwy straeon uniongyrchol gan ei sylfaenydd, Martine Rose, ac aelodau eraill o'r gymuned hon, ynghyd ag archif ffotograffig a fideo.
  • Roaring Dyke – Emily Sargent
Pan sefydlodd yr actifydd a'r gohebydd Jackie Forster y cylchgrawn lesbiaidd Sappho, nid oedd hi'n gwybod y byddai'n mynd yn syth i'r cyfryngau prif ffrwd ym 1978 yn dilyn cyhoeddi datguddiad homoffobig gan y London Evening News ar sut roedd y golygyddion yn cysylltu eu darllenwyr â meddygon oedd yn barod i berfformio ffrwythloni artiffisial gan roddwr. Dilynwyd penawdau gwrth-hoyw gan brotestiadau gan weithredwyr LHDT+, gan ymladd dros hawliau'r rhieni hoyw i'r hyn a fyddai'n cael ei alw'n IVF.
  • Rainbow Kids – Anouk Witkowska-Hiffler
Wedi'i geni i deulu o'r un rhyw, mae'r gwneuthurwr ffilmiau a'i chwaer yn cychwyn ar daith i gysylltu â phlant a fagwyd mewn aelwydydd queer. Maent yn ymchwilio i fywydau pedwar unigolyn o wahanol gefndiroedd, oedrannau a gwreiddiau o fewn strwythur y teulu LHDTQ+, gan dynnu sylw at natur amlochrog teuluoedd queer.
  • Family Tides – Maddie Lock
Mae Family Tides yn archwilio'r berthynas rhwng queerness a'r arfordir, gan eich gwahodd i mewn i aduniad tri aelod o'r teulu sy'n ailgysylltu flynyddoedd ar ôl iddynt oll fod yn yr un lle, yn dod yn ôl at ei gilydd trwy eu hunaniaethau LHDTQ+. Dyma stori bersonol yn dilyn teulu Maddie a'u cartrefi glan môr Eastbourne a Ramsgate.
  • Love Far From Home – Amy Cuff
Yn nhirluniau hardd De Cymru, mae tynged yn plethu stori garu anghyffredin wrth i Tami (28, o Hwngari), gwrdd ag Ashwin (38, o India). Mae eu cyfarfyddiad yn blodeuo'n stori galonogol am gariad, gwytnwch a thoddiad diwylliannol. Roedd Tami wrth ei bodd gan y posibilrwydd o fyw ei breuddwyd plentyndod o fod yn briodferch tywysoges ... nes i'r cwpl o'r Barri ddod wyneb yn wyneb â realiti anodd arferion a disgwyliadau traddodiadol, yn anad dim am fod Ash yn Hindŵ defosiynol, ac mae Tami yn fenyw drawsryweddol.
  • Just Friends - Darius Shu
Mae Philip (70 oed) ac Arron (36 oed) yn dod ar draws ei gilydd mewn bar, ac mae'r digwyddiad yn cychwyn cwlwm parhaol rhyngddynt, yn herio normau cymdeithasol ac yn arddangos pŵer cyfeillgarwch queer ar draws cenedlaethau.
Dywedodd Angela Clarke, gwneuthurwr ffilmiau dogfen a enwebwyd am BAFTA, sydd wedi bod yn gofalu am y broses o lunio rhestr fer: "Mewn cyfnod heriol i wneuthurwyr ffilm, mae Iris wrth ei bodd gyda'r amrywiaeth eclectig o geisiadau rydym wedi'u derbyn yn ein trydedd flwyddyn o redeg y gronfa hon. Mae'r chwe phrosiect olaf ar y rhestr fer i gyd yn deilwng o'r wobr ariannol, ac edrychaf ymlaen at weld y prosiectau hyn yn cael eu datblygu ymhellach."

Bydd Gwobr Iris yn dychwelyd eleni: Dydd Mawrth 8 Hydref – Dydd Sul 13 Hydref 2024.