Iris Prize 2018 – the best in LGBT+ storytelling

Organisers of the Iris Prize have today announced details of the 35 short films competing for the Iris Prize at the 2018 Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival. The winning director will be presented with £30,000 to make their next short film here in the UK, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation. Andrew Pierce, Iris Prize Chair, commented: “This shortlist represents the very best in LGBT+ storytelling, offering a window into queer lives of the past, present and future. From love stories to tales of persecution, and from moving documentaries to joyous celebrations of freedom and pride.” “I can’t wait to see them on a big screen and enjoy the conversations that flow after each screening. I’m always pleasantly surprised how much is packed into a short film.” David Llewellyn, Iris Prize Media Co-ordinator, commented: “In previous years we’ve taken a kind of “Revels” approach to programming – you never quite know what to expect. There’s a lot to be said for that, but we’re also aware that audiences often want something a little more focused or tailored to their interests.” “Certain themes always seem to emerge as the shortlists come together. In previous years, we’ve had an abundance of stories about parenting or disability or ageing. This year, we’ve noticed a number of films that tackled masculinity in interesting and provocative ways, and so we have a programme that brings together contemporary dance, brutal violence and challenging stories about gender.” “Another programme deals with the idea of new beginnings. Stories tackling LGBT+ issues can be dark and upsetting, but the films in It’s a New Day are all life-affirming and positive, from the animated tale of a woman's deepest desires, to a meditation on bottoming that features an animated talking poo (an Iris first)." The 35 short films competing for the 2018 Iris Prize are listed in full here:

TITLE	DIRECTOR	COUNTRY
Wild Beasts (Villdyr)	Sverre Kvamme	Norway
Pink Pill (粉色药丸)	Xiaoshan Xie	China
Three Centimetres	Lara Zeidan	Lebanon /UK
Don't Call Me Bro (Nenn Mich Nicht Bruder)	Gina Wenzel	Germany
There You Are	Lisa Donato	USA
Profane Cow (Vaca Profana)	Rene Guerra	Brazil
Calamity	Severine de Streyker, Maxime Feyers	Belgium
Crashing Waves	Emma Gilbertson	UK
War. Room	Ben Hantkant	Israel
Michael Joseph Jason John	Scott T. Hinson	USA
Wren Boys	Harry Lighton	UK
Something About Alex	Reinout Hellenthal	Netherlands
Tasty	Meaghan Palmer	Australia
Dario	Mario Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil	Germany/Columbia
Superheroes	Volker Petters	Germany
Mrs McCutcheon	John Sheedy	Australia
When the World Changed	Anderson Clark	USA
Bachelor 38	Angela Clarke	UK
The Red Tree	Paul Rowley	Ireland/Italy/USA
Pre-Drink	Marc-Antoine Lemire	Canada
Sleepover (Sova över)	Jimi Vall Peterson	Sweden
Our Skin	João Queiroga	Portugal/USA
Girl Talk	Erica Rose	USA
Masks	Mahaliyah Ayla O	USA
For the Good Times	Andres Daniel Sainz	Spain
How I Got to the Moon by Subway	Tyler Rabinowitz	USA
Rick	JP Horstmann	Germany
The Shit! An Opera	Kevin Rios	USA
Zero One	Nick Neon	USA
Bacchus	Rikke Alma Krogshave Planeta	Denmark
The Things You Think I'm Thinking	Sherren Lee	Canada
The Other Side (Al otro lado)	Rodrigo Alvarez Flores	Mexico
Ajay	Vikrant Dhote	India
The World is Round so that Nobody Can Hide in the Corners, Refuge: Part 1	Leandro Goddinho	Brazil/Germany
Losing Sight of a Longed Place	Ka Chun Shek, Chun Long Wong	Hong Kong

  The Iris Prize Montage features the music of Bright Light Bright Light. Lead singer Rod Thomas will entertain guests at the Iris Carnival which incorporates the Awards Show on Sunday 14 October.