Iris Prize Documentary Film Fund shortlist 2022

Before Queer Eye we had The Cashmere Kids!
The story of a carefree cleaning company run by gay men redoing London’s finest interiors whilst improvising new lives of sexual liberation in the 1970s is one of five new documentaries shortlisted by the Iris Prize.

Iris Prize Documentary Film Fund

Organisers of Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival have today (Wednesday 4 May 2022) announced details of the five shortlisted projects through to the final stage to be the first film commissioned by the new Iris Prize Documentary Film Finance Fund. The Film Fund is sponsored by FROOT and Aberystwyth University who have committed to invest £20,000 in the final film. The purpose of the fund is to support queer British documentary filmmakers – with a particular emphasis on those from underrepresented groups.

The five shortlisted films are:

The Urban Wolf Cherish Oteka

Creative documentary that follows a Black and queer person as they challenge society's and their family's conditional tolerance of them.


A Chinese love story (working title) Shanshan Chen

A Chinese Love Story - Iris Prize Documantary

Qiuyan, a Chinese LGBT+ activist in London, fights David’s battle against the goliath of bureaucracy to bring her girlfriend Bling from China while trying to reconcile with her estranged family.


The Cashmere Kids Tin Vlainić and Brian Mullin

The Cashmere Kids Long before Queer Eye, the ‘Cashmere Kids’ were a carefree cleaning company run by gay men in the 1970s, redoing London’s finest interiors whilst improvising new lives of sexual liberation.


Sibling Jay Bedwani

Jay - Documentary FundA character led observational documentary following three LGBTQIA+ skate enthusiasts as they navigate male dominated skateparks in the UK.


Some Girls Hate Dresses! Somina 'Mena' Fombo

A nostalgic look into the black British tomboys from yesteryear told through the lens of queer black women who wore the label with pride throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.


Angela Clarke, BAFTA-nominated documentary film maker who has been looking after the shortlisting process said:Angela - Iris Prize Documentary Finance fund “We were delighted with the number of entries in this our first year, and this final list of five projects is strong and diverse. I’m looking forward to getting to know the film makers and their projects in more detail over the coming weeks. "This is a fantastic opportunity for British based documentary filmmakers with LGBT+ stories to share. It's a challenging time for the creative industry at the moment, so it's great to be able to be a part of something that will help the filmmakers within the sector to flourish.”
The finalist will be invited to a Summer School in Aberystwyth with support of the Theatre Film and Television Department at Aberystwyth University, and the commissioned documentary will be announced at the end of July / early August.

Iris Prize Documentary Film Fund shortlist 2022

Heddiw (dydd Mawrth 3 Mai 2022), mae trefnwyr Gŵyl Ffilm LHDT+ Gwobr Iris wedi cyhoeddi manylion y pum prosiect sydd ar y rhestr fer hyd at y cam olaf i fod y ffilm gyntaf a gomisiynwyd gan Gronfa Cyllid Ffilm Ddogfen newydd Gwobr Iris. Noddir y Gronfa Ffilm gan FROOT a Phrifysgol Aberystwyth, sydd wedi ymrwymo i fuddsoddi £20,000 yn y ffilm derfynol. Pwrpas y gronfa yw cefnogi gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau dogfen queer Prydeinig – gyda phwyslais arbennig ar y rheini gan grwpiau heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol.

Y pum ffilm sydd ar y rhestr fer yw:

The Urban Wolf Cherish Oteka

Ffilm ddogfen greadigol sy'n dilyn person Du a queer wrth iddynt herio goddefgarwch amodol cymdeithas a'u teulu ohonynt.


A Chinese love story (working title) Shanshan Chen

Mae Qiuyan, actifydd LHDT+ Tsieineaidd yn Llundain, yn ymladd brwydr Dafydd yn erbyn y Goliath o fiwrocratiaeth i ddod â'i chariad Bling o Tsieina tra'n ceisio cymodi â'i theulu estron.


The Cashmere Kids Tin Vlainić and Brian Mullin

Ymhell cyn Queer Eye, roedd y 'Cashmere Kids' yn gwmni glanhau diofal a oedd yn cael ei redeg gan ddynion hoyw yn y 1970au, gan ail-ddylunio y tu mewn i’r cartrefi gorau yn Llundain tra'n byrfyfyrio bywydau newydd o ryddid rhywiol.


Sibling Jay Bedwani

Rhaglen ddogfen arsylwadol dan arweiniad cymeriad yn dilyn tri selogion sglefrio LGBTQIA+ wrth iddynt lywio parc sglefrio gwrywaidd yn y DU.


Some Girls Hate Dresses! Somina 'Mena' Fombo

Golwg hiraethus ar y tomboys Prydeinig du o'r oes o’r blaen a adroddir trwy lens menywod du queer a oedd yn gwisgo'r label gyda balchder drwy gydol y 70au, yr 80au a'r 90au.


Angela ClarkeMeddai Angela Clarke, gwneuthurwr ffilmiau dogfen a enwebwyd ar gyfer BAFTA ac sydd wedi bod yn gofalu am y broses o lunio rhestr fer: "Roeddem wrth ein bodd gyda'r nifer o geisiadau yn ystod y flwyddyn gyntaf hon, ac mae'r rhestr derfynol hon o bum prosiect yn gryf ac amrywiol. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at ddod i adnabod y gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau a'u prosiectau yn fanylach dros yr wythnosau nesaf. "Mae hwn yn gyfle gwych i wneuthurwyr ffilmiau dogfen o Brydain sydd â straeon LHDT+ i’w rhannu. Mae'n gyfnod heriol i'r diwydiant creadigol ar hyn o bryd, felly mae'n wych gallu bod yn rhan o rywbeth a fydd yn helpu'r gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau yn y sector i ffynnu."
Gwahoddir y terfynydd i Ysgol Haf yn Aberystwyth gyda chefnogaeth Adran Ffilm a Theledu Theatr Prifysgol Aberystwyth, a chyhoeddir y ffilm ddogfen a gomisiynwyd ddiwedd Gorffennaf / dechrau Awst.

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 LotteryFfilm Cymru Wales, Film 4, University of South Wales, Cardiff University, Co-op Respect, Bad Wolf, Gorilla Group, Peccadillo Pictures, Pinewood Studios, Attitude Magazine, Diva Magazine, The Ministry of Sound, Froot and Aberystwyth University.  The festival also works in partnership withBAFTA Cymru, Pride Cymru and Stonewall Cymru.