The Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff is over for another year (expect more coverage from us in the next few days, looking at what went on), and the winner of the main awards has been announced. The Iris Prize is notable for being the largest LGBT short film prize in the world, offering the winner not just a pat on the back, but also support and funding for their next short film (worth £25,000).
At a reception hosted by comedienne Amy Lame, the winning short – picked from the 31 films on the shortlist – was announced as The Wilding, directed by Australia’s Grant Scicluna. The short follows a juvenile inmate called Malcolm who is offered a chance at parole, who becomes torn between his chance for freedom and protecting the one he loves – his cellmate Tye.
Iris Prize jury chair Lisa Power commented, “The Wilding was wonderfully self-assured. It took a familiar trope and turned it into an extraordinary story. This was a special film which demanded attention and every which way we counted the votes and considered our options The Wilding came out on top.”
The other winners at the ceremony were:
• A Stable for Disabled Horses (directed by Fabio Youniss) – Best UK Short
• Sex of Angels (directed by Xavier Villaverde) – Iris Prize Best Feature Award
• Ohad Knoller (Yossi in Yossi) Best Actor in a Feature
• Kristina Valada-Viars (Molly in Molly’s Girl) Best Actress in a Feature
Yeah Kowalski directed by Evan Roberts (USA) and These Empty Streets directed by Jarrah Gurrie (Australia) were highly commended by the jury.
As well as the shorts, the five day festival also included eight of the latest gay and lesbian feature films, which all enjoyed their UK premieres at the festival. These movies included Yossi, Gayby, Sex Of Angels and Joshua Tree 1951: A Portrait Of James Dean.
Now it’s on to next year’s festival!
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