Iris Guide 2017

IRIS PRIZE FESTIVAL

PROGRAMME 2017

FAWZIA MIRZA

THE IRIS PRIZE

“Everyone deserves to see themselves on screen and see their stories represented.”

A guide to this year’s festival of LGBT film

CROESO I GAERDYDD / WELCOME TO CARDIFF Publication produced by BUZZ Magazine

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IRIS 2017

04 Welcome

17 Iris On Tour

06 Meet The Team

18 Producers Forum

“I hope you will find enough time to ‘watch films, party nightly, repeat!’”

In Between

Meet the team who work tirelessly to bring the festival together.

buzz...

07 Andrew Pierce – Chair Andrew Pierce talks about his time with Iris, why he is passionate about the Awards and what this year has in store.

Publisher: EMMA CLARK Editor: LUKE OWAIN BOULT Design: LEMONDOGCREATIVE.UK Contributors: DAVID LLEWELLYN, SURYATAPA MUKHERJEE, CHRIS WILLIAMS Phone number: 029 2022 6767 General enquiries: info@buzzmag.co.uk Editorial: editorial@buzzmag.co.uk Listings: listings@buzzmag.co.uk Advertising: advertising@buzzmag.co.uk Accounts: accounts@buzzmag.co.uk

8&9 Lord Glendonbrook The Iris Prize’s biggest sponsor and former chair of Channel 4, Lord Glendonbrook talks frankly about coming out in the 90s and the importance of the Iris Prize Festival.

10&11 Bryan Bale Star of documentary Bachelor, 38, Bryan talks about filmmaking and LGBT+ rights.

12 Meet The Jury The 2017 jury limber up ready for the privileged position of choosing this year’s winners.

Iris on the move, partner festivals, talks and debates plus our outreach work.

A look at the programme for this year’s forum, and we chat with David Stocks about finance and filmmaking.

20 Lisa Gornick

The filmmaker and artist talks about her film The Book of Gabrielle and her one-woman show.

32&33 Weekend Fun Friday night parties and, new this year, Super Saturday!

36 Iris Carnival

The Iris Awards, fun, food and film, with live music, including headline act Heather Small.

40 Matrix Your essential guide to what is on and where throughout Iris 2017.

42 Iris Shorts A round-up of this year’s contenders for the Iris Prize.

BUZZ MAGAZINE 220C Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff CF5 1GY published EAC PUBLISHING www.buzzmag.co.uk

14 Top Tips

CONTENTS IMAGE - IN BETWEEN COVER IMAGE - SIGNATURE MOVE

16 Education Day

62 Festival Highlights

We take a look at the essential, inspirational work that Iris undertakes in schools and communities across Wales.

Buzz Magazine’s Chris Williams takes a sneak peek at this year’s films and chooses some of his favourites.

Lisa Power gives her tips on how to enjoy your time in the capital city of Wales.

56 British Shorts The best in LGBT+ short film from the UK and Northern Ireland.

66-71 Features The ten incredible feature films showing at this year’s festival.

To see Buzz TV behind the scenes at Iris go to www.youtube.com/buzzmagtv

www.irisprize.org • @irisprize • www.facebook.com/irisprizefestival IRIS 3

Welcome to Iris David Llewellyn has been attending the Iris Prize Festival since it began, writing the official blog and sitting on the International Jury in 2012. He’s seen every one of the 350+ films shortlisted for the Iris Prize over the years and many of the British shorts and features, and working with our friends at Buzz magazine he will be your guide to this year’s festival.

Now that Iris is in its 11th year, it almost seems as if she needs little introduction, but each festival brings newcomers and new friends to Cardiff for this six-day celebration of queer cinema, and there’s a very good chance you may be one of them.

Beginning in 2007, the Iris Prize Festival has helped showcase the best in LGBT+ short films from around the world, awarding the winner an opportunity to make another film here in the UK, thanks in no small part to the support of the Michael Bishop Foundation.

Since then the festival has grown and grown, with additional awards for Best British Short – sponsored by Pinewood Studios – and Best Feature, as well as expanding into year-round outreach and education programmes across Wales and the UK. My name is David Llewellyn. As well as being

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the official Iris blogger I’m a freelance novelist and scriptwriter based here in Cardiff. My experience of Iris has allowed me to see truly amazing films and meet some great friends from around the world. This is my first time putting together the festival programme, so I hope you enjoy what follows and that you have a great time here in Cardiff.

As well as information on each of the films and all of the events taking place at Iris 2017, we have some amazing interviews with the faces of this year’s festival including some of the filmmakers competing for the Iris Prize itself. Most of these interviews are the work of the brilliant Suri Mukherjee, who is joining us for the first time this year. They get a real sense of the creative forces behind some of the films, and I really hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

This year’s festival features nine programmes of short films from around the world, three programmes of the year’s Best British shorts and nine incredible feature films. There will also be our annual Producer’s Forum and talks centred on women filmmakers, bisexuality on film, dementia and the dawn of queer cinema in the 1960s. And let’s not forget the abundance of live performances and parties, including our very first IRIS CARNIVAL, which will feature a headline appearance from M People’s Heather Small! (Altogether now: “Moooving on up!”)

So with all this and more to look forward to, the question is: What will you see in Cardiff?

Iris Prize Festival, Cineworld + Park Inn Hotel, Cardiff Tues 10-Sun 15 Oct. Tickets £8.00 feature films (£7.00 members) / £7.00 shorts (£6.00 members) / VIP and festival passes available.

Info: www.irisprize.org / 029 2023 2744

IS PROUD TO SUPPORT

THE IRIS PRIZE FILM FESTIVAL Pinewood: Home to the UK film industry

www.pinewoodgroup.com

Meet the team Iris HQ is home to a small core team who work throughout the year, delivering not only the Iris Prize Festival itself but our “Iris in the Community” project, supported by Big Lottery Wales, and our Education Outreach work, supported by Ffilm Cymru Wales. But none of this would be possible without a dedicated army of volunteers and interns who help us make Iris bigger and better each year, bringing the best of LGBT+ film to the cinema screens of Cardiff.

As well as providing world-class cinema, Iris offers a safe space for all audiences, from all walks of life, to enjoy every aspect of the festival. Our team are on hand throughout the festival to help with any issues or inquiries you might have, so please feel free to approach them.

Since the very first Iris Prize was awarded in 2007, the Friends of Iris have been an integral part of making the festival run smoothly, providing visiting filmmakers from across the globe with hosted accommodation and a warm welcome to Cardiff for the duration of the festival.

Festival Director - Berwyn Rowlands Festival Manager - Grant Vidgen Festival and Outreach Producer - Nathaniel Plevyak Project Coordinator - Stephen Peckham Outreach Facilitator - Mark Williams Producers Forum Coordinator - Jody Tozer Iris Members Coordinator - Francis Brown Technical and Events Support - Kris Francies Iris Prize International Jury Coordinator - Mathew David Hill Best British Jury Coordinator - Mathew Crighton Marketing and Social Media Coordinator - Daisy Gould Media and Press Coordinator - David Llewellyn Media and Press Coordinator Wales - Emyr Williams Volunteer Media Coordinator - Suryatapa Mukherjee Social Media Intern - Bradley Birkholz Iris Prize Festival Photographer - Jon Pountney 2017 Festival Designers - Shaun Pinney Studio Cinema Advert - Auntie Margaret IRIS 66 IRIS

Spotlight on

Grant Vidgen WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO? My name is Grant Vidgen, and I am the festival manager. That means you will see me scurrying around like a chipmunk with a clipboard and an earpiece making sure everything runs smoothly... or as smoothly as possible.

AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE IRIS PRIZE?

Well... the festival’s founder and I are in a civil union and have been together for over a quarter of a century, so how far back do you want to go?

Let’s just say, ‘Since the start’.

AND WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO WITH IRIS?

I’ve also produced the eight films made by previous winners of the Iris Prize, starting with Dee Rees’s Colonial Gods, and most recently Arkasha Stevenson’s Daisy & D.

THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. IS IT?

It’s been a learning curve. Berwyn and I had some filmmaking experience behind us, but shooting with international filmmakers on tight schedules and a modest budget is always a challenge. We’ve learned a lot in the last 11 years, but we’re immensely proud of the films we’ve produced.

“What will you see in Cardiff?”

“Beth welwch chi yng Nghaerdydd?”

This is our new strapline which we have adopted for Iris in this our 11th year. Those of you who’ve been to Iris before will know the answer and those of you who are attending for the first time, what a wonderful surprise you have in store. Our film programme of shorts and features are often called the best of the best and even the Gay Oscars. At Iris, we bring together the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) stories from around the world supported by our 25 partners located in 20 countries.

Cardiff has been a happy home for Iris and as I mentioned earlier this year during our reception at the Ministry of Sound in London I and many others can’t imagine October without the annual trip to the Capital of Wales.

Last year we celebrated our 10th anniversary in style as we took stock of what we had achieved in our first decade. As we enter our second decade we are determined to be fresh and relevant – therefore this year you will notice some changes to the festival programme.

To bring the festival to a close we are organising our biggest party ever that’s the promise as we present the inaugural Iris Carnival, an all-day extravaganza combining, music, food and film. We are taking over the Depot on Dumballs Road and the delightful Heather Small will be headlining our sound stage. Matt Lissack from Capital FM is back by popular demand to present the Iris Awards Show and the Co-op Food Village will be bursting at the seams with some amazing Welsh food and drink.

Saturday will now be known as Super Saturday as we introduce two new award ceremonies! The first will announce the three short films through to the Iris Prize Best British final and then later that evening the three finalists for the Iris Prize will be announced before we party the night away in Chapel 1877!

Over the next 12 months Iris will be visiting Manchester, Brighton, Newcastle and Llandudno Junction, sharing the best of LGBT stories with audiences across the UK. As we embark on this exciting expansion in our activities we will not forget our primary role, and that’s to recognise and celebrate the best of LGBT film by awarding annually the Iris Prize, the world’s largest short film prize.

None of our activities would be possible without our generous sponsors and funders. The Michael Bishop Foundation continues to be our biggest funder thanks to the generosity of my good friend Lord Glendonbrook. This year we are delighted to welcome Cardiff BID and the Co-op to our family, the full list is featured on page 74. We are also thrilled to have Attitude, Winq and DIVA become our official media partners, they are playing a key role in sharing our news with their audiences.

Dyma’r arwyddair newydd sydd wedi’i greu ar gyfer Iris eleni, yr unfed flwyddyn ar ddeg. Ar gyfer y rhai ohonoch sydd wedi bod i ŵyl Iris o’r blaen, fe fyddwch chi’n gwybod yr ateb. I’r rheini sy’n dod am y tro cyntaf, mae gwledd yn eich disgwyl. Y gorau o’r goreuon, a hyd yn oed yr Oscars Hoyw – dyna enwau rhai pobl ar ein rhaglen o ffilmiau byrion a ffilmiau nodwedd. Yn Iris, rydyn ni’n dod â’r straeon lesbiaidd, hoyw, deurywiol a thraws (LHDT) gorau yn y byd ynghyd, gyda chefnogaeth ein 25 o chwaer-ŵyliau mewn ugain gwlad.

Mae Caerdydd wedi bod yn gartref bendigedig i Iris, ac fel soniais i’n gynharach eleni yn ein derbyniad yn y Ministry of Sound yn Llundain, dydw i – na llawer tebyg i fi – ddim yn gallu dychmygu mis Hydref heb y trip blynyddol i brifddinas Cymru.

Y llynedd fe dathlon ni ein dengmlwyddiant mewn steil, gan edrych yn ôl ar bopeth sydd wedi’i gyflawni yn ystod ein degawd cyntaf. Wrth i ni ddechrau ar ein hail ddegawd, rydyn ni’n benderfynol o fod yn ffres ac yn berthnasol – dyna pam y byddwch chi’n sylwi bod rhai newidiadau i raglen yr ŵyl eleni.

I gloi’r ŵyl eleni rydyn ni’n trefnu ein parti mwyaf eto – dyna’r addewid wrth i ni gyflwyno Carnifal Iris am y tro cyntaf, gŵyl o gerddoriaeth, bwyd a ffilm fydd yn para drwy’r dydd. Byddwn ni’n heidio i’r Depot ar Heol Dumballs i glywed yr hyfryd Heather Small fel prif artist y llwyfan cerddoriaeth, bydd Matt Lissack o orsaf Capital FM yn ôl i gyflwyno Sioe Gwobrau Iris, a bydd Pentref Bwyd y Co-op yn orlawn o fwyd a diod blasus Cymru.

O hyn ymlaen bydd nos Sadwrn yn ‘Sadwrn Sblennydd’, wrth i ni gyflwyno dwy seremoni wobrwyo newydd sbon!

Bydd y gyntaf yn cyhoeddi enw’r tair ffilm fer fydd drwodd i rownd derfynol Ffilmiau Byrion Gorau Prydain Gwobr Iris. Yn nes ymlaen ar yr un noson byddwn yn cyhoeddi enwau’r tair ffilm yn rownd derfynol Gwobr Iris, cyn partïo fel ffyliaid yn Chapel 1877!

Yn ystod y deuddeg mis nesaf, bydd Iris yn ymweld â Manceinion, Brighton, Newcastle a Chyffordd Llandudno, gan rannu’r straeon lesbiaidd, hoyw, deurywiol a thraws gorau gyda chynulleidfaoedd ledled gwledydd Prydain. Wrth i ni ehangu ein gweithgareddau fel hyn, wnawn ni ddim anghofio ein prif bwrpas, sef cydnabod a dathlu’r ffilmiau lesbiaidd, hoyw, deurywiol a thraws gorau bob blwyddyn drwy ddyfarnu Gwobr Iris, gwobr fwya’r byd am ffilm fer LHDT. Fyddai dim o’n gweithgareddau yn bosib heb ein noddwyr a’n harianwyr hael. Sefydliad Michael Bishop yw ein hariannwr mwyaf o hyd, diolch i haelioni fy nghyfaill da, yr Arglwydd Glendonbrook. Eleni, rydyn ni’n falch iawn o gael croesawu Cardiff BID a’r Co-op at y teulu, ac mae’r rhestr gyflawn i’w gweld ar dudalen 74. Rydyn ni hefyd yn falch iawn o gael Attitude, Winq a DIVA fel partneriaid cyfryngol swyddogol – maen nhw’n chwarae rhan hollbwysig yn y gwaith o rannu ein newyddion gyda’u cynulleidfaoedd.

What will you see in Cardiff?

Beth welwch chi yng Nghaerdydd?

ANDREW PIERCE Chair Iris Prize.

ANDREW PIERCE Cadeirydd Gwobr Iris.

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Lord Glendonbrook Life peer Michael Bishop, Lord Glendonbrook is the biggest sponsor of the Iris Prize through his charitable trust, the Michael Bishop Foundation. The former BMI airline owner and Channel 4 Chair talks to Suryatapa Mukherjee about coming out in the 90s, the importance of the Iris Prize and filmmaking as a medium of awareness.

WHY DO YOU SPONSOR THE IRIS PRIZE?

We actually didn’t begin sponsoring when the Iris Prize was first instituted. But we did come in fairly shortly afterwards.

Once we did come in, we have been steadily increasing the amount that we donate through the Michael Bishop Foundation to the Iris Prize. We always thought that if we kept a continuous donation, we would attract other sponsors who would come behind us and make the total available for the Iris Prize swell to a much larger figure.

And fortunately, that is what has happened.

I’VE READ THAT YOU HAVE BEEN VERY OUT AND OPEN ABOUT YOUR SEXUALITY. CAN YOU SPEAK A BIT ABOUT WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE VISIBLE?

As you probably gather, I’m from a slightly different generation to the people making films today. I actually came out in the 1990s. Although there have been many areas of life where it is easier to come out, there are certain areas in society where it’s always been quite hard – sport is one of them, business is another, and many other professions are the same. And I wasn’t able to come out until I felt secure that it wouldn’t badly affect the business that I was running. Because not only does it affect the individual, it can also affect their company sometimes.

So, there was a combination of reasons why I came out.

But of course, when I did so, it was very rewarding.

AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT LGBT+ FILM FESTIVALS LIKE THE IRIS PRIZE SHOULD EXIST AND IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO EXIST?

I think that you can always spread the right message through the demonstration of film. I think that film is a great conduit for showing the real situation of gay people, rather than one that is sometimes in the public mind. And I think this is a testament to the success of the Iris Prize that

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it’s just become so widely recognised. In the beginning of course, people were not aware of it. The awareness of the Iris Prize grew through the years. And in the foundation, we intend to continue supporting it.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU’VE HAD AT THE IRIS PRIZE AND WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE FILM?

I don’t really have a favourite film because I think all of them convey different messages. All of them that get to that stage of being showcased have obviously been regarded by the judges as worthwhile. And I have enjoyed all the ones that I have seen. Some of them, they cover such a range of subjects that watching them always gives you a wider insight into LGBT+ life.

IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS SINCE SAME-SEX RELATIONS WERE LEGALISED IN ENGLAND AND WALES. BEFORE THE LEGALISATION, DID YOU EVER THINK THAT SOMEDAY WE WOULD HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THE IRIS PRIZE?

Well of course, there have always been films like the short films that are being shown at Iris. They have always been around but they were more underground.

And now such films are being covered in the press. And important donors have come in to support the Iris Prize.

Not the Michael Bishop Foundation particularly, but the fact that other donors have come in like Pinewood Studios in particular – I think that was the most important new donor that came in behind our donation.

And there have been local government organisations that have supported the festival through the years. And other significant sponsors as well. All of that helps the integrity and the recognition of what the Iris Prize is.

“I think that film is a great conduit for showing the real situation of gay people.”

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“I can’t believe it has been 50 years! I can’t believe it! In my mind, I don’t age. In my mind, I’m still in my 30s.”

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Bryan Bale Bryan Robert Bale is the star of the documentary Bachelor, 38, an exploration of his life as a gay man before and after the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts in England and Wales. He speaks with Suryatapa Mukherjee about compassion, time and radical filmmaking.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THE FILM?

My godson John Renee is a film producer in Cardiff here. And somebody asked him, “Do you know anybody who is old enough to have been on the gay scene before it was legalised?” So, I met a very lovely lady called Jodie Ashdale, the scriptwriter. She said, “Ooh, this is interesting.

We’re very interested because you’ve experienced the life before it was legalised.

You’ve experienced the life after” – which was not very much different, really. There was still a lot of prejudice, still a lot of very difficult times.

Because they legalised it in private, they clamped down on it very, very much in public. If you were in a hotel, which was considered public, or if you were in a bar – and anything untoward would happen, the police would swoop down on you. It was not easy. There was lots of what they call queer bashing in cruising grounds which was very dangerous.

I have a friend who I have a lovely relationship with. I’m very fortunate, at my age, to have such a lovely relationship. And so, it’s like Edith Piaf, “I have no regrets.” I’m very active for my age. I’m a very happy homosexual.

If people say, we are maladjusted because we are homosexual – well, I think I’m one of the most adjusted maladjusted people that I know.

I enjoyed making the film. It was very moving because I was not acting.

I was not hiding behind a song or a bit of dialogue. I was telling my story. It was cathartic in a way. It wiped the slate clean for me because now I’ve said everything about my life.

WELL, HOW FAR DO YOU THINK SOCIETY HAS COME – IN TERMS OF HOW YOU GREW UP AS A QUEER PERSON AND WHERE THINGS ARE NOW? WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE STILL NEED TO WORK ON, IN YOUR OPINION?

Compassion. We’re all different. I don’t think the world in general is compassionate enough.

They’re not compassionate to people who are different from themselves. A lot of prejudice, there

is still. When people are different, I find it exciting! They’re from a different world to me. I have a lot of heterosexual friends; I have a lot of women friends. So, I think compassion is the thing to have, and tolerance.

To each, his own. There’s a very famous song in a show called Cabaret. It’s called, If You Could See Her Through My Eyes. In that song, the lyrics are, “Why can’t the world leben und leben lassen (live and let live)? All we are asking is ein bisschen Verstandnis (a little understanding).” I think that’s important. We’re all very vulnerable.

And we all have our different ways, from the small things to the bigger things – whether you like tea or coffee, or whether you are a heterosexual or a homosexual, it doesn’t matter. People should be able to live their life in a comparatively calm, happy and safe way. But it’s not like that in the world.

In the 60s, I was in a house that was run by a lady and she didn’t want women lodgers. She would say, “I want nice gentlemen, nice gentle gentlemen.”

And she seemed to get a lot of gay men! It was full of people who worked in the retail industry, in the rag trade industry, in the BBC, that were all gay!

The house was virtually gay. If they weren’t gay, they were sympatico. I had a Trinidadian friend who was welcomed in. Karl, his name was. I think Idi Amin chucked all the Asians out of Uganda.

And he ended up in Trinidad and then in London.

It was difficult for him to get a room! Because he was Asian! In those days, in the 60s, there was a lot of racial prejudice. I shared a room with Karl and he was fabulous. He wasn’t gay, but he was different, you see. I mean, does it matter?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE IRIS PRIZE? DID YOU KNOW ABOUT IRIS FROM BEFORE?

Oh, I’ve known Iris for a long time! I’m a member of Iris Prize. I ran, for a short time, a little specialist club in Charles Street. It was like a fetish club – leather and uniforms, and that kind of thing. I had a website; it was called Welsh Leather Men. It didn’t last very long but it was quite fun to do. I got to know a lot of people. I met Francis Brown.

He used to be involved with a thing called the Rainbow Group. That’s how I met him. When I came back to Cardiff, Francis met me for coffee and said, “Would you like to join Iris? Because this is exciting, you’ll like it!” I have been going quite regularly. Some of the things that I have seen are fantastic!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT’S BEEN 50 YEARS SINCE IT WAS LEGALISED? DOES IT FEEL LIKE 50 YEARS?

I can’t believe it has been 50 years! I can’t believe it! In my mind, I don’t age. In my mind, I’m still in my 30s. [laughs] But I don’t think we’ve moved far enough along as 50 years. I think people were much more radical – with films like Victim, and television films like The Lost Language Of Cranes.

There were very courageous things made about sexuality, things like The Killing Of Sister George.

When Victim came out, it was very, very forward for its time. People don’t seem to be so avantgarde in representing things as they perhaps could have been. I think people are more tolerant now than they have been. But I think it’s a tolerance that’s really just on the surface. It’s not a heartfelt tolerance.

I can’t believe 50 years have gone by! The private member who brought the bill in was Leo Abse. And he was a member of parliament for a constituency in south Wales. I vaguely knew him because he was friendly with my father. He was a dapper little man who was very sophisticated. He was Jewish himself. So, he was from a minority group. So, I think he was sympathetic, very sympathetic towards homosexuals. He worked very hard to get that bill through - the private member’s bill. People don’t sing his praises very much that he was associated with it, and originated the idea.

But 50 years is half-a-century. I’ve been alive for almost three quarters of a century. I can’t believe in two years’ time, I should be 75. It’s amazing where the time goes. The time does go quickly when you’re enjoying yourself, they say. [laughs] That’s what it is, yes.

Bachelor, 38 is one of three short films premiering on the opening night of Iris Prize.

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Meet The Juries These are the intrepid folk tasked with the challenge of finding this year’s winners of the Iris Prize and Best British Short.

Iris Prize International Jury JOAN BEVERIDGE Bournemouth Film School graduate Joan started at WAVES, a women’s media training organisation, and founded Gay & Lesbian Arts and Media (GLAM) in Brighton, before becoming Media Development Coordinator for Cornwall. Commissioned by Channel 4’s Dyke TV, her short films have been screened in festivals around the world.

“After having a short film compete in the very first Iris, I kept coming back because of its unique atmosphere; friendly, inclusive and empowering.

Can’t wait to see this year’s films in competition as a first-time jury member and see what themes the zeitgeist brings forth. Then, if I’ve any spare time, I’ll take a stroll down to the Bay.” CRAIG BOREHAM Craig Boreham is an Australian director whose films have been shown at over 200 international festivals, including Berlin, Cannes and Palm Springs.

A retrospective of Craig’s work, Cinema Of True Poison, was presented by Fundacion Triangulo in Madrid. Craig has been nominated for the Iris Prize on three previous occasions, and is currently developing a new feature film with long-time collaborator and producer Annmaree J. Bell.

“I’m excited to be returning to Wales for Iris 2017,” Craig says. “Iris is a showcase of the best queer filmmaking from around the world, and provides a rare opportunity for filmmakers to come together and share their stories.”

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JOAN BURNETT Joan has been a Trustee of Liverpool Pride since 2010.

She began her involvement in film by volunteering for Liverpool’s Outsiders LGBTQ Film Festival in 2005, and has programmed film for Liverpool Pride since the beginning. She is a founder member of the Queer Film Network of UK & Ireland.

She says: “It’s a huge honour to be invited on the jury for Iris 2017. Iris has been an inspiration for our work at Liverpool Pride, especially around short film and increasing the cultural diversity of our programme. I’m looking forward to fresh views of LGBT+ lives on screen, visually arresting content, great conversations, and Welsh cakes from that fab stall in Cardiff market!”

LISA GORNICK Lisa Gornick has made two award winning feature films, Do I Love You? (2003) and Tick Tock Lullaby (2007).

She has directed for Channel 4, acted in films and theatre and has performed in her own live drawing shows at The Gilded Balloon and Soho Theatre. Her film The Book Of Gabrielle is showing at this year’s festival, and Lisa will also be signing her book How To Do It (A Sex Guide For Everyone) and performing her new live show, What The Fuck Is Lesbian Film?

Lisa says: “I’m so glad to be coming back to Cardiff. I love the city and always have a brilliant time in many ways. I was there for the first Iris and it warms my heart to be coming back for its 11th year. Coming to get you, Iris!”

TIM ISAAC Tim Isaac is a former magazine editor who launched Big Gay Picture Show after realising how difficult it can be to find out about new LGBT films. The site is now one of the most popular specialist gay cinema websites in the world, and has become Tim’s personal passion. “I had a terrific time covering the festival last year,” Tim says, “so I’m really excited to be returning as a juror in 2017. This year’s shortlist looks very strong, so I’m looking forward to an eclectic and fascinating LGBT short film lineup.”

DAFYDD JONES Dafydd Jones is a Programme Editor for ITV Wales, leading the editorial team behind the channel’s flagship news programme, Wales At Six. He lives in Cardiff and enjoys swimming, the theatre, TV and films, reading and the occasional glass of red wine.

CARRIE LYELL Carrie Lyell is a journalist who joined DIVA magazine in 2013. She’s always wanted to write about queer culture (in her words, “because being gay is the only thing I’m any good at”) and is passionate about amplifying queer women’s voices both in LGBT and mainstream media. She was appointed editor of DIVA in May 2017.

“This marks many firsts for me,” Carrie says. “My first time in Wales, my first time on a judging panel, and my first time at this iconic event. I’m very much looking forward to popping my Iris cherry and joining old friends and new on the Iris International Prize jury to make a very tough decision.”

BRIAN ROBINSON Brian Robinson was a film programmer with the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (now BFI Flare) from 2000, but has been a keen fan of queer cinema for a lot longer. His career with the BFI spanned a quarter of a century, and as well as selecting and programming films for LLGFF/Flare he has worked extensively with the BFI’s vast archive, so much so that the Independent called him a “walking encyclopaedia on silent film”.

CHRISTOPHER SCHAAP Christopher Schaap is a filmmaker and Seattle University graduate. In 2016, he wrote, directed, and starred in his first feature film, Prom King, 2010, which won the New Vision Award at Cinequest 2017 and has since played at a variety of festivals, including SIFF, Frameline, and Outfest. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn. Christopher says, “It’s my first time visiting Cardiff, and I’m beyond thrilled to have this opportunity to immerse myself not only the talent of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, but also the culture and people of the Welsh capital!”

ADAM SILVER Adam has over 15 years’ industry experience, from guiding the marketing strategy of Australia’s largest independent exhibitor (Palace Cinemas), to acquiring films for TLA, the world’s largest distributor of LGBT film. He says: “Having attended Iris for eight years, I can’t believe I finally get to sit in one of those much-venerated Iris Jury chairs! It’s going to be an honour to watch and dissect what’s sure to be a seriously awe-inspiring collection of shorts with all those fabulous people.”

CAMPBELL X Campbell is an awardwinning filmmaker and the director of queer urban romcom Stud Life (2012). Their recent film DES!RE is a meditation on desire for queer masculinity, including transgender and female masculinity. They are currently developing a second feature, Low Rider, produced by Stella Nwimo and co-written with Guy Bolton. As well as film, Campbell was also one of the directors of the webseries Spectrum London, written by Jake Graf, exploring the lives of multi-ethnic and multi-gendered queer people in London, and Different For Girls, an adaption of the LGBTQ+ “bonkbuster” novel set in Chiswick.

MATT CAIN Matt Cain spent 10 years making arts and entertainment programmes for ITV before stepping in front of the camera to become Channel 4 News’ first ever Culture Editor and writing the novels Shot Through The Heart and Nothing But Trouble. Since December 2016 he’s been Editor-in-Chief of Attitude and its sister publication, Winq. His achievements so far include hosting Attitude’s first ever podcast series, launching Attitude’s Bachelors Of The Year, breaking the story of Disney’s first ever gay character, and reporting on his own personal journey on PrEP. JACOB ENGELBERG Jacob Engelberg is the Programmer of Eyes Wide Open Cinema, a queer film strand based in Brighton.

He has curated film for Trans Pride Brighton and the Women Over 50 Film Festival.

Jacob has an academic background in Film Studies with a focus on bisexual* representation.

Jacob says: “I’m delighted to be coming to Cardiff for a second time to attend what I consider to be the UK’s hub of the best in queer short film. I look forward to viewing the submissions for the Best British prize and celebrating the filmmakers at the vanguard of emerging queer British cinema.”

NEIL MOFFATT Neil Moffatt is a member of the Co-Op Respect network’s steering group, helping to educate various areas of the business on LGBT issues.

He has an enquiring mind and loves travel and lives in St Helens with his husband Jonathan.

Neil says: “I am so happy to be a jury member for the Best Of British. This is my first experience of the film industry and I feel privileged to be representing our Co-op Respect community. The last time I was in Cardiff was 20 years ago, so it’ll be amazing to see how it’s changed, and I can’t wait to see the films. Bring it on!”

ANGELA CLARKE With more than fifteen years’ experience of working in film and television, Angela will be combining her duties on this year’s Iris Prize international jury with showing her new documentary film Bachelor, 38, made to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the England and Wales.

KATIE WHITE Katie White is a writer, producer and director based in Scotland.

Her 2014 film Middle Man, directed by Charlie Francis, won the award for Best British Short at that year’s Iris Prize Festival.

She and Charlie returned to Cardiff the following year with their follow-on short film, When A Man Loves A Woman, made partly with the assistance of their prize.

IRIS13 13 IRIS

Lisa Power’s Guide to Cardiff This year’s Iris Prize Festival is spread out over six whole days, and so visiting filmmakers and film fans may find themselves with more time to explore everything that Cardiff has to offer. We asked activist, Iris-goer and Cardiff resident Lisa Power for her insider tips.

Clubs

Shopping

Clwb Ifor Bach (Womanby Street) is the heart of Cardiff’s live music scene, with both up-and-coming and established bands performing there almost every night, as well as LGBT-friendly nights like Dirty Pop playing pop classics well into the wee hours.

Cardiff’s Victorian arcades are an essential stop if you’re in need of some retail therapy. Wally’s Delicatessen (Royal Arcade) is a particular favourite, and has a wide selection of Welsh cheeses and local beers and spirits for you to take home as a reminder of your time here!

Food

Culture

The city centre is great for familiar high street chains and a few independent eateries, but if you stray a little bit further afield you’ll find some of Cardiff’s best kept secrets. City Road, in Roath, has an abundance of Lebanese and Middle Eastern restaurants, while Cardiff Bay has Signor Valentino’s, an Italian with amazing waterfront views, and the stylish, contemporary curry house Moksh.

The National Museum Cardiff has a world-famous collection of Impressionist art, including paintings by Monet and Van Gogh, and modern works by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Grayson Perry.

Fans of Doctor Who and its various spin-off shows will have fun exploring the city on foot and spotting some of the locations used, not to mention the memorial shrine to Torchwood’s Ianto Jones in Cardiff Bay.

Drink As many rugby fans will testify, you’re never far from a bar in Cardiff.

The gay scene has a few stalwarts, including the Golden Cross (a wonderfully preserved Victorian boozer) and recent addition Mary’s on St Mary Street. There’s nowhere that caters specifically to lesbians (the Eagle is men-only on weekends!) but Mary’s attracts a mixed crowd. Elsewhere, you’ll find The Dead Canary, a speakeasystyle cocktail bar tucked away on Barracks Lane. But if it’s just a caffeine fix you’re after, Little Man Coffee is situated only a stone’s throw from Cineworld.

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TICKETS The best way to secure tickets for the Iris Prize Festival is to visit the ONLINE BOX OFFICE TODAY! The Online Box Office is open and you can secure ticket to all screenings and events via: www.irisprize.org

DIVA

EUROPE'S BEST SELLING MAGAZINE FOR LESBIANS AND BI WOMEN Subscribe at selectmagazines.co.uk/category/diva Read it on any device visiting divadigital.co.uk Visit our website divamag.co.uk ND !

A W SUE O N E AN IS B I CR ISS S B SU VER M NE

Education Day Iris is all about bringing you the very best in LGBT+ cinema from around the world, but that doesn’t just begin and end in the cinema. Throughout the year, we work with schools and communities across Wales and beyond, engaging audiences of all ages and from all walks of life.

Education and outreach projects have been an important part of Iris’s year-round work since very early on. Funded by Ffilm Cymru Wales, our education programmes have helped pupils and teachers alike discuss topics such as sexuality, gender, and bullying, as well as allowing students to write and produce their own short films.

Our outreach programme, supported by the Big Lottery Fund Wales, has taken Iris across the length and breadth of the country, bringing LGBT issues and experiences to a wider audience. Organisations such as Mencap, NHS Velindre and the Office of National Statistics have all participated and produced short films of their own. As well as promoting a greater understanding of equality and diversity, these projects also offer an opportunity for participants to develop their organisational and critical appraisal skills.

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One of the highlights of our recent Community work came towards the end of 2016, when we produced a film with Changing Attitude, Trawsnewid Agwedd Cymru, a network of LGBT+ members of the Church in Wales, and presented a programme of LGBT+ films at St Asaph Cathedral, supported by the Archbishop of Wales.

Iris 2017 kicks off with our annual Education Day, in which we invite secondary school students to watch some of the short films that will be screening at this year’s festival, and discuss issues relating to diversity, storytelling and filmmaking with industry professionals.

Any schools interested in attending this free event should contact mark@irisprize.org.

Iris Talks Alongside our programme of films, the Iris Prize Festival is proud to provide a platform for discussion on a variety of LGBT+-themed topics. Here’s the line-up of the panels and talks taking place in 2017.

DEMENTIA AND US Inspired by Cardiff arts venue Chapter’s dementia friendly screenings, Iris began to consider how dementia affects the LGBTQ+ community.

This session will cover what research is being done into dementia and address the unique issues that LGBTQ+ individuals with dementia may encounter. We will have speakers from Chapter and researchers from Cardiff University.

REMEMBERING 1960s CINEMA GOING As 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, we look back at how cinema addressed homosexuality and what it was like to be an LGBTQ+ cinema-goer in the 60s.

The talk will be hosted by UCL research associate, Dr Patrick Glen, who conducted research into cinema-going during this decade of incredible change, and how LGBTQ people remembered and understood cinematic representations in a time of frequent discrimination.

This will be an opportunity to reminisce and reflect on times passed, by looking at some of the interviews conducted as part of this research project. Audience members will be encouraged to share any memories that they have of cinemagoing in the past.

WOMEN AND FILM In a period where questions around women’s equality are becoming more prevalent, this session will seek to identify the issues and barriers that may exist for female filmmakers, and how they could be preventing them from enjoying greater success in the film industry.

The talk is led by DIVA magazine editor, Carrie Lyell, who will be joined by an impressive panel of other front-running women in the media.

Supported by: Creative Europe Desk UK Wales LOOKING AWRY Bisexual people are often ignored or erased altogether in discussions on LGBT+ politics, activism and in depictions of sexuality on screen.

When do we read a character as bisexual? How can a character’s bisexuality be communicated?

What tropes and stereotypes are at play in these representations and what purpose do they serve?

What is the impact of the scarcity of bisexual representations on bisexual people’s lives?

From well-known Hollywood thrillers and underground queer filmmaking to the extremities of European art cinema, this talk will take us on a wild ride through cinema’s invocations of bisexuality.

Iris on the Move Earlier this year, at an event at London’s Ministry Of Sound, Festival Chair Andrew Pierce outlined our plans for the next 10 years of Iris. One of the key commitments was to grow the audience for LGBT+ film across the UK and beyond. With the support of our funders, and especially the BFI and several local partners, we can now confirm the first stage in our plan to achieve this.

Andrew says: “We have always described Iris as a UK-wide project, which calls Cardiff home, but with an international reach. Over the next 10 years this will not change, but we want to share Iris with other cities and towns across the UK. Therefore, we will be looking at how we can work with local partners across the UK, starting with Newcastle, Manchester and Brighton to name but a few.

“Taking Iris on tour comes with many challenges, of course, but it would be irresponsible for us not to share her!”

We are delighted to confirm that we will be visiting the following locations throughout 2018. The tour will include screenings of the Best Of Iris shorts from 2017 and local events introducing audiences to filmmakers.

24 – 26 January 2018 Llandudno Junction February 2018 Manchester March / April Newcastle May / June 2018 Brighton For more information, please follow us on: Facebook: facebook.com/irisprizefestival Twitter: @irisprize Twitter: @irisprize We look forward to seeing you next year!

IRIS 17

The 2017 Producers Forum in association with Capital Law is going to be bigger and better than ever. Taking place at Cineworld for the first time, the 2017 programme also includes an opportunity to see some films! The highlight of this day-long industry event will see Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund, in conversation with Andrew Smith of Pinewood Studios.

The rest of the Producers Forum programme will feature speakers from across the film industry, along with a networking lunch and the opportunity to meet face-toface with well-known industry figures.

Welcoming participants at all stages of their film and media careers, the Producers Forum is a one-stop shop for filmmakers to share experiences and wisdom, discover opportunities and make new connections right here in Cardiff.

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9.30-10am Welcome to the Producers Forum 2017 BAFTA Bar, Cineworld Register, find your name badge, grab a coffee and get ready to meet fellow creatives!

10-11.15am Iris Best British Shorts Programme 2 Screen 15, Cineworld Women filmmakers dominate the shortlist in this category, but our second programme of British Shorts is centred around women’s stories, with an emphasis on youth and growing up.

10.15-11.15am World In focus? Screen 14, Cineworld We start the day by addressing three of the big issues affecting the low budget film community.

As the filmmaking world congregates in Cardiff for the annual Producers Forum, Christopher Racster, Executive Director at Outfest in LA and Iris Prize Patron, will make sure we know more than we did at the start of the session as he seeks answers from our distinguished panel of professionals.

11.30am-12.30pm Was it fun in the palace? Screen 14, Cineworld Stox Pictures is a production company based in Brighton and London. Established in 2012 by the brothers David (producer), Eadward (writer/director) and George (actor/writer) Stocks. This session looks at how they made Palace Of Fun a powerful and confident first feature which is both original and at the same time a gorgeous, Brighton-set homage to Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley. Chaired by: Samantha Horley, Film & Script Consultant.

The film is screening at the Iris Prize Festival on Thurs 12 Oct at 10pm.

12-1.45pm Iris Prize Shorts, Programme 7 Screen 15, Cineworld With issues surrounding gender identity at the forefront of current debate, we are very pleased to present a programme of short films with trans and non-binary characters and subjects as their focus.

12.45-1.45pm In conversation with Ben Roberts from the BFI Screen 14, Cineworld We bring the first half of the forum to a close with an opportunity to hear from Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund. Ben will be in conversation with Andrew Smith of Pinewood Studios.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

2-3pm Lunch Park Inn Hotel, Mary Ann Street Join the delegates and Iris guests for lunch at the official festival hotel. On the menu this year: burger and wedges followed by vanilla cheesecake. Vegetarian version also available.

3.10-4.50pm Women and Film Screen 14, Cineworld In a period where equality for women is becoming more and more prevalent. This session will seek to identify the issues and barriers that may exist for female filmmakers and how they could be preventing them from being more successful within the film industry.

The talk is led by DIVA magazine editor, Carrie Lyell, who will be joined by an impressive panel of other front-running women in the media. Supported by: Creative Europe Desk UK Wales 4.30-6.15pm Iris Best British, Programme 3 Screen 15, Cineworld Masculinity and male relationships come under the spotlight in Best British Shorts Programme 3, with everything from hard hitting drama and comedy to animation.

5-7pm Networking Drinks co-hosted by Creative Europe Desk UK – Wales and Wales Screen BAFTA Bar, Cineworld Creative Europe Desk UK-Wales and Wales Screen would be delighted if you could join them to meet, collaborate and hear about new opportunities. Representatives from Creative Europe Desk UK-Wales and Wales Screen will be in attendance if you wish to discuss upcoming projects or just say hello!

Stocks Brothers, Palace of Fun. www.stoxpictures.co.uk

Stocks Brothers Palace Of Fun is a family affair, written by Eadward and George Stocks, directed by Eadward, produced by their brother David and featuring George in one of its lead roles. David Stocks talks to Suryatapa Mukherjee about financing films, Stox Pictures, and the Iris Prize Producers Forum.

PALACE OF FUN IS VERY VISUALLY AND AURALLY APPEALING. WAS IT HARD, FINANCIALLY, TO MAKE THIS FILM WHAT IT IS? Thank you for saying that. Aurally, we spent more time on this than almost anything else! We were very particular about assigning certain sound effects to the three different leads, hopefully leading to a more nuanced psychological portrait of each character.

Financially, this was made on a very low budget.

Aside from a little crowdfunding, we raised the money ourselves through work, friends and family and then one day, we simply decided to do it. But to answer your question, it was hard.

We were however, very fortunate to be able to acquire some free lights, equipment, cameras and such, which seriously cut costs. If anything, I think we ended up almost spending more in post-production.

WHAT LED TO THE CREATION OF STOX PICTURES? DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW THAT YOU HAD ENOUGH TALENT WITHIN THE FAMILY FOR AN INDEPENDENT COLLABORATION? We’ve all been pretty much obsessed with films since we were children. After experimenting with shorts, we decided to think on a bigger scale.

We thought we could use a variation on our surname, and we came up with the logo idea, and we started working on a script, and it all just kind of snowballed from there really. We all believe in ourselves and inspire and enrage one another equally.

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING IN THE PRODUCERS FORUM? WHAT IS THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE YOUNG FILMMAKERS? Yes – the Producers Forum will certainly be a highlight. We’re really keen to hear other people’s journeys and experiences as well as sharing our own. Filmmaking on small budgets is terribly difficult but if you believe in your project enough, beg, borrow and steal (figuratively of course) to make it happen. Never give in!

Palace Of Fun is one of 10 feature films showing during this year’s Iris Prize Festival.

IRIS 19

“I could have gone down a route of, ‘Let’s earn money.

Let’s buy a house.’

For whatever reason, I chose a really funny different route.”

Connection

IRIS 20

I Want You So Badly

Saturday Night No Signature

Sex Life

Lisa Gornick The Book Of Gabrielle’s Lisa Gornick wears many different hats. She is an actor, writer, illustrator and a filmmaker – and all within this one film. She has a conversation with Suryatapa Mukherjee about sexuality, creativity and regrets.

HOW DID THE IDEA COME ABOUT FOR THE FILM?

I wanted to express lesbian sexuality. In conjunction with that, Philip Roth had just written a book called The Humbling. I had always followed these Jewish American writers. He wrote a book about a lesbian that fancied an old man. It was actually made into a film. And it just irritated me so much! And I suppose I had been raised with Philip Roth in my home. My parents loved him! Well, he was this revered man.

I also loved him. The thing was love-hate because he is this amazing writer. But he writes intensely about his ideas about women. There are ones that as a lesbian, I really identify with. So, there’s a weird love-hate with it. And I wanted to explore that. I had this character Gabrielle, played by me, and a Jewish older man. I would love to have seen that dialogue.

SO, THAT CHARACTER IS REAL IN A WAY – THE OLDER WRITER.

I wasn’t writing about Philip Roth because it ended up being a British man. I would love to have gotten a real New York Jewish man. But I got instead a version of it that’s quite English. In my fantasy I had someone like David Manners playing him. So, slightly sexy, I find those men.

Are you straight, lesbian, whatever? It doesn’t matter. Or are you everything? What are you?

YEAH, EVERYTHING. [LAUGHS]

Oh, yeah. That’s the new way of being, isn’t it?

Everything. Do you think?

I GUESS PEOPLE ARE BEING MORE OPEN ABOUT IT. I THINK BEFORE IF YOU WERE ‘EVERYTHING’, YOU WOULD JUST PRETEND YOU’RE STRAIGHT BECAUSE IT’S EASIER. AND NOW PEOPLE KIND OF UNDERSTAND. That is so true. Now, you see, that’s really interesting, yeah? I don’t know how old – are you in your 20s, you?

YEAH, I’M TURNING 23.

Oh, you see, I think I am like you. I’m older, obviously, much older than you, babes. But I think I was like you and I got told off for being like that.

I think I would have said I’m everything. When I

was younger, I was saying “I’m a lesbian. I think I am. Ooh, ooh!” And my first film Do I Love You is all about “I think I am. I’m not sure if I am.”

And I would say The Book Of Gabrielle is slightly a follow-up to that. It’s about a woman who – maybe she is a man inside; maybe she is also a woman. But she wants to be with other women.

But she is always thinking that she is a man. But she doesn’t like that man that she is. And then, she can’t help but be fascinated by a man. I can see that quite a few lesbians hold very much to their one identity – “That’s it; that’s what I am.

Don’t want to be fluid” – in their thinking. They might not like the film. I would say I’m a lesbian that’s fluid in my thinking, just not in my practice.

Ha! Just not in my ‘art’ of lesbianism. [laughs]

SO, WHAT ARE ALL OF THE THINGS YOU’RE DOING – THERE’S THE FILM, THE BOOK SIGNING AND THE LIVE DRAWING?

Yes. I’ve made a book within the film, The Book Of Gabrielle. And I have made a version of the book called How To Do It. What I was trying to do is make a sex guide book that was actually saying, “It’s okay, make mistakes.” It was actually a guide book for me when I’m feeling sad. And I was hoping it would be for other people too. I wanted to make a book that’s about sex but that’s also about just living life. So, it’s not like, “Hey, put the fingers in there, turn it around three times.” It’s not that kind of guide book. It’s more of a soulful sex guide book. So, I would like it if it was written by a lesbian – whatever lesbian I am – for anyone.

And then, I’m doing a live drawing show. What I am doing this time is called What The Fuck Is Lesbian Cinema? It will be about me exploring the whole thing of niche cinema, in this case, lesbian cinema. I know it sounds very serious but on the whole I tend to be quite comedic. In a way, it’s nice to break out of the finite aspect of the cinema and become very live. I like to draw the audience in and I like to face them. I love making films but of course, it’s a very different thing when it’s done. And also you can’t change it. And here, I can change it. Every performance has its own life.

I think it’s lovely to be able to do both.

I WAS READING YOUR OTHER INTERVIEWS AND PICKED UP ON THIS THEME OF HOW SOMETIMES YOU WONDER ABOUT ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU WANTED TO DO. IS THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE IDEA OF LIFE THAT YOU THINK WOULD ALSO MAKE YOU HAPPY?

It is a good question. I mean, I am quite a selfreflective person. I have tried therapy. For me personally, it doesn’t work. I mean I have tried it so much and I just think “Enough, already.” I’m just going round and round in circles. I think in a way therapy made me feel more regretful about stuff - because they were just sitting there going, “Oh, really? Oh, alright.” [laughs] Now, I’ve gone against therapy. Help!

I’m beginning to think it’s about acceptance of who I am. Yeah, there are parts of me that thought I could have left university and done a completely different thing. I could have gone down a route of, “Let’s earn money. Let’s buy a house.” For whatever reason, I chose a really funny different route. And all my friends have told me this when I’m in the depths of my despair about why I’m an unemployed lesbian filmmaker.

Oh, oh, woe, woe! And they’re like, but you would have been a married straight woman with two kids and you would have been looking out the window also drinking and saying, “Why the fuck am I a married straight woman? Stupid husband.

Sweet kids but irritating.” I feel I’m getting to the acceptance now. It’s taken me a while. So, I want to say that there is no better life for me.

THAT’S REALLY INTERESTING, BECAUSE WHEN THE SUBJECT OF REGRET IS EXPLORED IN THE MEDIA, IT’S USUALLY IN THE OTHER WAY. IT’S MORE LIKE “I WISH I WAS THAT ARTIST. I WISH I DIDN’T GIVE IN TO CONVENTIONS.”

Yeah, I wish I was there: Stepford wife, two little perfect children, trapped! Drinking gin and tonic in the morning. Yeah. Not anymore! Scrub that.

Tell everyone I don’t think that anymore.

The Book Of Gabrielle is one of 10 feature films competing at this year’s Iris Prize.

IRIS 21

Tamara Shogaolu, Half A Life.

Twitter - @tutafilm

Tamara Shogaolu Filmmaker Tamara Shogaolu, of Half A Life, talks to Suryatapa Mukherjee about being queer in Egypt and Indonesia, and why filmmaking matters. wanted to leave and they loved living in Egypt.

They were very involved in making things better in the community. It was a really great time to live there and be proud of this community.

And then I saw that one by one my friends were leaving. And the situation was getting worse. I felt like I urgently needed to make this film.

YOU’VE MADE AN INDONESIAN FILM THAT IS SET IN EGYPT. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

I used to be an economist. I was doing economics research in Egypt. But I was always interested in films, so, it was something I did on the side. I travelled around collecting oral histories. Mostly from women.

After I finished this film, I got a job in Indonesia.

One of my favourite filmmakers actually lived in this town, which is like an artist community in Indonesia. Through the artist community, I met some animator friends. So then, four of us made this film together.

WOW, THAT’S FASCINATING. SO, HOW DID THE IDEA FOR HALF A LIFE COME TO YOU?

At first, I wanted to make a project focusing on some of the women’s interviews I had found.

But a lot of my friends in Egypt were from the LGBTQ community. So now, basically all of my friends are in exile in Europe. Or in Canada. But these weren’t people who were like, “Oh, it’s my dream to go to Europe or America.” They never IRIS 22

IT’S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE IN COUNTRIES LIKE EGYPT OR IN JORDAN, HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOT ILLEGAL. BUT WITH GROWING CONSERVATISM, DIFFERENT LAWS ARE USED TO PUT THEM IN PRISON.

Yeah, and the same thing started happening in Indonesia now. There’s been a really big backlash against LGBTQ people. When I was there, they were posting posters in the town I was living in, saying that it was a disease. And people don’t even know what LGBTQ stands for. But they were like, it’s bad! When I was in Indonesia, I met a transgender woman who happened to have my same name and birthday.

OH MY GOD!

Yeah! So, we became really good friends. And she is a performance artist. So, I ended up doing a film workshop with the transgender community there.

Traditionally in Indonesia, trans women are called waria and they’ve been a part of the society for hundreds of years. They walk in the streets, perform, etc. And now a kid yelled at one of

them, “Oh, that’s an LGBT!” And the kid didn’t even know what it means. They’re teaching this new generation to be intolerant when through history the society has been way more open.

YEAH, IT’S FRIGHTENING. I SAW SOMEWHERE THAT YOU BELIEVE IN MAKING FILMS THAT BRING ABOUT POLITICAL AND SOCIAL AWARENESS.

It’s really hard for me to tell a story or make a film that isn’t socially relevant. Because those are the things that I find interesting or I’m passionate about. I mean when you think about it, the way that we are socialised as humans has so much to do with the media. So, why shouldn’t the things that we watch, that shape the way we see the world and what we think, come from a place of social relevance?

YEAH, DEFINITELY. SO, HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT THE IRIS PRIZE FOR A WHILE, OR DID YOU JUST FIND OUT ABOUT IT?

One of the producers on the film has known about it for a long time. As a filmmaker, it’s really hard to finance your film. So, the opportunity to get funds to make another film is very attractive.

I think it’s great that the Iris Prize is honouring or acknowledging LGBT+ films that can sometimes get ignored in other prizes.

Half A Life is one of 35 international shorts competing in this year’s Iris Prize.

Proud to support the arts in Wales Yn falch o gefnogi’r celfyddydau yng Nghymru

Welcome to Cardiff University, an inclusive place to work and study The top University in the UK in the Workplace Equality Index 2016.

The only Welsh university in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers Index 2015.

A Stonewall Diversity Champion since 2005.

Croeso i Brifysgol Caerdydd, lle cynhwysol i weithio ac astudio ynddo Y Brifysgol orau yn y DU yn y Mynegai Cydraddoldeb yn y Gweithle 2016.

Yr unig brifysgol yng Nghymru yn rhestr Stonewall o’r 100 cyflogwyr gorau 2015. Un o Bencampwyr Amrywiaeth Stonewall ers 2005. www.cardiff.ac.uk

www.caerdydd.ac.uk

Fawzia Mirza, Signature Move. signaturemovemovie.com

Fawzia Mirza Actor and writer Fawzia Mirza of Signature Move speaks with Suryatapa Mukherjee about wrestling, representation and working with a Bollywood legend.

HOW DID MEXICAN WRESTLING COME INTO THIS STORY?

The relationship in the story was inspired by my relationship to my ex-girlfriend, who is Mexican.

We found so many connections across our identities – South Asian and Mexican food, families, culture have so much in common.

The wrestling was not inspired by my life. But, rather, one night I was on a late night comedy talk show in Chicago promoting my web series Kam Kardashian. Another guest on the talk show was Lisa Marie Varon, a former WWE now retired wrestler. She performed her finishing move, or signature move, on one of the hosts. I thought she was so powerful and amazing and I wondered how feminism had forgotten about these women in stories. So, I thought that if my character was into wrestling and the Mexican character’s family had a lucha libre history, it would add another layer of wrestling between the two romantic leads.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SEE REPRESENTATIONS OF MUSLIM, QUEER WOMEN OF COLOUR ON SCREEN?

Everyone deserves to see themselves on screen and see their stories represented. It validates our presence as members of a collective community. It validates our designation as ‘American’ or ‘Canadian’ or a citizen of the ‘UK’.

BUZZ 24 24 IRIS

That’s why I started writing. I went from being a lawyer to an actor to a writer because of the lack of representation of people who looked like me. Not only is it important to see ourselves, but it’s also important for us to write and tell our own stories.

HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH SHABANA AZMI? I’M A HUGE FAN!

Working with Shabana Azmi was a dream come true. She is a brilliant actor, with impeccable comedic and dramatic timing. She is a true artist and activist, taking roles that push boundaries and tell new stories. The last film she made that had queer content was Fire, where her character fell in love with a woman and now, 20 years later, she plays the mother of a woman who loves a woman, in Signature Move.

SIGNATURE MOVE FOCUSES QUITE A BIT ON THE DESI MOTHER-DAUGHTER EQUATION. WHY DID YOU WANT THIS TO BE A PART OF THE MOVIE? DOES IT REFLECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MOTHER?

My work and my life are deeply influenced by my relationship with my mother. Obviously. The family unit and the role of the mother is such an integral part of immigrant culture, of Asian culture, of Muslim culture. To me, the love stories in Signature Move are not just romantic

and between Zaynab and Alma, but there is a love story that unfolds between mother and daughter and also one within Zaynab herself, of self-love. I also think that people look at an immigrant mother next to her Western-born daughter and find them to be completely dissimilar. I find that totally not to be true. I love seeing the love, the connection, the similarities and the great overlap between parent and child.

Because it’s real, you know?

WHAT WAS THE WRITING PROCESS LIKE FOR THIS FILM?

My great creative collaborator and friend Lisa Donato and I wrote this script together. We met when she cast me in her first short film, Sugarhiccup. I had been working on a short script, Signature Move, and I was advised by two different friends, director Rolla Selbak and my producer Eugene Park to make the short into a feature. Since I’d never written a feature screenplay before, I wanted to work with a collaborator. There was a writing lab deadline fast approaching, so I called Lisa Donato and asked her if she wanted to write the feature film with me in seven days. She is as crazy as I am and said, “yes”.

Signature Move is one of 10 feature films competing at this year’s Iris Prize.

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W W W. S TRE A M PU B LI SH I NG . N E T

Faraz Ansari , Sisak.

Twitter - @futterwackening

Faraz Ansari Writer and filmmaker Faraz Ansari of Sisak speaks with Suryatapa Mukherjee about dealing with rejection and the power of filmmaking.

YOU’VE WANTED TO BE A DIRECTOR SINCE YOU WERE FOUR! THAT’S SO CUTE AND UNIQUE. WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST CINEMATIC INFLUENCES GROWING UP?

My grandmother had a huge collection printed artworks of Frida Kahlo, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Caravaggio, Diego Velázquez & Leonardo da Vinci. I remember my summer vacation where she shared her understandings of these artworks and allowed me to sit in silence in front of it and make my own stories and realities.

Storytelling was a huge part of my growing up years. Also, my dad has a huge collection of Buster Keaton & Jacques Tati films that formed my first affairs with cinema. I remember watching Mon Oncle at least 50 times! Once I moved to the US, for my graduation, I discovered Iranian cinema and with that, the other cinematic masters who deeply influenced me – Krzysztof Keiślowski, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Wong Kar Wai, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and François Truffaut, to name a few.

YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT BEING REJECTED

BY INDIAN PRODUCTION HOUSES AND SUBSEQUENTLY EXPERIENCING DEPRESSION. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG CREATIVES WHO EXPERIENCE FAILURE AND FEEL STUCK?

To make a film is a privilege and one constantly needs to remind oneself of it. However, I must BUZZ 26 26 IRIS

confess that rejection can be destructive if it’s not channelled constructively. If a story needs to be told, you have to find a way to make it happen.

To make Sisak, I had to sell off my car, move out of my own apartment and move in with my parents and sell a few belongings too. The strength comes from the belief of the subject.

The story needs to be so important and stirring that there is no other way but to find a way to bring it to life. Sometimes all it takes is 10 seconds of insane courage to take that leap of faith.

YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT DELIVERING MESSAGES THROUGH YOUR FILMS AND YOU ALSO HAVE AN ORGANISATION TO DISTRIBUTE FOOD AMONG UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS. WOULD YOU SAY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT FILMMAKERS ARE SOCIO-POLITICALLY AWARE?

Every form of art is, in its very core, a sociopolitical statement. Yes, cinema has to be entertaining and perhaps delve into a bit of escapism but that does not imply that it shouldn’t be relevant. I think, when one understands that power of cinema, one will start to use it more responsibly. The way I look at it, a filmmaker is as powerful as a Prime Minister of a nation. What a filmmaker can achieve, at times, cannot be achieved by the biggest politicians and decision-makers, and that is a change of heart.

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE IRIS PRIZE? WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LGBT+ FILM FESTIVALS IN TODAY’S WORLD?

It’s the dream of every filmmaker who has made an LGBTQ+ film to be shortlisted for the Iris Prize. It is, after all, known as the LGBTQ+ Academy Awards and on winning it, the platform it presents the filmmaker with is what every filmmaker aspires for – especially a filmmaker who comes from a country where homosexuality is a crime and no one wants to produce an LGBTQ+ film because of the stigma attached to it. Perhaps that is what makes it all the more essential and important to make an LGBTQ+ film, given the world we live in.

We are dealing with an unaware, misinformed populace that needs relevant, transformative LGBTQ+ cinema to open a much needed dialogue. Recently, while showing Sisak at one of India’s leading business schools, I was asked, “What is LGBTQ, sir?” I did not laugh or smirk. I answered the question giving the utmost respect to the person who wanted to know, wanted to learn. You see, a dialogue opened. And then, there is no stopping.

Sisak is one of 35 international shorts competing in this year’s Iris Prize.

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BUZZ 27

Joan Beveridge Filmmaker Joan Beveridge speaks with Suryatapa Mukherjee about being on this year’s jury, her love for the Iris Prize and the women who have been a part of it for the last 11 years.

YOU HAVE BEEN WITH IRIS PRIZE FROM THE BEGINNING! WHAT HAS KEPT YOU COMING BACK?

Iris is unique. I’ve attended film festivals around the world but only Iris makes you feel, as a filmmaker, that you’re at the heart of the festival.

Having lunches together with Iris Friends, funders and other filmmakers is very special – great networking and friendships. I’ve met some amazing talent from different countries and had some wonderful conversations. I’ve also made some friendships with other Iris regulars that endure to this day, which are very important to me. And then, of course, there’s Berwyn!

When I attend Iris, I prioritise the short films in competition, but I take in as many features as I can. Since the introduction of the British Shorts, the schedule has become a little more complicated, simply because there are so many more films to watch, to appreciate, to enjoy.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT THE WOMEN OF IRIS PRIZE AND WHERE THEY ARE NOW. WHAT DROVE YOU TO IT?

Over the years women filmmakers have tended to contribute round about 30% of the Iris shorts in international competition, but recently this figure plummeted to 17%. If women can’t access the resources to make short films with good production values, then the difficulties they BUZZ 28 28 IRIS

face to make the leap into feature films are clearly even greater. Iris provides the perfect snapshot of the last 10 years, in terms of women’s filmmaking. Looking at the how UK-based women’s careers have progressed, the barriers they’ve faced moving forward, will help us to determine the best initiatives to undertake to help overcome these barriers.

The research came out of a feeling that LGBTQ women were not only struggling to make their shorts, but finding it impossible to move forward – as in have any kind of a career path – into feature filmmaking. A few have made the transition into making features but are struggling to find the finances and the time, without any attendant income, to put into it. In Cornwall we bewail the lack of producers, but preferring someone who identifies as LGBTQ so that they ‘get the subject matter’ makes it doubly difficult.

However, I’ve been assured by London-based colleagues that it’s just as big a problem there too.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIES THAT JUMP TO MIND FROM THE LAST 11 YEARS?

In terms of shorts, Abbe Robinson’s Private Life in 2007 and the Canadian feature Margarita in 2013 are two of my favourites. They both managed to make the absolute utmost of modest budgets with wonderful scripts and performances.

DESCRIBE THE MOST MEMORABLE INCIDENT AT IRIS PRIZE FOR YOU.

In recent years, the Producers Forum has become more formalised, with less emphasis on the specific experience of LGBT+ filmmakers.

In the early days, a group of filmmakers simply sat around the table with Chris [Christopher Racster] and talked filmmaking and the issues that directly affected us as LGBT+ filmmakers.

I learnt so much more from those relaxed, informal and totally honest conversations between peers.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT FILM?

(Gosh, what a difficult question. Guess if we knew that, we’d all make perfect films. Okay. I’m going to go with)... a perfect script!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO RECENTLY?

I’m currently setting up a local Filmmakers Network with the support of the Newlyn Filmhouse – a fantastic two-studio cinema and cafe. I’m also helping to launch a Cornish gay choir. I’m in the early stages of producing my first new short in several years – a romantic comedy.

Soul Mate is the tale of a vampire and a ghost, shooting November 2017.

Daisy Asquith’s documentary Queerama, produced by Catryn Ramasut and funded by Ffilm Cymru Wales

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Opening Night Kicking off the 11th Iris Prize Festival in style! Angharad Mair from S4C’s popular nightly magazine programme Heno and Chair of BAFTA Cymru returns to open the Iris Prize Festival.

Join Angharad as she invites festival guests to join her on the sofa for a chat including members of the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus (we might need a bigger sofa!) The evening will also be an opportunity to watch some new short films including: CÔR BLIMEY An Iris Outreach Production What happens on tour stays on tour, unless you’re making one of the 36 Iris In The Community short films funded by the Big Lottery Wales. Experience on a big screen the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus journey to compete in the Cornwall International Male Coral Festival.

BACHELOR, 38 Dir: Angela Clarke Cardiff boy Bryan Robert Bale shares his memories of leaving Cardiff for London in 1963 as a 19-yearold gay man. Angela Clarke’s film allows Bryan to share decades of stories in this beautiful film, which we are delighted to premiere in the year when we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

XAVIER – A FILM BY GIOVANNI CODA April 20, 2017, Avenue des Champs-Elysées. During an attack, police officer Xavier, among his injured fellow officers, was shot dead. There are broken dreams and unanswered expectations of peace. But there is no place for hate – dialogue and tolerance being the only possible solutions.

Screening in partnership with Italian Film Festival, Cardiff.

The opening night celebrations continue in the park inn hotel.

IRIS 3030 IRIS

BFI NETWORK is proud to support the following shorts in competition at the Iris Prize Film Festival: Rink Dir. Gail Hackton We Love Moses Dir. Dionne Edwards

network.bfi.org.uk

We Love Moses Dir Dionne Edwards (Official selection: Toronto International Film Festival 2017, Short Cuts)

Directors Writers Producers Share Your Work Find Funding Watch Shorts

Iris 2017 – This Year’s Biggest Parties Iris wouldn’t be Iris without at least one or two (or five) merry get-togethers after the day’s film-going is done.

Our motto is “See films. Party nightly. Repeat.” and this year is no different. So let’s take a look at some of the parties you can – and should – enjoy in 2017.

OPENING NIGHT (Tues 10 October, Park Inn Hotel) Set the tone in style with the opening night party at the Park Inn Hotel; a mere hop, skip and a jump from Iris’s base camp at Cineworld. This is where that first flurry of meeting and greeting is bound to happen, and you wouldn’t want to miss that, now, would you? But do remember… Iris is a marathon, not a sprint, so pace yourself!

KINGS, QUEENS AND KARAOKE (Thu 12 October, The Kings) Little could Cardiff nightspot The Kings have imagined that their Thursday night karaoke would get hijacked, once a year, by filmmakers and film fans from around the world, but this is precisely what has happened in recent years. The perfect opportunity to sing like no-one’s listening. A word of caution: though the Welsh are legendary for our love of song, we can’t always guarantee they will be delivered in tune.

THE ANNUAL PULSE PARTY (Fri 13 October, Pulse) Our good friends at Pulse know how to provide a warm welcome. With a VIP area especially for us and two floors of poptastic mayhem to explore, the annual Iris party at Pulse is one you really don’t want to miss.

IRIS 32

SUPER SATURDAY AFTER-PARTY (Sat 14 October, Chapel 1877) Our Saturday night programme is having something of a shakeup this year, with audiences finding out which are the final three films competing for the Iris Prize and Best British Short. With everyone in a state of suspense, what better way to relax and unwind than in the gorgeous surroundings of Chapel 1877?

IRIS CARNIVAL (Sun 15 October, The Depot) Another change to the usual programme is this year’s Iris Carnival, which will feature the all-important Iris Awards show and live music from an array of acts, including Heather Small of M People fame! There’ll be street food and entertainments and an awful lot of fun. We may be biased, but we really can’t wait.

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Toby Fell-Holden

Arkasha Stevenson

Till Kleinert

Dee Rees

Charlie Francis

Abbe Robinson

*Previous winners of the Iris Prize and Best British Short

Super Saturday It’s Saturday night, and by now our juries will have seen all of the 35 films competing for this year’s Iris Prize and the 15 competing for Best British Short.

Each jury offers a unique combination of personalities, with their own individual opinions and tastes. One jury’s winning film might get a unanimous ‘thumbs down’ from the next. That makes predicting a winner, particularly in such a strong year, notoriously difficult, and if you were thinking of using previous years’ winners to place any bets, think again. Though male filmmakers have historically dominated both categories, this year’s festival features a greater number of films made by women, as well as a wealth of films exploring questions of gender, and so all bets are off!

In previous years, once the deliberations are over, everything has been kept strictly under wraps until our awards show, when we find out which films have won. Jury members are sworn to secrecy – the results are kept in a sealed

IRIS 34

envelope which is placed inside a safe which is lowered to the bottom of the Bristol Channel…

(OK, we made that bit up.)

But in 2017 we’re doing things a little differently…

Once the jury deliberations are over, you are cordially invited to Super Saturday! There, you will watch six of the short films that have been shown over the last four days.

Which films? Well, right up until that very moment, no-one (except the jurors) will know.

Because these six titles will be the very best of the best, the final three films competing in each category, from which only one can be the winner.

There’ll be no announcement beforehand. Both you, the audience, and our visiting filmmakers will find out who has made it to the last three

when we screen those films, and in no particular order, on the eve of our awards show.

Choosing three finalists from such incredible shortlists is no easy task, and so we’ll learn a little – in Q&As with our juries – about the discussions (and maybe even arguments) that went into each choice.

The tension builds. The drumroll begins.

Will you agree with their decisions? Will any of their choices prove controversial? And who will be our finalists for the Iris Prize and Best British Short?

There’s only one way to find out, and that’s at SUPER SATURDAY. Our Super Saturday screening will be followed by an exclusive after party at Chapel 1877, with free entry for anyone with a festival pass or a ticket to that evening’s screening.

100% committed to British 100% committed to Cardiff Pop in and say hello

All Co-op own brand fresh meat products are sourced from British suppliers. Excludes continental meats.

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For your nearest Co-op store go to finder.coop.co.uk

Iris Carnival They say variety is the spice of life, and so this year Iris is taking that literally and moving her sixth and final day to Cardiff’s most exciting and popular events space, DEPOT, for our inaugural Iris Carnival.

At the heart of the event is the all-important Award Show, hosted by Capital FM’s Matt Lissack. After six days and 70 films, we’ll finally find out who has won the coveted Iris Prize and the awards for Best British Short, Best Feature, Best Performance In A Male Role, Best Performance In A Female Role, and our Youth Jury Award for Best Short, as sponsored by Cardiff University.

There’ll be celebrations and commiserations, no doubt, but the last day of Iris is your chance to go out on a high after what is guaranteed to be an incredible week of film, fun and friendship here in the Welsh capitol. To help mark the occasion, there’ll be a feast of tasty treats courtesy of the Co-op Food Village (see p.37), with a variety of stalls serving up food and drink from Welsh producers in a friendly, informal setting, where you can mingle, munch and make merry.

What’s more, there’ll be live music and

IRIS 36

entertainments throughout, including a headline appearance by the legendary Heather Small of M People (see p.38), alongside local artists Climbing Trees (whose song Fall you will have heard in this year’s Iris Prize montage) and singer Lily Beau.

Lily Beau

Climbing Trees

Whether this was your very first Iris or your 11th, the Iris Carnival is the perfect way to wind up your festival experience, and we very much look forward to seeing you there.

Matt Lissack

Village Dairy

Boss Brewing

Co-op Food Village As Iris’s newest sponsor, Co-op Food were keen give visitors to our inaugural Iris Carnival the opportunity to try some of the very best food and drink Wales has to offer. So whether you have a sweet tooth or favour something savoury, welcome to the Iris Carnival’s Co-op Food Village!

The Authentic Curry Company will conjure up an array of dishes bringing together British and Asian home cooked classics in a fusion of flavours.

Boss Brewing are a Swansea-based microbrewery, producing award-winning beers and ales that everyone – not just the craft beer geeks – can enjoy!

Edwards of Conwy is a traditional Welsh butcher, specialising in sausages and pies, based in the World Heritage site town of Conwy in North Wales, and was named the Best Butcher Shop in Wales 2016-17.

Frank’s Ice Cream have over 80 years of ice cream-making history behind them, producing delicious desserts in a variety of mouth-watering flavours, including ranges suitable for those with diabetes.

Radnor Hills has been bottling fresh, crisp spring water from a family farm near the English border for the last 25 years, and now produce a range of drinks such as flavoured waters, fruit juices, and premium fruit pressés.

Since 1934, Village Bakery, in Wrexham, has been producing top quality breads, pies and pastries baked fresh and using locally sourced ingredients, using only succulent Welsh beef and lamb in their pies.

Operating from a family-run dairy in North Wales, Village Dairy’s Llaeth Y Llan yoghurts are a familiar sight on the supermarket shelves of Wales, with delicious flavours including black cherry, gooseberry or – for those who prefer to keep things nice and simple – vanilla.

Visitors to the Iris Carnival are invited to enjoy everything the Co-op Food Village and these wonderful Welsh suppliers have to offer.

IRIS 37

Heather Small The Carnival’s headline performer needs little introduction, but for those of you who want to know more about Heather Small, read on.

H

eather was born in West London and began her singing career with the soul band Hot House, before joining M People in 1990. The band helped take house music from raves and nightclubs onto the nation’s televisions and stereos with their 1991 album Northern Soul, which gave us the Top 40 single How Can I Love You More?

Its follow-up, Elegant Slumming, reached No.2 in the album charts and resulted in no less than three Top 10 hits, including One Night In Heaven and Moving On Up. The album’s legendary status was secured when it won that year’s Mercury Music Prize.

Further chart successes would follow with the release of Bizarre Fruit, featuring hit singles Search For The Hero and Open Your Heart, and a cover of the Small Faces’ 1960s classic Itchycoo Park.

Heather’s debut solo album Proud was released in 2000 and its title track – as well as giving her a Top 20 hit – was featured prominently in second series of Russell T Davies’s ground-breaking drama Queer As Folk. In that year, she was also one of the contemporary artists to perform with Wales’ very own Tom Jones on his comeback album, Reload.

Dyma flwyddyn ein chwedlau. Ydy, mae tirwedd Cymru’n hynafol â miloedd o flynyddoedd o hanes a chwedlau. Ond mae hefyd yn wlad y meddylfryd epic a’r antur fawr. Lle bynnag ewch chi mae syniadau disglair newydd mewn hen, hen fannau.

Mae’n lle gwych i fwynhau y presennol.

Eleni rydym yn creu chwedlau newydd.

Beth am greu eich chwedl eich hun?

Croeso. Gwlad! Gwlad!

This is our Year of Legends. Yes, Wales is an ancient landscape, with thousands of years of history and myth. But it’s also a land of epic thinking and high adventure.

Everywhere you go, there are innovative ideas, in old places. It’s a great place to enjoy here and now.

This year we’re creating new legends.

Want to come and find yours?

Welcome to our Epic Land.

Pe bai’r coed yma’n clebran fe glywem chwedlau epic.

If these trees could talk they would have some epic tales to tell.

#GwladGwlad croeso.cymru #FindYourEpic visitwales.com

Dydd Mawrth Tuesday 10th Oct

IRIS Short Films

Talks

Feature Films

Best of Brish Short Films

Dydd Mercher Wednesday 11th Oct

CINEWORLD

Screen 14 & 15

Events

Dydd Iau Thursday 12th Oct

CINEWORLD

Screen 14

10:00

CINEWORLD

Screen 15

Screen 14

Screen 15

Iris Prize Shorts 1

Iris Prize Shorts 4

Iris Prize Shorts 2

Iris Prize Shorts 5

11:00

12:00

14.00

LUNCH: THE STABLE

15:00

Remembering 1960s Cinema-Going Talk

Dementia and Us Talk

Iris Prize Shorts 3

16.30

18.00

LUNCH: JUBORAJ

Iris Prize Shorts 6

Lisa Gornick What is Lesbian Film? +Book Signing

Iris Prize Opening Night event

7.30pm – 9.00pm -

19.00

presented by Angharad Mair with screenings and special guests.

20.30

22.00

Iris Best British Shorts 1

The Book Of Gabrielle

Rift

Signature Move

Palace of Fun

Opening Night PARTY

9pm – 11.30pm

LATE

IRIS 40

Park Inn,City Centre

Dickens Late Night Tea Party

Kings & Queens Karaoke @ The Kings

Box Office: www.irisprize.org Dydd Gwener Friday 13th Oct

Dydd Sadwrn Saturday 14th Oct

CINEWORLD

CINEWORLD

Screen 15

Screen 14

Screen 15

Iris Best British Shorts 2

Pride Cymru LGBT+ Youth Festival

Iris Prize Shorts 9

Screen 14

Producers Forum 9:30 – 18:00

Dydd Sul Sunday 15th Oct CINEWORLD + DEPOT Screen 14 & 15

Looking Awry Talk

Iris Prize Shorts 7

LUNCH: PARK INN

Youth Shorts 13.00pm

In Between

LUNCH: CHAPEL 1877

Beach Rats

Signature Move

Super Saturday: Best British Top

Women and Film Talk

Iris Best British Shorts 3

The Book Of Gabrielle

The Wound

Body Electric

Super Saturday: Iris Prize Top 3

Iris Prize Shorts 8

Prom King, 2010

Best of Iris Short Films 2017

The Wound

Beach Rats

Annual Pulse Party

Teenage Kicks

Chapel 1877 Party

IRIS 41

IRIS SHORTS Programme One

Cineworld Screen 15, 10.00am, Dur: 74min, Wed 11 Oct

We Love Moses

WE LOVE MOSES

WE LOVE MOSES

Dir: Dionne Edwards Country: UK Time: 15 min Year: 2016 When Ella was 12, she had her first fight. And when she was 12, she discovered sex. Years later, Ella reflects on how her obsession with her brother’s best friend Moses left her with a secret she still carries.

Cyfarwyddwr: Dionne Edwards Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 15 munud Blwyddyn: 2016 Deuddeg oed oedd Ella pan fu yn ei ffeit gyntaf. Deuddeg oedd hi hefyd pan wnaeth hi ddarganfod rhyw. Flynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach, mae Ella’n myfyrio ar y ffordd yr arweiniodd ei hobsesiwn gyda ffrind gorau ei brawd, Moses, at gyfrinach mae hi’n dal i’w chario hyd heddiw.

DIE BALLADE VON ELLA PLUMMHOFF

DIE BALLADE VON ELLA PLUMMHOFF

Dir: Barbara Kronenberg Country: Germany Time: 29 min Year: 2015 As she faces an important maths exam, 13-year-old Ella Plummhoff reminisces about the previous summer and her very first kiss.

Cyfarwyddwr: Barbara Kronenberg Gwlad: yr Almaen Hyd: 29 munud Blwyddyn: 2015 Wrth iddi wynebu arholiad mathemateg pwysig, mae’r ferch dair ar ddeg oed, Ella Plummhoff, yn hel atgofion am yr haf blaenorol a’i chusan cyntaf erioed.

POOL (PISCINA)

PWLL (PISCINA)

Dir: Leandro Goddinho Country: Brazil Time: 30 min Year: 2016 While researching her grandmother’s past, Claudia meets Marlene, an older woman who has transformed an empty swimming pool into a place of memories.

Cyfarwyddwr: Leandro Goddinho Gwlad: Brasil Hyd: 30 munud Blwyddyn: 2016 Wrth ymchwilio i orffennol ei mam-gu, mae Claudia’n cwrdd â Marlene, gwraig hŷn sydd wedi gweddnewid pwll nofio gwag yn gaer o atgofion.

IRIS 42

The search for the winner of this year’s Iris Prize begins with a programme of short films all featuring female protagonists, and based largely around themes of memory and perception.

Mae’r helfa am enillydd Gwobr Iris eleni yn dechrau gyda rhaglen o ffilmiau byrion sy’n cynnwys merched fel prif gymeriadau ac sy’n seiliedig ar themâu’r cof a dehongliad.

AR GYFER EICH HOLL GWESTIYNAU AR FATERION SY’N EFFEITHIO AR BOBL LESBIAIDD, HOYW, DEURYWIOL A THRAWS YNG NGHYMRU.

Gwasanaeth Gwybodaeth

Information Service FOR ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ON ISSUES AFFECTING LESBIAN, GAY, BI AND TRANS PEOPLE IN WALES.

08000 50 20 20 cymru@stonewallcymru.org.uk @StonewallCymru www.stonewallcymru.org.uk

IRIS SHORTS Programme Two

Cineworld Screen 15, 12.00pm, Dur 64min, Wed 11 Oct

The Mess He Made

THE MESS HE MADE

THE MESS HE MADE

Dir: Matthew Puccini / Country: USA / Time: 10 min / Year: 2017 Awaiting the results of a rapid HIV test, Jude wanders a sexual health clinic and the surrounding area, assessing the life he has and the choices he’s made. This could be the longest 15 minutes of his life.

Cyfarwyddwr: Matthew Puccini / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 10 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Wrth aros am ganlyniadau prawf HIV cyflym, mae Jude yn crwydro clinig iechyd rhywiol a’r ardal gyfagos, gan asesu ei fywyd a’r dewisiadau a wnaeth. Efallai mai dyma fydd chwarter awr hiraf ei fywyd.

THE NEWS TODAY

THE NEWS TODAY

Dir: Lisa Donato / Country: USA / Time: 12 min / Year: 2017 Inspired by the tragic shooting at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, The News Today highlights the last ordinary moments between two men in love.

Cyfarwyddwr: Lisa Donato / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 12 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ffilm fer sydd wedi’i hysbrydoli gan y saethu yng nghlwb nos Pulse yn Orlando yw The News Today. Mae’n canolbwyntio ar eiliadau olaf digon cyffredin ym mywydau dau ddyn sydd mewn cariad.

THE COLOUR OF HIS HAIR

THE COLOUR OF HIS HAIR

Dir: Sam Ashby / Country: UK / Time: 21 min / Year: 2017 Based on an unrealised film script written in 1964, The Colour Of His Hair merges drama and documentary into an impressionistic meditation on queer life before and after the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967.

Cyfarwyddwr: Sam Ashby / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 21 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Yn seiliedig ar sgript ffilm a ysgrifennwyd yn 1964 ond na ddefnyddiwyd mohoni, mae The Colour of His Hair yn cyfuno drama a dogfen i greu myfyrdod argraffiadol ar fywyd queer cyn dad-droseddoli bod yn hoyw yn rhannol yn 1967, ac wedi hynny.

IF I MET A MAGICIAN (IM EFGOSH KOSEM)

TASWN I’N CWRDD Â DEWIN (IM EFGOSH KOSEM)

Dir: Shaked Goren / Country: Israel / Time: 21 min / Year: 2015 Released from military reserve duty to attend his uncle’s memorial service, Omri finds himself wandering the streets of Tel Aviv during National Memorial Day, the day when Israel commemorates its fallen soldiers.

Cyfarwyddwr: Shaked Goren / Gwlad: Israel Hyd: 21 munud / Blwyddyn: 2015 Mae Omri’n cael ei ryddhau o ddyletswydd milwrol wrth gefn i fynd i angladd ei ewythr, ac yn cael ei hunan yn crwydro strydoedd Tel Aviv yn ystod y Diwrnod Coffa Cenedlaethol, y diwrnod pan fydd Israel yn coffáu ei milwyr marw.

IRIS 44

Our second programme of international short films takes us from the troubles of contemporary America to the paranoia and prejudice of 1960s Britain, via one of Israel’s most important memorial days.

Mae’r ail raglen o ffilmiau byrion rhyngwladol yn mynd â ni ar daith o drafferthion America gyfoes i baranoia a rhagfarn Prydain y chwedegau, gan aros hefyd gydag un o ddiwrnodau coffa pwysicaf Israel.

IRIS SHORTS Programme Three

Cineworld Screen 15, 4.30pm, Dur 77min, Wed 11 Oct

Little Potato

HATTIE GOES CRUISING

HATTIE GOES CRUISING

Dir: Konstantin Bock / Country: USA / Time: 18 min / Year: 2015 In an age of online cruising and sex apps, having sex in public parks and restrooms might seems like a thing of the past, but for Hank Major, a 70-year-old gay African-American from Philadelphia, picking up guys on the street or at old-school cruising grounds is still very much a way of life. In this charming and surprisingly tender documentary, Major – nicknamed Hattie Louise by his friends – walks us through his memories of a turbulent lifetime of cruising.

Cyfarwyddwr: Konstantin Bock / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 18 munud / Blwyddyn: 2015 Mewn oes o apiau rhyw a chriwisio ar-lein, efallai bod cael rhyw mewn tai bach a pharciau cyhoeddus yn ymddangos fel rhywbeth o’r oes o’r blaen, ond i Hank Major, Americanwr hoyw du 70 oed o Philadelphia, mae bachu dynion ar y stryd neu mewn llefydd criwsio hen ffasiwn yn dal i fod yn ffordd o fyw. Yn y ffilm ddogfen hudolus a rhyfeddol o dyner yma, mae Major – neu Hattie Louise i’w ffrindiau – yn rhannu ei atgofion am ei fywyd afreolus yn criwsio am ddynion.

LITTLE POTATO

LITTLE POTATO

Dir: Wes Hurley & Nathan M. Miller / Country: USA Time: 14 min / Year: 2017 Following the collapse of communism in Russia, Wes Hurley’s mother becomes a ‘mail order bride’. But neither she nor Wes could possibly guess what lies in store for them when she marries a conservative Christian fundamentalist, and takes her son to the Pacific Northwest.

Cyfarwyddwyr: Wes Hurley a Nathan M. Miller / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America / Hyd: 14 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Yn dilyn cwymp comiwnyddiaeth yn Rwsia, mae mam Wes Hurley yn penderfynu gwerthu’i hunan fel priodferch drwy’r post. Ond allai hi na Wes ddim fod wedi dyfalu beth sy’n eu disgwyl pan mae hi’n priodi Cristion ffwndamentalaidd ceidwadol, ac yn mynd â’i mab i fyw i’r Gogledd-Orllewin Pasiffig.

HALF A LIFE

HALF A LIFE

PICTURE THIS

Dir: Tamara Shogaolu Country: Indonesia Time: 12 min Year: 2016 Half A Life pairs the intimate narration of a young, Egyptian gay activist with stylized animation, bringing the streets of Cairo to life through this first-hand account. The anonymous narrator shares the story of the traumatic encounter which prompted him to become a gay-rights activist in the unstable, oppressive and increasingly dangerous social climate in present-day Egypt.

Cyfarwyddwr: Tamara Shogaolu / Gwlad: Indonesia Hyd: 12 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae Half a Life yn cyfuno animeiddio arddulliedig gyda llais ymgyrchydd hawliau hoyw ifanc o’r Aifft yn adrodd stori bersonol, gan ail-greu darlun byw o strydoedd Cairo yn ei lais ei hunan. Mae’r storïwr dienw yn rhannu stori’r cyfarfyddiad ysgytwol a’i trodd yn ymgyrchydd hawliau hoyw yn yr hinsawdd cymdeithasol ansefydlog, gormesol a chynyddol beryglus sy’n wynebu Eifftwyr heddiw.

Cyfarwyddwr: Jari Osborne / Gwlad: Canada Hyd: 33 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae Picture This yn dilyn Andrew Gurza, sy’n disgrifio’i hunan fel “cripl queer”, wrth iddo drefnu’r ail ddigwyddiad Justify My Love, parti chwarae rhyw-bositif, a ddisgrifiwyd gan y cyfryngau rhyngwladol fel “trythyllwest i’r anabl” pan gafodd ei lansio yn ninas Toronto y flwyddyn flaenorol. Wrth galon y ffilm mae’r ddeuoliaeth anesmwyth sy’n wynebu pobl anabl, naill ai’n cael eu gweld fel ffrîcs neu ddim yn cael eu gweld o gwbl, yn enwedig yng nghyd-destun eu rhywioldeb.

The third programme of short films competing for this year’s Iris is a showcase of international documentaries, encompassing everything from frank and moving character studies to an animated snapshot of gay life in contemporary, post “Arab Spring” Egypt.

Mae’r drydedd raglen o ffilmiau byrion sy’n cystadlu am wobr Iris eleni yn gasgliad o ffilmiau dogfen rhyngwladol, yn cwmpasu popeth o astudiaethau didwyll a theimladwy o ambell gymeriad, i gipolwg bywiog ar fywyd hoyw yn yr Aifft gyfoes yn dilyn y gwanwyn Arabaidd.

PICTURE THIS Dir: Jari Osborne / Country: Canada / Time: 33 min / Year: 2017 Picture This follows Andrew Gurza, a self-described “queer cripple,” as he organises the second Justify My Love, a sex-positive play party which the international media labelled a “handicapped orgy” when it launched in Toronto the year before. At the heart of the film is the uneasy dichotomy that disabled people face, of feeling either invisible or like a freak show, especially when it comes to their sexuality.

IRIS 45

IRIS SHORTS Programme Four

Cineworld Screen 15, 10.00am, Dur 70min, Thu 12 Oct

Sisak

FANNY

FANNY

Dir: Halfdan Ullmann Tondel / Country: Norway Time: 29 min / Year: 2017 Fanny has moved back to her old hometown to begin studying at the local university, but when she struggles to bond with her fellow students she decides to seek out an old friendship.

Cyfarwyddwr: Halfdan Ullmann Tondel / Gwlad: Norwy Hyd: 29 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae Fanny wedi symud yn ôl i dref ei magwraeth er mwyn dechrau astudio yn y Brifysgol leol. Ar ôl cael trafferth closio at ei chyd-fyfyrwyr, mae hi’n penderfynu mynd ar drywydd cyfeillgarwch o’r gorffennol.

SCAR TISSUE

SCAR TISSUE

Dir: Nish Gera / Country: Netherlands / Time: 14 min / Year: 2017 A casual hook-up takes an intimate turn when Sami, a Syrian refugee from Damascus, meets Johan. In the course of a single night in Amsterdam, the two men will confront some truths, and unsettling secrets, about the very different worlds they come from.

Cyfarwyddwr: Nish Gera / Gwlad: yr Iseldiroedd Hyd: 14 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae bachiad didaro yn troi’n achlysur mwy personol wrth i Sami, ffoadur Syriaidd o Damascus, gwrdd â Johan. Yn ystod un noson yn Amsterdam, bydd y ddau yn dod benben â rhai gwirioneddau mawr, yn ogystal â chyfrinachau cythryblus, am y ddau fyd gwahanol iawn maen nhw’n rhan ohonyn nhw.

SISAK

SISAK

Dir: Faraz Ansari / Country: India / Time: 15 min / Year: 2017 Set on a bustling Mumbai commuter train, Sisak tells the touching story of a romance which develops slowly, through wordless gestures and universal expressions of affection between two strangers.

Cyfarwyddwr: Faraz Ansari / Gwlad: India Hyd: 15 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ffilm wedi’i gosod ar drên cymudo prysur ym Mumbai yw Sisak, sy’n adrodd hanes teimladwy carwriaeth sy’n datblygu’n araf, drwy ystumiau dieiriau a ffyrdd naturiol o fynegi hoffter rhwng dau ddieithryn.

THE FISH CURRY

MAACHER JHOL (Y CYRI PYSGOD)

Dir: Abhishek Verma / Country: India / Time: 22 min / Year: 2017 28-year-old Lalit is about to come out, and a special occasion calls for a special dish – Maacher Jhol, a Bengali-style fish curry. But will Lalit’s curry be delicious enough to win the heart of someone special?

Cyfarwyddwr: Abhishek Verma / Gwlad: India Hyd: 22 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae’r llanc 28 oed Lalit ar fin dod allan, ac mae achlysur arbennig yn galw am bryd arbennig – Maacher Jhol, sef cyri pysgod Bengalaidd.

Ond a fydd cyri Lalit yn ddigon blasus i ennill serch rhywun arbennig?

IRIS 46

Culture and chance encounters play a major part in our fourth programme of films shortlisted for the 2017 Iris Prize, taking us from Norway and the Netherlands to the commuter trains of Mumbai.

Mae diwylliant a chyfarfyddiadau damweiniol yn chwarae rhan fawr yn ein pedwaredd raglen o ffilmiau sydd ar restr fer Gwobr Iris 2017, gan fynd â ni o Norwy a’r Iseldiroedd i drenau cymudo Mumbai.

Brendon McDonall, The Dam Twitter - @brendonmcdonall

Brendon McDonall Brendon McDonall won the 2014 Iris Prize for his film All God’s Creatures, inspired by a short story

by Christos Tsiolkas. He came to Cardiff the following year, where he worked with Iris to produce his magic realist romantic comedy Spoilers. With The Dam competing for this year’s Iris Prize, he becomes the first previous winner to compete again with another short film. enough to allow me access to the postproduction facilities there. I cut for a couple of weeks, worked with a beautiful composer and went from there. So, all in all, it took about six, seven months but three months of that was spent away from the project.

HOW LONG WAS THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE DAM, FROM INITIAL IDEA TO COMPLETED FILM?

I came in to film school in the second semester, around July, with the idea and then wrote a couple of drafts of the screenplay. By August we’d cast our actors and I was on set. So it was maybe two-and-a-half months from, “Hey – I’ve got an idea!” to wrapping photography. But then I had to deal with a major family event.

My father died about four days after principle photography was complete, so the project went on hold for about three or four months.

The film isn’t about Dad, but there’s a lot of Dad in it, so I just needed time away from it.

I went back in February the following year and edited the film. The school were generous

BUZZ 47

WHAT’S IT LIKE AS A PREVIOUS IRIS WINNER HAVING A FILM IN COMPETITION? IS IT MORE DAUNTING THIS TIME, OR A WALK IN THE PARK?

I was in pre-production for The Dam, dealing with major family issues, when the news came through that All God’s Creatures had won the Iris Prize, and I shot The Dam a few weeks after that. So the Iris Prize was like this huge burst of adrenalin into that process.

Actually, I remember going to dad, who was then in the last stages of his life, and saying, “Look, Dad, I won this major award”, and he was very proud and all that. It’s a searing memory for me actually. But since then I’ve made Spoilers, and The Dam is going on three years old, but because of the delay, The Dam was put on ice for a year. But it’s really taken off in the last six months and played a bunch of festivals, and it’s done well here in Australia.

It’s probably my most restrained film. Spoilers is my least restrained film. The Dam is my attempt at restraint. I’m not sure I succeeded in all those areas, but I really tried to explore negative space and behavioural detail and silence, avoid any kind of tricks. It’s funny… some people say it’s the least like any of my other films. That’s probably a good thing, right? Yeah. Diversity.

Diversity in time, and approach, and execution.

Let’s go with that!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR BRENDON MCDONALL?

Next up, I’m directing a feature about a religious young man in Perth who undergoes “gay conversion therapy”. We’re still financing.

Very exciting about it. It’s a comedy! Well… a comedy-drama. But it’s very, very funny and very, very emotional and hopefully transcendent in its story arc. So that’s what’s next for me, and lots and lots of lecturing on film!

IRIS 47

IRIS SHORTS Programme Five

Cineworld Screen 15, 12.00pm, Dur 60min, Thu 12 Oct

Cocoon

SPRING

SPRING

Dir: Laurel Parmet / Country: USA / Time: 7 min / Year: 2016 Amanda, a 16-year-old girl, struggles with conflicting emotions and desires when she spends the afternoon taking intimate photos of her best friend Crystal.

Cyfarwyddwr: Laurel Parmet / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 7 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae Amanda, merch 16 oed, yn ymgodymu ag emosiynau a dyheadau sy’n tynnu’n groes wrth iddi dreulio’r prynhawn yn tynnu lluniau personol o’i ffrind gorau Crystal.

MANLY STANLEY TAKES NEW YORK

MANLY STANLEY TAKES NEW YORK

Dir: Shelby Coley / Country: USA / Time: 6 min / Year: 2016 London-born drag king Edythe Woolley – a.k.a. Manly Stanley – walks us through her cabaret performance set, which utilises misogynistic images from old Hollywood films, footage from ‘designer vagina’ surgery documentaries, and genuine online vagina contests to offer a queer, feminist take on drag performance.

Cyfarwyddwr: Shelby Coley / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 6 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Brenin drag a aned yn Llundain yw Edythe Wooley – neu Manly Stanley.

Yn y ffilm fer hon, mae hi’n mynd â ni ar daith drwy ei set perfformio cabare, sy’n defnyddio delweddau mysogynistaidd o hen ffilmiau Hollywood, darnau o ffilmiau dogfen am lawdriniaeth “ailddylunio’r wain”, a chystadlaethau go iawn am y wain orau ar-lein, er mwyn cynnig safbwynt queer, ffeministaidd ar berfformio drag.

LILY

LILY

Dir: Graham Cantwell / Country: Ireland / Time: 22 min / Year: 2017 Together, best friends Lily and Simon navigate the treacherous waters of school life, but when a misunderstanding with the beautiful and popular Violet leads to a vicious attack, Lily is faced with the greatest challenge of her young life.

Cyfarwyddwr: Graham Cantwell / Gwlad: Iwerddon Hyd: 22 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Gyda’i gilydd, mae’r ddau ffrind gorau Lily a Simon yn hwylio dyfroedd peryglus bywyd yn yr ysgol, ond pan fo camddealltwriaeth gyda’r ferch boblogaidd a phrydferth Violet yn arwain at ymosodiad ciaidd, rhaid i Lily wynebu her fwyaf ei bywyd ifanc.

COCOON

COCOON

Dir: Liying Mei / Country: China / Time: 25 min / Year: 2017 China, 1997. 11-year-old Qingqing embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she begins investigating her mother’s close relationship with a female friend. What she learns brings into question everything she thought she knew about her family, life, and love.

Cyfarwyddwr: Liying Mei / Gwlad: Tsieina Hyd: 25 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Tsieina, 1997. Mae’r ferch 11 oed Qingqing yn cychwyn ar daith o ganfod ei hunan ar ôl dechrau ymchwilio i berthynas agos ei mam gyda chyfeilles iddi. Mae’r hyn mae’n ei ddysgu yn codi cwestiynau am bopeth roedd hi’n ei wybod am ei theulu, am fywyd ac am gariad.

IRIS 48

A second collection of short films with women as their protagonists, Programme 5 gives us an insightful look at the world of Drag Kings alongside three touching tales of teenage selfdiscovery.

Ail gasgliad o ffilmiau byrion lle mae’r prif gymeriadau’n ferched. Bydd Rhaglen 5 yn rhoi cipolwg i ni ar fyd y Brenhinoedd Drag, ynghyd â thair stori deimladwy am arddegwyr yn darganfod eu hunain.

IRIS SHORTS Programme Six

Cineworld Screen 15, 4.30pm, Dur 75min, Thu 12 Oct

Curmudgeons

CURMUDGEONS

CURMUDGEONS

Dir: Danny DeVito / Country: USA / Time: 17 min / Year: 2016 Robin visits her curmudgeonly, foul-mouthed grandpa Ralph in the nursing home where he lives, but what should have been a routine call takes a surprising turn with the arrival of Ralph’s wheelchairbound (and equally sharp-tongued) lover Jackie.

Cyfarwyddwr: Danny DeVito / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 17 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae Robin yn ymweld â’i thad-cu cwrs a phiwis Ralph yn y cartref gofal lle mae’n byw. Dim ond ymweliad arferol oedd hwn i fod, ond mae’n cael tipyn o syndod gydag ymddangosiad cariad ei thad-cu, Jackie, sydd mewn cadair olwyn ac yr un mor frathog â Ralph.

THE RABBI

THE RABBI

Dir: Uriya Hertz / Country: Israel / Time: 20 min / Year: 2017 Michael is a charismatic and much-admired rabbi at a Jerusalem Yeshiva. When his favourite student, Gadi, shares with him his innermost secrets, Michael’s familiar, secure world comes into question.

Cyfarwyddwr: Uriya Hertz / Gwlad: Israel Hyd: 20 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae Michael yn Rabbi carismataidd ac uchel ei barch mewn Yeshiva yn Jerwsalem. Pan fo’i hoff fyfyriwr, Gadi, yn rhannu ei gyfrinachau dyfnaf gydag ef, mae byd cyfarwydd, diogel Michael yn teimlo’n llawer mwy ansicr.

ODD JOB MAN

ODD JOB MAN

Dir: Marianne Blicher / Country: Denmark Time: 22 min / Year: 2017 The story of an older man who gets fired from his job and is promptly left by his wife. His search for new opportunities takes him into a sparkling and colourful world of drag queens and cabaret, but does he dare to seize the moment and pursue a dusty dream?

Cyfarwyddwr: Marianne Blicher / Gwlad: Denmarc Hyd: 22 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Hanes dyn hŷn sy’n colli ei swydd ac yna’n cael ei adael gan ei wraig.

Mae’n dechrau chwilio am gyfleoedd newydd mewn antur sy’n mynd ag ef i ddisgleirdeb a lliw byd y cabare a’r breninesau drag. Ond ydy e’n meiddio bachu ar y cyfle a byw hen freuddwyd?

THE DAM

THE DAM

Dir: Brendon McDonall / Country: Australia Time: 16 min / Year: 2016 A lifelong friendship is under siege when two mature Australian men visit the monolithic dam that defined their young lives and are confronted by feelings that were impounded long ago, but cannot be contained any longer.

Cyfarwyddwr: Brendon McDonall / Gwlad: Awstralia Hyd: 16 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae cyfeillgarwch oes mewn peryg pan fo dau ddyn hŷn o Awstralia yn mynd i weld yr argae monolithig oedd yn ganolbwynt i’w bywydau ifanc, ac yn dod wyneb yn wyneb â theimladau a guddiwyd dan glo amser maith yn ôl, ond sy’n gwrthod cuddio bellach.

Our sixth programme of shorts competing for the Iris Prize takes a look at ageing and the tensions between desire and duty, with everything from expletive-ridden comedy to a thoughtful meditation on family and religion.

Mae’r chweched rhaglen o ffilmiau byrion sy’n cystadlu am Wobr Iris yn edrych ar heneiddio a’r tyndra rhwng dyhead a dyletswydd, gyda phopeth o gomedi llawn rhegfeydd i fyfyrdod meddylgar am deulu a chrefydd.

IRIS 49

IRIS SHORTS Programme Seven

Cineworld Screen 15, 12.00pm, Dur 90min, Fri 13 Oct

Get the Life

GET THE LIFE

GET THE LIFE

Dir: Ozzy Villazon / Country: USA / Time: 12 min / Year: 2016 Alex is a transgender teenager with an unwanted pregnancy.

Faced with compromising choices that could have unexpected repercussions, Alex must now decide how to break this news to his partner Jesse, and how much he’s willing to lose to live honestly and courageously.

Cyfarwyddwr: Ozzy Villazon / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Hyd: 12 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Arddegyn traws yw Alex, ac mae’n disgwyl babi’n anfwriadol. Fe allai fod canlyniadau annisgwyl i’r dewisiadau anodd sy’n ei wynebu, ac mae’n rhaid iddo benderfynu sut i dorri’r newyddion i’w bartner Jesse, a phenderfynu faint mae’n fodlon ei golli er mwyn byw’n onest ac yn ddewr.

PAPEROCK

PAPEROCK

Dir: Hillel Rate / Country: Israel / Time: 11 min / Year: 2016 Leah is an ultra-orthodox teen visiting Jerusalem’s old central bus station for a meeting with her estranged brother. Thinking he won’t show up, Leah is just about to leave when she meets a mysterious woman who knows Leah by name.

Cyfarwyddwr: Hillel Rate / Gwlad: Israel Hyd: 11 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Merch uniongred yn ei harddegau yw Leah. Mae’n mynd i hen orsaf fysiau ganolog Jerwsalem i gwrdd â’i brawd ar ôl blynyddoedd heb gysylltiad rhyngddynt. Mae’n amau nad yw’n mynd i ymddangos, ac mae ar fin gadael pan mae’n cwrdd â menyw ddirgel sy’n gwybod ei henw.

With issues surrounding gender identity at the forefront of current debate, we are very pleased to present a programme of short films with trans and non-binary characters and subjects as their focus. From intimate documentary self-portraits to moving drama, these films will take you on a journey across three contents, from the US and Austria to Israel and China.

Gyda materion yn ymwneud â hunaniaeth ryweddol yn amlwg iawn mewn trafodaethau cyfoes, rydym yn falch iawn o gael cyflwyno rhaglen o ffilmiau byrion sy’n canolbwyntio ar gymeriadau a phynciau traws ac anneuaidd. O hunan-bortreadau dogfen personol i ddramâu teimladwy, bydd y ffilmiau yma’n mynd â chi ar daith ar hyd tri chyfandir, o’r Unol Daleithiau ac Awstria i Israel a Tsieina.

GOODBYE MR. B, HELLO MS. B

GOODBYE MR. B, HELLO MS. B

Dir: Beatrice Wong / Country: Hong Kong Time: 15 min / Year: 2016 An autobiographical documentary about director Beatrice Wong’s experiences as a transgender woman, her childhood and adolescence, her relationship with her mother, and her hopes and aspirations for the future.

Cyfarwyddwr: Beatrice Wong / Gwlad: Hong Kong Hyd: 15 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Ffilm ddogfen hunan-gofiannol am brofiadau’r cyfarwyddwr Beatrice Wong fel menyw drawsryweddol, ei phlentyndod a’i glasoed, ei pherthynas gyda’i mam, a’i gobeithion a’i dyheadau ar gyfer y dyfodol.

KOPRIVA (THE NETTLE)

KOPRIVA (DANADL POETHION)

MATHIAS

Dir: Piaoyu Xie / Country: Czech Republic/China Time: 22 min / Year: 2017 Nikola is about to join his girlfriend at her father’s house for a summer holiday, but after wearing makeup for the very first time, he begins a startling and life-changing process of self-discovery.

Cyfarwyddwr: Piaoyu Xie / Gwlad: y Weriniaeth Tsiec/Tsieina Amser: 22 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae Nikola ar fin ymuno â’i gariad yng nghartref ei thad ar gyfer gwyliau’r haf, ond ar ôl gwisgo colur am y tro cyntaf, mae e’n cychwyn ar broses ysgytwol o ganfod ei hunan, sy’n newid ei fywyd.

Cyfarwyddwr: Clara Stern / Gwlad: Awstria Hyd: 30 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Dyn ifanc trawsryweddol yw Mathias, sy’n ceisio ymdopi gyda hunaniaeth newydd a swydd newydd. Mae hynny’n ddigon o her, ond efallai y bydd cynnal perthynas gyda’i gariad hirdymor Marie yn her fwy eto.

IRIS 50

MATHIAS Dir: Clara Stern / Country: Austria / Time: 30 min / Year: 2017 Mathias is a young transgender man, coping with a new identity and a new job. Each has its fair share of challenges, but sustaining a relationship with his long-term girlfriend Marie could be the biggest challenge of them all.

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IRIS SHORTS Programme Eight

Cineworld Screen 15, 7.00pm, Dur 71min, Fri 13 Oct

Sodom’s Cat

ONE SUMMER

ONE SUMMER

Dir: Gregory Oke / Country: UK / Time: 19 min / Year: 2017 Set in the idyllic green hills of Herefordshire, against a soundtrack of vintage French rock, One Summer tells the story a frustrated young sheep shearer and his growing attraction to a colleague.

Cyfarwyddwr: Gregory Oke / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 19 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ffilm wedi’i gosod ym mryniau gwyrddlas Swydd Henffordd, gyda roc Ffrengig clasurol yn drac sain iddi. Yn One Summer cawn hanes cneifiwr defaid ifanc rhwystredig sy’n teimlo atyniad cynyddol at gydweithiwr.

SODOM’S CAT

SODOM’S CAT

Dir: Huang Ting-Chun / Country: Taiwan Time: 30 min / Year: 2017 When Sun attends a sex party organised via a dating app, he finds himself more perplexed than aroused. Despite everyone’s best efforts, nothing seems to turn him on. What is the secret of Sun’s desires?

Cyfarwyddwr: Huang Ting-Chun / Gwlad: Taiwan Hyd: 30 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ar ôl mynd i barti rhyw a drefnwyd drwy ap caru, mae Sun yn teimlo mwy o benbleth na chynnwrf. Mae pawb yn gwneud ei orau glas i’w blesio, ond does dim byd yn tycio. Beth yw cyfrinach dyheadau Sun?

TOMMYTEEN18

TOMMYTEEN18

Dir: Vincent Fitz-Jim / Country: Netherlands Time: 17 min / Year: 2017 As he journeys from childhood to maturity, 15-year-old Tommy loses himself in a tireless search for male sex, until a gay dating app seems to offer the only solution.

Cyfarwyddwr: Vincent Fitz-Jim / Gwlad: yr Iseldiroedd Hyd: 17 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Wrth iddo ymbalfalu rhwng plentyndod ac aeddfedrwydd, mae Tommy, 15 oed, yn ymgolli mewn helfa ddiflino i gael rhyw gyda dyn. Mae’n ymddangos mai dim ond ap caru hoyw sy’n gallu cynnig ateb iddo.

TASTE OF LOVE

TASTE OF LOVE

Dir: Paul Scheufler / Country: Austria / Time: 5 min / Year: 2017 What is the taste of love? Could it be sweet, sour, bitter or even salty?

Our narrator embarks on an aromatic journey of love, stimulating her taste buds to the point of climax. With all of her senses, she explores the various forms love can take on.

Cyfarwyddwr: Paul Scheufler / Gwlad: Awstria Hyd: 5 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Sut flas sydd ar gariad? All ei flas fod yn felys, yn sur, yn chwerw neu hyd yn oed yn hallt? Ein storïwraig sy’n mynd â ni ar daith bersawrus cariad, gan gyffroi ei blasbwyntiau hyd at anterth. Gyda phob un o’i synhwyrau, mae’n archwilio’r gwahanol ffurfiau all fod i gariad.

IRIS 52

Our eighth programme of shorts competing for this year’s Iris Prize include some of the most explicit, frank and hard-hitting films you are likely to see this year, from a graphic depiction of a sex party to a vibrant meditation on sex and sensuality, but there’s still plenty of room for emotion and humour!

Mae’r wythfed rhaglen o ffilmiau byrion sy’n cystadlu am Wobr Iris eleni yn cynnwys rhai o’r ffilmiau mwyaf cignoeth, gonest a didostur rydych chi’n debygol o’u gweld eleni, o bortread graffig o barti rhyw i fyfyrdod bywiog ar ryw a chnawdolrwydd. Ond mae digon o le hefyd ar gyfer emosiwn a hiwmor!

Marley Morrison, Leroy. www.hazeyjanefilms.com

Marley Morrison Leroy’s writer and director Marley Morrison talks to Suryatapa Mukherjee about the 1990s, fitting in and diversity on screen.

IS THE MOVIE SET IN THE 90S?

I’ve tried to make it non-specific. If I’m honest, it was a bit of a nostalgic thing for me. I wanted to do a throwback to my childhood and teenage years. And I grew up in the 90s.

I find a lot of colour and fun in the 90s. It just fit with the character of Leroy that I had created. But because of budgetary reasons, I couldn’t specifically set it in the 90s. That’s why you can see that we’ve got an old car but when it’s driving around, it’s with a lot of cars from nowadays. It was impossible for us to completely make it 90s all the way through. It would have cost an absolute fortune. So, we made it non-specific and tried to create Leroy’s own little world.

YEAH, THE COLOURS ARE VERY BRIGHT AND SORT OF VINTAGE. I DID GET THAT NOSTALGIC FEEL FROM IT. SO, DO YOU RELATE TO LEROY’S STORY?

I suppose I do without me intentionally planning it that way. It started with the idea of the character of Leroy. Thinking back to it now, it does have echoes of my teenage years of being a little bit odd and socially awkward. And trying to fit in but being that one awkward person in your family. Yeah, definitely.

I SAW THE TRAILER AND I LOVE THE ‘KONICHIWA’ MOMENT. THAT WAS HILARIOUS! YOUR PRODUCTION COMPANY HAZEY JANE FILMS SAYS THAT IT WANTS TO FOCUS ON BAME QUEER WOMEN. SO, WHEN DID THAT FOCUS ON DIVERSITY COME FOR YOU?

Just generally? Oh, god! Just from growing up and not seeing anybody that looked like me on TV. The biggest medium that I had as a kid was music videos and TV shows in the 90s. It was very much a binary world. You would have some pop stars like Bowie and Prince that were a bit androgynous. But you didn’t have anyone who was a real person being represented on TV in that way – whether queer, or otherwise, innit?

I wanted to be part of that movement for the next generation – to see those characters on screen, and not through heterosexual eyes or articulated in heterosexual terms, which happens quite a lot. The queer character is never the lead character. They’re always the token queer character that’s somewhat stereotyped. Their character is not that interesting or complex. So I thought, why don’t we show these characters which obviously exist? People need to see that these communities are out there. We do have stories to tell. We do live lives.

YEAH, AND A LOT OF THOSE THINGS ALSO APPLY TO BAME CHARACTERS ON TV.

Definitely! It’s the same sort of thing whether it’s ethnic minorities, queer characters, disabilities, you know. I can’t cover everything but I would love to! [Laughs] I’m trying to fuck the system.

I’m trying to make these stories come to the forefront. And say, look, they are as complex and as interesting as heterosexual characters.

You need to just give them a chance. They’re not niche. They’re not over there in their little LGBT+ corner and not relatable. Everyone’s human. We have all got human stories to tell.

SO, IT’S BASICALLY ABOUT HUMANISING THEM.

Yeah, exactly. With Leroy, I deliberately did not want to make it a film about him being gay.

That’s not what the film is about. It’s about his relationship with his granddad, and his ability to grow up and become a man or an adult. So, the fact that he is gay is almost secondary. I made this a character that you might see every day and recognise, like, “Oh look, this kooky mixedrace afro kid, whatever. But oh my god, OK! He happens to be gay.” That’s not the overriding thing that we’re talking about. It’s just a guy.

Leroy is one of 15 Best British shorts competing in this year’s Iris Prize.

IRIS 53

IRIS SHORTS Programme Nine

Cineworld Screen 15, 10.00am, Dur 55min, Sat 14 Oct

The Whole World

MOTHER KNOWS BEST (MAMMA VET BÄST)

MAM ŴYR ORAU (MAMMA VET BÄST)

Dir: Mikael Bundsen / Country: Sweden Time: 13 min / Year: 2016 After introducing her to his boyfriend, an anxious teenager faces the awkward car journey home with his mother. Filmed in one continuous take, the conversation that follows is funny, uncomfortable and touching in equal measure.

Cyfarwyddwr: Mikael Bundsen / Gwlad: Sweden Hyd: 13 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Ar ôl cyflwyno’i gariad i’w fam, mae llanc pryderus yn wynebu’r siwrne letchwith adre yn y car gyda hi. Mae’r sgwrs sy’n dilyn – wedi’i ffilmio mewn un saethiad – yn ddoniol, yn anghysurus ac yn deimladwy i gyd ar yr un pryd.

THE WHOLE WORLD

EL MUNDO ENTERO (Y BYD I GYD)

Dir: Julián Quintanilla / Country: Spain Time: 30 min / Year: 2016 Every year Julián visits his mother’s grave in the village cemetery, and every year she appears to him and they make plans; or rather, she makes plans and he obeys. This year, however, La Chary has something different in mind, a special request that will surprise the whole world!

Cyfarwyddwr: Julián Quintanilla / Gwlad: Sbaen Hyd: 30 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Bob blwyddyn mae Julián yn mynd i weld bedd ei fam ym mynwent y pentref, a bob blwyddyn mae hi’n ymddangos o’i flaen ac maen nhw’n gwneud cynlluniau gyda’i gilydd – neu’n hytrach, mae hi’n gwneud cynlluniau, ac yntau’n ufuddhau. Fodd bynnag, eleni mae gan La Chary rywbeth gwahanol yn ei meddwl, cais arbennig a fydd yn synnu’r byd i gyd!

ADULT

ADULT

Dir: Jamieson Pearce / Country: Australia Time: 12 min / Year: 2017 Tormented by a loss she believes to be her fault, Elena enters an adult store in search of redemption. An unconventional, discomfiting examination of the relationship between a mother and son.

Cyfarwyddwr: Jamieson Pearce / Gwlad: Awstralia Hyd: 12 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 A hithau’n beio ei hunan am golled sy’n ei harteithio, mae Elena’n mynd i siop nwyddau oedolion i geisio gwaredigaeth. Archwiliad anghysurus, anghonfensiynol o’r berthynas rhwng mam a’i mab.

IRIS 54

Our final programme, and the end to our search for this Iris Prize winner, features three very different takes on the theme of mothers and sons, from the brightly coloured streets of small-town Spain to one woman’s emotional visit to a sex shop.

Mae’r rhaglen olaf, diwedd ein helfa am enillydd Gwobr Iris, yn cynnwys tair ffordd wahanol iawn o ymdrin â thema mamau a’u meibion, o strydoedd lliwgar un o fân drefi Sbaen, i ymweliad emosiynol un wraig â siop ryw.

What will you see in Cardiff?

www.irisprize.org

British Shorts

One Summer

Since being promoted by BAFTA to ‘A’ List Festival status in 2016, Iris has seen the number of submissions from UK-based filmmakers rocket. This recognition means that each of the 15 shortlisted films in this category are automatically eligible for a nomination for Best Short Film in the following year’s BAFTA awards.

Selected from hundreds of submissions from across the country, this year’s Best British entries cover a very wide range of subjects and genres, from documentary to animation, from tragedy to comedy, and everything in between.

The winning filmmaker will receive a package of post-production services worth an incredible £20,000, sponsored by the Pinewood Studios Group. This includes sound mixing, soundtrack lay and dub plus layback.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts between men in England and Wales. (Our friends in Scotland and Northern Ireland had to wait until 1980 and 1982 before their legislation outlawing gay sex was lifted.) The breadth and quality of LGBT+ stories being told by the UK’s filmmakers in 2017 is a testament both to how much has been achieved since then, and how much work remains.

Festival director Berwyn Rowlands says, “The Best British category allows Iris to support LGBT filmmaking talent from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We were delighted last year that the winner of Best British, Balcony, went on to win the Iris Prize itself – a first in Iris’s 11-year history. And the quality of storytelling this year is even stronger than ever before.”

Four of this year’s films have been nominated by our UK partner festivals: BFI Flare in London; Liverpool Pride; Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF), and Bristol’s Queer Vision.

IRIS 56

Iris Prize Chair Andrew Pierce says, “From humble beginnings, the Best British award has become a much sought-after prize among UK LGBT filmmakers. Pinewood’s support, offering £20,000 in postproduction services, has been instrumental in this. I look forward to seeing what our excellent indigenous filmmakers have for us this year!”

This year, and for the first time, women directors dominate the shortlist, and a substantial number of films in the final 15 tackle issues of gender identity. This is a positive, encouraging sign of progress and change, and we hope to see more of this in the future.

In the meantime, enjoy everything the UK’s short film-makers have brought to this year’s Iris Prize Festivals. In these three programmes are stories about family, about growing up, about falling in love, falling out of love, and stories of anger, desire and hope. You’ll be entertained and enthralled and kept on the edge of your seat. So what will you see in Cardiff?

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BEST BRITISH SHORTS Programme One

Cineworld Screen 15, 7.00pm, Dur: 56min, Thurs 12 Oct

Sununu

YELLOW

YELLOW

Dir: Rowyn Mottershead / Country: UK / Time: 8 min / Year: 2017 A documentary short focused on the lives of transgender and non-binary young adults, the emotions and experiences they go through during the process of transition, and the impact this has on their everyday lives.

Cyfarwyddwr: Rowyn Mottershead / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 8 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ffilm ddogfen fer yn canolbwyntio ar fywydau oedolion ifanc trawsryweddol ac anneuaidd, yr emosiynau a’r profiadau maen nhw’n mynd drwyddyn nhw yn ystod y broses o drawsnewid, a’r effaith mae hyn yn ei chael ar eu bywydau bob dydd.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Dir: Lucie Rachel / Country: UK / Time: 9 min / Year: 2016 A personal insight into the changing relationship between a young woman and her transgender parent. Looking back, they share their individual experiences of coming out and begin to consider what the future might hold for their family now the decision to transition has been made.

Cyfarwyddwr: Lucie Rachel / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 9 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Cipolwg personol ar berthynas rhwng menyw ifanc a’i rhiant trawsryweddol, a’r newid yn y berthynas. Maen nhw’n edrych yn ôl gan rannu eu profiadau unigol o ddod allan, ac yn dechrau ystyried sut ddyfodol fydd i’w teulu nawr bod y penderfyniad i drawsnewid wedi’i wneud.

SUNUNÚ: THE REVOLUTION OF LOVE

SUNUNÚ: THE REVOLUTION OF LOVE

Dir: Olivia Crellin / Country: UK / Time: 23 min / Year: 2017 Trans dad Fernando Machado became an international news sensation when he announced that he was pregnant by his transgender girlfriend Diane Rodriguez. Sununú: The Revolution Of Love offers an intimate portrayal of this remarkable couple and their six-week-old baby as they balance parenthood and political activism in Ecuador.

Cyfarwyddwr: Olivia Crellin / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 23 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Daeth y tad traws Fernando Machado i sylw’r byd pan gyhoeddodd ei fod yn disgwyl babi gyda’i gariad trawsryweddol Diane Rodriguez.

Mae Sununú: The Revolution of Love yn cynnig portread personol o’r cwpl rhyfeddol yma a’u babi chwech wythnos oed wrth iddyn nhw geisio sicrhau cydbwysedd rhwng bod yn rhieni a chymryd rhan mewn ymgyrchu gwleidyddol yn Ecwador.

AN (UN)NATURAL BIRTH

AN (UN)NATURAL BIRTH

Dir: Laura Kingwell / Country: UK / Time: 16 min / Year: 2016 Laura and Mairi are searching for a sperm donor, but with only a handful of registered donors available in the UK they must select one online from the European Sperm Bank. Laura seeks guidance from the other women in her life, her mother and friends. Would they have chosen a father based solely on an online profile? And which would they prioritise: looks, intelligence, mental health or personality?

Cyfarwyddwr: Laura Kingwell / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 16 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae Laura a Mairi yn chwilio am roddwr sberm, ond gyda dim ond llond dwrn o roddwyr cofrestredig ar gael yng ngwledydd Prydain, rhaid iddyn nhw ddewis un ar-lein o’r Banc Sberm Ewropeaidd. Mae Laura’n ceisio cyngor gan y merched eraill yn ei bywyd, ei mam a’i chyfeillion. Fydden nhw wedi dewis tad yn seiliedig ar broffil ar-lein yn unig? A beth fyddai eu blaenoriaeth nhw: pryd a gwedd, deallusrwydd, iechyd meddwl neu bersonoliaeth?

IRIS 58

Our first programme of films competing for this year’s best british short offers four very different takes on gender, family and parenting.

Mae’r rhaglen gyntaf o ffilmiau sy’n cystadlu am wobr Ffilm Fer Orau Prydain yn cynnig pedair ymdriniaeth wahanol iawn â rhywedd, teulu a rhianta.

BEST BRITISH SHORTS Programme Two

Cineworld Screen 15, 10.00am, Dur: 65min, Fri 13 Oct

Rink

WE LOVE MOSES

WE LOVE MOSES

Dir: Dionne Edwards / Country: UK / Time: 15 min / Year: 2016 When Ella was 12, she had her first fight. And when she was 12, she discovered sex. Years later, Ella reflects on how her obsession with her brother’s best friend Moses left her with a secret she still carries.

Cyfarwyddwr: Dionne Edwards / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 15 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Deuddeg oed oedd Ella pan fu yn ei ffeit gyntaf. Deuddeg oedd hi hefyd pan wnaeth hi ddarganfod rhyw. Flynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach, mae Ella’n myfyrio ar y ffordd yr arweiniodd ei hobsesiwn gyda ffrind gorau ei brawd, Moses, at gyfrinach mae hi’n dal i’w chario hyd heddiw.

RINK

RINK

Dir: Gail Hackston / Country: UK / Time: 10 min / Year: 2016 Tomboy Jane is visiting her local ice rink with best friend Alfie when she spots her crush, Leanne. Can she pluck up the courage to speak to her? And what will Leanne’s brother say if she does?

Cyfarwyddwr: Gail Hackston / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 10 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae’r tomboi Jane wedi mynd i’r ganolfan sglefrio leol gyda’i ffrind gorau Alfie pan mae’n gweld gwrthrych ei serch, sef Leanne. Fydd hi’n gallu magu digon o blwc i siarad â hi? Ac os bydd hi, beth fydd brawd Leanne yn ei ddweud?

Women filmmakers dominate the shortlist in this category, but our second programme of British Shorts is centred around women’s stories, with an emphasis on youth and growing up.

Merched yw mwyafrif y gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau sydd wedi cyrraedd y rhestr fer yn y categori hwn, ond mae’r ail raglen o Ffilmiau Byrion Prydain yn canolbwyntio ar straeon merched hefyd, gyda phwyslais ar ieuenctid a thyfu’n oedolyn.

PILLOW TALK

PILLOW TALK

FAY PRESTO: THE QUEEN OF CLOSE-UP

Dir: Louise Marie Cooke / Country: UK / Time: 8 min / Year: 2017 A coming-of-age film about best friends Cara and Lucy set in 1993.

Lucy suspects that Cara has feelings for girls rather than boys and is determined to get the truth out of her, even at the risk of damaging their friendship.

Cyfarwyddwr: Louise Marie Cooke / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 8 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ffilm dod i oed am ddwy ffrind gorau, Cara a Lucy, wedi’i gosod yn 1993. Mae Lucy’n amau mai merched yw diddordeb Cara, nid bechgyn. Mae hi’n benderfynol o gael y gwir ohoni, hyd yn oed os bydd hynny’n peryglu eu cyfeillgarwch.

Dir: Hanna Aqvilin / Country: UK Time: 16 min / Year: 2017 A documentary portrait of the legendary Fay Presto: the UK’s most in-demand close-up and cabaret magician, who would rather die on stage than quit performing.

OUTLINES

OUTLINES

FAY PRESTO: THE QUEEN OF CLOSE-UP

Dir: Ellie Rogers / Country: UK / Time: 16 min / Year: 2017 A teenage girl, Sarah, returns to her father’s apartment earlier than expected, only to come face-to-face with his hired escort, just as she’s about to leave. In the moments that follow, distrust and prejudice give way to understanding, and maybe even friendship.

Cyfarwyddwr: Ellie Rogers / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 16 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Mae Sarah, merch yn ei harddegau, yn dychwelyd i fflat ei thad yn gynt na’r disgwyl, ac yn dod wyneb yn wyneb ag escort roedd ei dad wedi’i llogi, fel roedd hi ar fin gadael. Yn yr eiliadau sy’n dilyn, mae diffyg ymddiriedaeth a rhagfarn yn gwneud lle ar gyfer dealltwriaeth, ac efallai hyd yn oed cyfeillgarwch.

Cyfarwyddwr: Hanna Aqvilin / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 16 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Portread dogfennol o’r enwog Fay Presto; y consuriwr cabare ac agos-atoch mwyaf poblogaidd yng ngwledydd Prydain, y byddai’n well ganddi farw ar y llwyfan na rhoi’r gorau i berfformio.

IRIS 59

BEST BRITISH SHORTS Programme Three

Cineworld Screen 15, 4.30pm, Dur: 108min, Fri 13 Oct

Masculinity and male relationships come under the spotlight in Best British Shorts Programme 3, with everything from hard hitting drama and comedy to animation.

Gwrywdod a pherthnasau rhwng dynion sy’n cael sylw yn Rhaglen 3 Ffilmiau Byrion Gorau Prydain, gyda phopeth o ddrama galed a chomedi i animeiddio.

Colours

WOLVES

WOLVES

COLOURS

Dir: Maria Balduzzi / Country: UK / Time: 20 min / Year: 2016 Teenager Josh lives alone with his father in a remote corner of the British countryside. Their relationship is strained, and Josh spends much of his time exploring the nearby woods, but his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a mysterious boy, wearing nothing but his underwear, shivering with cold and unable to speak.

Cyfarwyddwr: Maria Balduzzi / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 20 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Mae Josh yn ei arddegau, ac yn byw ar ei ben ei hunan gyda’i dad yng nghefn gwlad. Mae eu perthynas dan straen, ac mae Josh yn treulio llawer o’i amser yn archwilio’r coed gerllaw. Ond daw tro ar fyd pan ddaw wyneb yn wyneb â bachgen hynod, yn gwisgo dim ond ei ddillad isaf, yn crynu yn yr oerfel heb allu siarad gair.

Dir: Peter Lee Scott / Country: UK / Time: 25 min / Year: 2015 In the aggressive and often hostile world of youth football, 17-yearold Adam faces an ultimatum from his bullying captain when they discover that a teammate – Adam’s best friend Tom – is gay.

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN

COLOURS

Dir: Harry Lighton / Country: UK / Time: 20 min / Year: 2016 On a Sunday morning in October 1994, 21-year-old twins George and Ben leave the house, telling their family they’re going to a birthday party. Instead, they’re travelling by car to the seaside town of Hastings, where George has arranged to meet a man he’s met online.

Cyfarwyddwr: Harry Lighton / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 20 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Un bore dydd Sul ym mis Hydref 1994, mae George a Ben, dau efaill 21 oed, yn gadael eu cartref gan ddweud wrth eu teulu eu bod ar y ffordd i barti pen-blwydd. Mewn gwirionedd, maen nhw ar eu ffordd i dref glan-môr Hastings, lle mae George wedi trefnu cyfarfod â dyn mae wedi cwrdd ag ef ar-lein.

Cyfarwyddwr: Peter Lee Scott / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 25 munud / Blwyddyn: 2015 Mae pêl-droed ieuenctid yn fyd ffyrnig a gelyniaethus yn aml. Mae’r bwli o gapten yn gosod y ddeddf i lawr i Adam, 17 oed, pan maen nhw’n darganfod bod un o’r tîm – sef Tom, ffrind gorau Adam – yn hoyw.

ONE SUMMER

ONE SUMMER

BEARABLE

Dir: Gregory Oke / Country: UK / Time: 19 min / Year: 2017 Set in the idyllic green hills of Herefordshire, against a soundtrack of vintage French rock, One Summer tells the story a frustrated young sheep shearer and his growing attraction to a colleague.

Cyfarwyddwr: Gregory Oke / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 19 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ffilm wedi’i gosod ym mryniau gwyrddlas Swydd Henffordd, gyda roc Ffrengig clasurol yn drac sain iddi. Yn One Summer cawn hanes cneifiwr defaid ifanc rhwystredig sy’n teimlo atyniad cynyddol at gydweithiwr.

Dir: David James Holloway / Country: UK Time: 4 min / Year: 2016 What if your tribe within the gay community defined you? What if the labels we attach to ourselves were literal? What if you lived with an actual bear?

LEROY

LEROY

BEARABLE

Dir: Marley Morrison / Country: UK / Time: 20 min / Year: 2017 On a deprived council estate in Northeast London, eccentric teenager Leroy Brown spends his days fighting with his wannabe ‘gangsta’ brother Kenny, making his own jewellery and playing an amusement arcade dance game with best friend Yukiko. The sudden death of his beloved grandfather Nelson forces Leroy out of his shell, but with the help of a cassette tape Nelson left him, Leroy learns what it takes to live in a ‘man’s world’.

Cyfarwyddwr: Marley Morrison / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 20 munud / Blwyddyn: 2017 Ar stad tai cyngor ddifreintiedig yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Llundain, mae’r llanc anghyffredin Leroy Brown yn treulio’i ddyddiau yn ymladd gyda’i frawd Kenny sy’n gweld ei hunan fel gangster, yn gwneud ei emwaith ei hunan ac yn chwarae gêm ddawnsio yn yr arcêd gyda’i ffrind gorau Yukiko. Mae marwolaeth sydyn ei dad-cu annwyl Nelson yn gorfodi Leroy o’i gragen, ond gyda chymorth casét a adawyd iddo gan Nelson, mae Leroy’n dysgu beth sydd ei angen er mwyn bod yn rhan o ‘deulu dyn’.

Cyfarwyddwr: David James Holloway / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Hyd: 4 munud / Blwyddyn: 2016 Beth petai’r garfan rydych chi’n perthyn iddi yn y gymuned hoyw yn eich diffinio chi? Beth petai’r labeli rydyn ni’n eu rhoi arnon ni ein hunain yn rhai llythrennol? Beth petaech chi’n byw gydag arth go iawn?

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Festival Highlights What Will You See at this year’s IRIS PRIZE FESTIVAL? Buzz’s, Chris Williams rounds up this year’s Iris Prize Festival, Cardiff’s celebration of international LGBT cinema and picks his favourites.

T

en years ago, when the Iris Prize Festival started it was a three-day festival. Now in its 11th year, the Iris Prize is a six-day long, BAFTA recognised festival – meaning automatic BAFTA qualification for the 15 British films – and recognised by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the Top 50 Film Festivals In The World for three years in a row.

LGBT culture has come a long way since the first Iris Prize Festival in 2007, and even further in the last 50 years: 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. There’s still a long way to go though; as Iris Prize chair, Andrew Pierce, has commented, there are far too many countries where being gay is a crime, and the black cloud of Chechnya tragically looms large over the rainbow umbrella. Pierce says that the countries not represented at Iris are a distressing reminder of this.

“What will you see in Cardiff?” is the slogan for this year’s festival – fitting, then, that filmmakers from around the world come to show their films at one of the world’s most prestigious LGBT film festivals.

“The 25 nominating partners located across the globe are our eyes and ears,” says Pierce.

“I think Iris is a window on the world.” Over the

IRIS 62

festival, in Cardiff venues like Cineworld and the Park Inn, films made by or aimed at the LGBT community will be shown. As well as the UK and Ireland, USA, Canada and Australia, the festival brings LGBT films to Cardiff from Taiwan, Brazil, India, Israel, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Hong Kong, Germany, Norway and China. There are even collaborations between Indonesia, Egypt,the Netherlands and the USA with the film Half A Life, and The Nettle (Kopriva) the result of a partnership between Czechia and China. Overall, this year’s films “give a very clear picture of what it’s like to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender in 2017,” according to Andrew Pierce.

Sponsored by the Michael Bishop Foundation, the Iris Prize continues to be the world’s largest short film prize at £30,000, helping them to make their next film. Alongside that is the Best British Award, sponsored by Pinewood Studios Group, with a prize valued at £20,000. Other awards are Best Feature, Best Performances in Male and Female Roles, and the Youth Jury Award for Best Short.

Trans lives and rights are coming more to the forefront of LGBT issues and this is represented

in the British finalists. Trans stories are celebrated at this year’s festival by making up a third of the Best British Shortlist. These include Yellow, a documentary focusing on transgender and nonbinary young adults; Where We Are Now, about the changing relationship of a daughter and a transgender parent; Sununú: The Revolution Of Love, a portrait of a transgender couple and how they balance raising their six-month-old baby and political activism in Ecuador, and lastly a profile of veteran celebrity entertainer/magician Fay Presto: The Queen Of Close Up. Rounding up the group of documentaries in the British shortlist is An (Un)Natural Birth, Laura Kingwell and her partner Maria document their search for a sperm donor online, from a European sperm bank. The rest of the shortlist deals with coming of age stories showing how varied the lives of LGBT youths can be. Pillowtalk and Rink both deal with young girls and their burgeoning feelings for other young girls, while Outlines is a slightly different take on the same subject – a teenage girl unexpectedly spending an evening with her father’s hired escort, the escort recognises the girl’s feelings towards a delivery girl and offers to help. Growing up as a young gay man is also

presented in various forms. Colours deals with the unforgiving world of grass roots football, when the team discover Adam’s best friend Tom is gay; One Summer tells the story of a frustrated young sheep shearer and his growing attraction to a colleague; Sunday Morning Coming Down is set at during the height of Britpop as Max journeys to the decaying seaside resort of Hastings to find his tribe.

Meanwhile, Wolves looks like it could be one of the most cinematic offerings of the festival – teenager Josh’s life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a mysterious, mute boy in the nearby woods and discovers that love doesn’t need words – whereas the Kickstarter-backed Leroy is a down-to-earth, North London-based comedy about the title character who is forced out of his shell after the death of his beloved grandfather. One of the highlights, animated short Bearable, asks, “what if your tribe within the gay community defined you? What if you lived with a real bear?”

Bearable is one of three animations in this year’s festival alongside two shorts in the running for the main Iris Prize – Half A Life, a gay activist’s first-hand account on the streets of Cairo; and

India’s The Fish Curry (Maacher Jhol) in which the special occasion of 28-year-old Lalit’s coming out calls for a special dish.

Hollywood actor and American comedy legend Danny DeVito is nominated for his film Curmudgeons, a film that’s already played well at festivals such as BFI Flare. DeVito directed and plays one of the curmudgeons, Jackie, lover to Ralph – two men who find love late in life.

Brendon McDonall’s film All God’s Creatures won the Iris Prize at the 2014 Festival and his next film, the Cardiff-filmed Spoilers, went on to receive a BAFTA Cymru and BBC Two screenings. In this year’s festival, McDonall becomes the first Iris winner to be shortlisted twice, thanks to his film school in Sydney submitting his latest short film The Dam – in which long-suppressed feelings make themselves known when two lifelong friends revisit the titular dam that defined their youths.

Alongside these already celebrated directors are three films from some of Britain’s brightest upcoming film makers; as well as competing for the Best British Iris Prize, One Summer and We Love Moses are also competing for the main prize, along with The Colour Of His Hair, based

on an unrealized film script written before the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967.

As well as these films, on the Friday is the 2017 Producers Forum. The festival culminates on the Sunday with the Iris Carnival – at Depot, one of Cardiff’s most striking venues – along with the awards ceremony (often referred to as the Gay Oscars) where we find out the winner of the Iris Prize 2017.

The Iris Prize, Various venues around Cardiff Tues 10 – Sun 15 Oct, Tickets: prices vary per event Info: www.irisprize.org

Christopher Schaap, Prom King 2010. www.promking2010.com

Christopher Schaap Filmmaker and actor Christopher Schaap of Prom King, 2010 chats with Suryatapa Mukherjee about black and white romance films and being a prom king.

I READ ABOUT THE IDEA FOR THE MOVIE COMING FROM YOU SCRIBBLING THE TITLE ON A WALL.

Yeah so, I was in Prague. I was studying there.

That’s actually where I met my producer. Well, we studied abroad in Paris first – studied French film in Paris and Czech film in Prague. And there is this very famous wall there, the John Lennon wall. It’s essentially free for vandalising but in a way where people write inspirational things. And they graffiti art, and they graffiti “Love is all you need,” Beatles lyrics, etc. And I thought it would be very, very funny if I wrote “Prom King, 2010” on there. Because I was Prom King, 2010.

OH, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING PROM KING! THAT’S AMAZING.

[Laughs] Thank you, thank you!

YOU’RE THE FIRST PROM KING I’VE EVER MET.

Oh my god! That’s exciting. It’s an honour. No, no, it’s – I’m sure my character is much more obsessed with that title than I am. But thank you.

I was very happy when it happened in my senior year of high school, which was many years ago.

IRIS 64

YOU SHOULD BE! SO, DO YOU RELATE TO THE CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE? IS IT BASED ON YOURSELF?

I think the best way to answer that is I took qualities in myself and then exaggerated them in Charlie. So, I have always been a romantic. For Charlie, it’s his sole driving factor. It’s this black and white romance that he gets from black and white movies. I have seen the movie so many times. And I’m so aware that he is a very flat character. So, I’m just getting sick of Charlie.

Now when I’m talking about Charlie, I feel like I’m trying to remove myself even more – make myself seem super-cool and like I don’t care about things. No, we’re very similar. He has a lot of naive perceptions about romance and dating that I had when I started off in the dating scene.

THE STORYLINE IS VERY INTERESTING. I COMPLETELY GET THAT WHOLE IDEA OF ROMANCE THAT WE LEARNED FROM THE MEDIA; AND THEN BEING QUEER, WE DON’T REALLY SEE OURSELVES IN THAT. DID YOU FEEL THAT WAY AS WELL, THAT YOU WERE STRUGGLING TO MIX THE TWO OF THOSE THINGS?

Yeah, totally. I was very privileged in that I came out when I was 16 and there was no any

issue whatsoever. I do think there is something hopeful in the representation of someone who has grown up being accepted. And when they do start experiencing gay culture, they almost feel alienated. They feel like they identify with very normal things. In their mind, normal is heteronormativity – something that they’ve picked up from romance films. So, someone who almost feels they don’t like the things that make gay culture unique.

In Charlie’s mind, it’s the drag queens and what he perceives as hypersexuality and all that stereotypical stuff. He feels that those things are not compatible with his idea of romance. And I think that’s something a lot of people could identify with and it’s something I hadn’t seen in a film, and especially in an LGBT+ film. You see characters who were either subjected to this tragic adversity – which is what happens to a lot of people and I’m so glad that movie has been made. But I feel like I have seen that movie many times. Or the sassy sidekick – the comic relief. Obviously that’s not related to an LGBT+ movie, that’s just a character as a prop. I wanted a character that hopefully people could identify with and also find a little sense of hope in.

Prom King, 2010 is one of 10 feature films competing at this year’s Iris Prize.

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Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 15, 7.00pm, Dur: 80min, Wed 11 / Cineworld Screen 14, 6.00pm, Dur: 80min, Fri 13 Oct

THE BOOK OF GABRIELLE

THE BOOK OF GABRIELLE

Director: Lisa Gornick / Country: UK / Year: 2017 Language: English What happens when a lesbian who wishes to be a man meets a man who makes her change her mind?

Gabrielle is an artist and writer working on How To Do It, a graphic book about sex. Her inspiration was Saul, an older novelist whose explicit writing about sex has enthralled and repelled her since childhood. When the two meet, Saul is intrigued and turned on by Gabrielle’s sexuality, while Gabrielle believes she can explore her inner masculinity through Saul. But will they unblock one another or simply get in each other’s way?

The Book Of Gabrielle is a funny, thought-provoking rumination on sex, storytelling and culture, and we are very pleased that the film’s director and star, Lisa Gornick, will be joining us in Cardiff to introduce the film. During the festival, Lisa will be performing her one-woman show What Is Lesbian Film?, incorporating live drawing, storytelling and comedy, and launching How to do it, the book featured in the film.

Cyfarwyddwr: Lisa Gornick / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Blwyddyn: 2017 / Iaith: Saesneg Beth sy’n digwydd pan fo lesbiad a hoffai fod yn ddyn yn cwrdd â dyn sy’n newid ei meddwl?

Artist a sgwenwraig yw Gabriella, sy’n gweithio ar ‘How to do it’, llyfr graffig am ryw. Un dylanwad arni oedd Saul, nofelydd hŷn y bu i’w waith sgwennu am ryw ei swyno a’i ffieiddio er pan oedd yn blentyn. Pan mae’r ddau’n cwrdd, mae rhywioldeb Gabrielle yn deffro chwilfrydedd a chwant yn Saul, tra bod Gabrielle yn credu y gall hi archwilio ei gwryweidd-dra mewnol drwy Saul. Ond fyddan nhw’n rhyddhau ei gilydd, neu’n rhwystr i’w gilydd?

Myfyrdod doniol a deallus am ryw, dweud straeon a diwylliant yw The Book of Gabrielle, ac rydyn ni wrth ein boddau bod cyfarwyddwr a seren y ffilm, Lisa Gornick, yn dod i ymuno â ni yng Nghaerdydd i gyflwyno’r ffilm. Yn ystod yr ŵyl, bydd Lisa yn perfformio ei sioe un fenyw, What is Lesbian Film?, gan gynnwys arlunio, adrodd straeon a chomedi byw, a bydd hefyd yn lansio How to do it, y llyfr sydd dan sylw yn y ffilm.

IRIS 66

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 14, 8:30pm , Dur: 111min, Wed 11 Oct RIFT (RÖKKUR) Director: Erlingur Thoroddsen / Country: Iceland / Year: 2017 Language: Icelandic with English subtitles Months after they broke up, Gunnar receives a mysterious phone call from his ex-boyfriend, Einar. He sounds distraught, and concerned that he might harm himself, Gunnar drives out to the remote, secluded cabin where Einar is staying. But once there, he realises that there is much more to the situation than he could possibly have imagined. As the two men come to terms with their broken relationship, they become aware of another presence. Someone is outside the cabin. And they want to come in.

This tense, claustrophobic film makes spectacular use of Iceland’s almost otherworldly landscapes, and is sure to appeal to fans of original, thought-provoking horror movies. Also screening at the 2017 BFI London Film Festival.

HOLLT (RÖKKUR) Cyfarwyddwr: Erlingur Thoroddsen / Gwlad: Gwlad yr Iâ Blwyddyn: 2017 / Iaith: Islandeg gydag isdeitlau Saesneg Fisoedd ar ôl i’w perthynas chwalu, mae Gunnar yn cael galwad ffôn gan ei gyn-gariad, Einar. Mae’n swnio fel petai Einar mewn pydew o anobaith – gan boeni y gallai niweidio’i hunan, mae Gunner yn gyrru allan i’r caban diarffordd lle mae Einar yn aros. Ond ar ôl cyrraedd, mae Gunnar yn sylweddoli bod llawer mwy i’r sefyllfa nag yr oedd wedi’i ddychmygu. Wrth i’r ddau ddod i delerau â’u tor-perthynas, maen nhw’n dod yn ymwybodol o bresenoldeb arall. Mae rhywun y tu allan i’r caban. Ac mae eisiau dod i mewn.

Mae’r ffilm glawstroffobig llawn tyndra yma’n gwneud defnydd trawiadol o’r tirluniau arallfydol bron sydd i’w gweld yng Ngwlad yr Iâ, ac mae’n siŵr o blesio ffans ffilmiau arswyd gwreiddiol sy’n gwneud i chi feddwl. Bydd y ffilm i’w gweld yn ystod Gŵyl Ffilm Llundain y BFI.

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 14, 8.30pm, Dur: 80min, Thu 12 Oct / Cineworld Screen TBC, 2.00pm, Dur: 80min, Sun 15 Oct

SIGNATURE MOVE Director: Jennifer Reeder / Country: USA / Year: 2017 Language: English, Urdu & Spanish with English subtitles Zaynab is a thirty-something Muslim lawyer living in Chicago with her recently widowed mother, Parveen. She’s also a lesbian, and has started training in the art of Lucha libre, or Mexican wrestling – both things she would rather keep from her mother. While Parveen tries finding her only daughter a suitable husband, Zaynab begins a new romance with Alma, a vivacious outgoing Mexican-American whose own mother is a retired “Luchadora”. But how will Zaynab juggle career, culture, family and romance?

We are very pleased that the film’s co-writer and star Fawzia Mirza will be joining us in Cardiff to introduce the film.

SIGNATURE MOVE Cyfarwyddwr: Jennifer Reeder / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Blwyddyn: 2017 / Iaith: Saesneg, Wrdw a Sbaeneg gydag isdeitlau Saesneg Cyfreithwraig Fwslemaidd tri-deg-rhywbeth yw Zaynab, sy’n byw yn Chicago gyda’i mam Parveen, a gollodd ei gŵr yn ddiweddar. Mae Zaynab hefyd yn lesbiad, ac wedi dechrau hyfforddi yng nghelfyddyd Lucha libre, neu reslo Mecsicanaidd – dau beth y byddai’n well ganddi i’w mam beidio gwybod amdanyn nhw. Tra bod Parveen wrthi’n chwilio am ŵr addas i’w hunig ferch, mae Zaynab yn cychwyn carwriaeth newydd gydag Alma, Americanes Fecsicanaidd hyderus llawn bywyd y bu ei mam hithau yn “Luchadora”. Ond sut bydd Zaynab yn jyglo gyrfa, diwylliant, teulu a rhamant?

Rydyn ni’n falch iawn bod cyd-ysgrifennydd a seren y ffilm, Fawzia Mirza, yn gallu ymuno â ni yng Nghaerdydd i gyflwyno’r ffilm.

IRIS 67

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 15, 10.00pm, Dur: 80min, Thu 12 Oct

PALACE OF FUN

PALACE OF FUN

Director: Eadward Stocks / Country: UK / Year: 2016 Language: English A chance meeting in a nightclub begins a summer romance for Lily and Finn. Instantly smitten with one another, Lily invites Finn to spend the week with her at her family’s opulent Sussex home, while her parents are holidaying in Italy. But their romantic break is disrupted when Lily’s brother Jamie discovers a revealing secret about Finn, and uses it to play a dangerous and sinister game with his sister’s new flame.

Written, directed and produced by brothers Eadward, David and George Stocks, Palace Of Fun is a compelling psychological drama which wears the influence of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels on its sleeve. All three Stocks brothers will be joining us in Cardiff, and taking part in the 2017 Producers Forum to talk about how they funded and made a low-budget British movie.

The Stocks Brothers will be joining us at the Producers Forum (see p.18)

Cyfarwyddwr: Eadward Stocks / Gwlad: y Deyrnas Gyfunol Blwyddyn: 2016 / Iaith: Saesneg Mae cyfarfyddiad annisgwyl mewn clwb nos yn ddechrau ar garwriaeth haf i Lily a Finn. Mae’r ddau yn glaf gan serch ar unwaith, ac mae Lily’n gwahodd Finn i dreulio’r wythnos gyda hi yng nghartref moethus y teulu yn Sussex, tra bod ei rhieni ar eu gwyliau yn yr Eidal.

Ond daw rhywbeth i darfu ar y rhamant: mae brawd Lily, Jamie, yn darganfod cyfrinach ddadlennol am Finn, ac yn ei defnyddio i chwarae gêm beryglus a sinistr gyda chymar newydd ei chwaer.

Wedi’i hysgrifennu, ei chyfarwyddo a’i chynhyrchu gan dri brawd, Eadward, David a George Stocks, mae Palace Of Fun yn ddrama seicolegol rymus sy’n dangos dylanwad amlwg nofelau Ripley Patricia Highsmith. Bydd y tri brawd yn ymuno â ni yng Nghaerdydd, ac yn cymryd rhan yn Fforwm Cynhyrchwyr 2017 er mwyn trafod sut y bu iddyn nhw ariannu a gwneud y ffilm cyllideb isel yma.

IRIS 68

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 14, 8.30pm, Dur: 98min, Fri 13 Oct PROM KING, 2010 Dir: Christopher Schaap / Country: USA / Year: 2016 Language: English Charlie is a New York college student who loves love itself, especially when it comes to movies. From James Dean and Natalie Wood in Rebel Without A Cause to Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine in Rebecca, his idealised picture of romance is accompanied by sweeping strings and soft focus. But when Charlie’s own romantic pursuits lead to icky online hook-ups, seedy backrooms and encounters with cute but closeted freshmen, he begins to wonder if being gay is compatible with the kind of Technicolor love story he’s always dreamed of.

We are delighted that Christopher Schaap will be joining us in Cardiff to introduce his amazing first feature.

PROM KING, 2010 Unol Daleithiau America / Tystysgrif: i’w chadarnhau / Saesneg – cyfarwyddwr Christopher Schaap / Yn serennu Christopher Schaap, Adam Lee Brown, Nicole Wood Myfyriwr coleg yn Efrog Newydd yw Charlie, sydd mewn cariad gyda’r cysyniad o gariad, a hynny yn y ffilmiau gymaint ag unman.

O James Dean a Natalie Wood yn Rebel Without A Cause i Laurence Olivier a Joan Fontaine yn Rebecca, i Charlie mae rhamant yn brofiad hollol ddelfrydgar sy’n cynnwys cerddorfa linynnol a ffocws meddal. Ond pan fo anturiaethau carwriaethol Charlie ei hunan yn arwain at fachiadau ar-lein chwithig, ystafelloedd cefn anghynnes a myfyrwyr prifysgol digon pert ond sy’n ddwfn yn y closet, mae’n dechrau amau a yw bod yn hoyw yn cyd-daro â’r math o stori serch technicolor mae e wedi breuddwydio amdani.

Rydyn ni’n falch iawn o gael dweud y bydd Christopher Schaap, awdur, cyfarwyddwr a seren y ffilm, yn ymuno â ni yng Nghaerdydd i gyflwyno ei ffilm nodwedd gyntaf.

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 15, 10:00pm, Dur: 98min, Fri 13 / Cineworld Screen TBC, 12:00pm, Dur: 80min, Sun 15

BEACH RATS Dir: Eliza Hittman / Country: USA / Year: 2016 / Language: English Frankie, an aimless teenager living on the outer edges of Brooklyn, is having a miserable summer. With his father dying and his mother wanting him to find a girlfriend, Frankie escapes the bleakness of his home life by causing trouble with his friends and flirting with older men online. His chatting and webcamming intensify and he begins hooking up with men at a nearby cruising beach, while reluctantly entering a relationship with a young woman, Simone. As Frankie struggles to reconcile these competing desires, his decisions leave him hurtling toward unavoidable consequences. Beach Rats is the winner of the 2017 Sundance Directing Award (U.S. Dramatic). Also screening at the 2017 BFI London Film Festival

BEACH RATS Cyfarwyddwr: Eliza Hittman / Gwlad: Unol Daleithiau America Blwyddyn: 2016 / Iaith: Saesneg Mae Frankie, bachgen digyfeiriad yn ei arddegau sy’n byw ar gyrion Brooklyn, yn cael haf diflas. Mae ei dad yn dioddef o salwch terfynol, a’i fam yn awyddus i’w weld yn setlo gyda merch. Mae Frankie’n dianc rhag digalondid ei gartref drwy greu helynt gyda’i ffrindiau, a fflyrtio gyda dynion hŷn ar-lein. Mae’n dechrau bachu dynion ar draeth criwsio gerllaw, ac ar yr un pryd yn cael ei lusgo i berthynas gyda merch, Simone. Wrth i Frankie gael trafferth cydbwyso’r dyheadau anghyson yma, mae’r penderfyniadau mae wedi’u gwneud yn golygu ei fod bellach yn sgrialu tuag at ganlyniadau nad oes modd eu hosgoi. Beach Rats yw enillydd Gwobr Cyfarwyddo Sundance 2017 (Drama o’r Unol Daleithiau).

Bydd y ffilm i’w gweld yn ystod Gŵyl Ffilm Llundain y BFI IRIS 69

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 15, 12:00pm, Dur: 96min, Sat 14 Oct IN BETWEEN (BAR BAHAR) Dir: Maysaloun Hamoud / Country: Israel / France / Year: 2016 Language: Hebrew & Arabic with English subtitles In Between follows the lives of three Israeli-Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv. Away from the constraints of tradition, they find themselves ‘in between’ the unfettered lives they aspire to lead and the restrictions still imposed on them by their country and family.

Laila, a lawyer, craves the love of a good man, and thinks she’s found one in Ziad. Salma falls for a beautiful trainee doctor but is forced to keep their lesbian relationship a secret. And Laila and Salma’s partying comes as a shock to the more traditional and reserved Nour, who is set for an arranged marriage to the deceptively charming Wissam. A shocking series of events pushes the three girls’ beliefs to the limit and could change their lives forever while sealing the bond of their friendship.

YN Y CANOL (BAR BAHAR) Cyfarwyddwr: Maysaloun Hamoud / Gwlad: Israel / Ffrainc Blwyddyn: 2016 / Iaith: Hebraeg ac Arabeg gydag isdeitlau Saesneg Mae Yn y Canol yn dilyn bywydau tair o Balestiniaid-Israelaidd sy’n rhannu fflat yn Tel Aviv. Ymhell o gyfyngiadau eu teuluoedd a thraddodiad gorfodedig, maen nhw’n cael eu hunain ‘yn y canol’ rhwng y bywyd rhydd, diymatal yr hoffen nhw ei fyw, a’r cyfyngiadau sy’n dal i gael eu gorfodi arnynt gan y wladwriaeth a’u teuluoedd.

Mae Laila, cyfreithwraig lwyddiannus, yn deisyfu am gariad dyn da, ac mae’n credu iddi ganfod hynny yn y gŵr golygus Ziad. Mae Salma’n gweithio mewn bwytai a bariau, ac yn breuddwydio am gael bod yn DJ. Mae hi’n cwympo am Dounia, meddyg dan hyfforddiant, ond mae’n rhaid iddi gadw’r berthynas lesbiaidd honno’n gyfrinach rhag ei theulu. Mae Nour yn fwy distaw a thraddodiadol, ac mae priodas wedi’i threfnu ar ei chyfer gyda’r dyn twyllodrus o ddengar, Wissam. Ond mae cyfres ysgytwol o ddigwyddiadau yn codi cwestiynau sylfaenol i’r tair ac yn newid eu bywydau am byth.

Feature Films BODY ELECTRIC (CORPO ELÉTRICO) Dir: Marcelo Caetano / Country: Brazil / Year: 2017 Language: Portuguese with English subtitles An erotic tale of identity and sexuality set in modern day Brazil.

Elias works as an assistant designer in a clothing factory. As the distance between his professional and personal life closes, Elias explores his desires, invigorated by the freedom offered through his companions. Against the warnings of his superiors, Elias takes to socialising into the night with his coworkers.

This feature debut by director Marcelo Caetano captures the beauty and delicate excitement of Elias’ sexual awakening, as seen through the intense colour and vibrancy of São Paulo.

CORFF TRYDAN (CORPO ELÉTRICO) Cyfarwyddwr: Marcelo Caetano / Gwlad: Brasil / Blwyddyn: 2017 Iaith: Portiwgaleg gydag is-deitlau Saesneg Stori erotig am hunaniaeth a rhywioldeb wedi’i gosod ym Mrasil ein dyddiau ni. Mae Elias yn gweithio fel dylunydd cynorthwyol mewn ffatri ddillad. Wrth i’r bwlch rhwng ei fywyd proffesiynol a’i fywyd personol gau, mae Elias yn archwilio ei ddyheadau, ac yn cael egni o’r rhyddid mae’r bobl o’i gwmpas yn ei gynnig iddo. Mae’n anwybyddu rhybuddion ei benaethiaid, ac yn dechrau cymdeithasu gyda’r nos gyda’i gydweithwyr.

Mae’r ffilm nodwedd gyntaf hon gan y cyfarwyddwr Marcelo Caetano yn portreadu prydferthwch a chyffro deffroad rhywiol Elias, a São Paulo yn gynfas lliwgar i’r cyfan.

IRIS 70

Cineworld Screen 14, 6.00pm, Dur: 93min, Sat 14 Oct

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 14, 8.30pm, Dur: 88min, Sat 14 Oct / Cineworld Screen TBC, 4.30pm, Dur: 80min, Sun 15 Oct THE WOUND (INXEBA) Director: John Trengove / Country: South Africa / Year: 2017 Language: Xhosa, Afrikaans & English with English subtitles Xolani, a lonely factory worker, joins the men of his community in the mountains of the Eastern Cape to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood, through the controversial Xhosa practice of Ukwaluka. But when a defiant initiate from the city discovers Xolani’s best kept secret, his entire existence begins to unravel.

This tough, uncompromising film explores the cultural tensions between progress and tradition, and the clash between sexual identity and the Xhosa ideal of masculinity. It premiered at Sundance to outstanding reviews before enjoying enormous success at both Berlin and our partner festival, TLVFest in Tel Aviv.

Also screening at the 2017 BFI London Film Festival

Y CLWYF (INXEBA) Cyfarwyddwr: John Trengove / Gwlad: De Affrica / Blwyddyn: 2017 Iaith: Xhosa, Affricaneg a Saesneg gydag isdeitlau Saesneg Mae Xolani, gweithiwr ffatri unig, yn ymuno â dynion ei gymuned ym mynyddoedd Penrhyn y Dwyrain er mwyn derbyn grŵp o fechgyn yn eu harddegau i ddyndod, drwy arfer dadleuol y Xhosa, sef Ukwaluka.

Ond mae bachgen herfeiddiol o’r ddinas yn darganfod cyfrinach fwyaf Xolani, ac mae ei fywyd i gyd yn dechrau datod.

Mae’r ffilm arw, ddigyfaddawd yma’n archwilio’r tyndra diwylliannol rhwng cynnydd a thraddodiad, a’r gwrthdaro rhwng hunaniaeth rywiol a syniadau delfrydgar y Xhosa am wrywdod. Dangoswyd y ffilm am y tro cyntaf yng ngŵyl Sundance lle cafodd adolygiadau anhygoel. Ers hynny mae wedi cael llwyddiant yn Berlin ac yn ein chwaer-ŵyl, TLVFEst yn Tel Aviv.

Bydd y ffilm i’w gweld yn ystod Gŵyl Ffilm Llundain y BFI

Feature Films

Cineworld Screen 15, 10.00pm, Dur: 98min, Sat 14 Oct

TEENAGE KICKS Director: Craig Boreham / Country: Australia / Year: 2016 Language: English In the final moments of his 17th year, Miklós Varga’s world comes crumbling down. His plans to run away and escape the hold of his migrant family are brutally undone by the accidental death of his older brother, Tomi, and only Mik knows what led to this tragedy. As far as he can see, there is only one person to blame: himself. Mik is torn between the desire to head north with his friend Dan, and an obligation to his broken family. Can he fill the shoes of his adored brother, or is he destined to bring ruin upon everyone he loves? Director Craig Boreham’s short films Drowning and Ostia: The Last Night were both shortlisted for the Iris Prize, and so we are delighted that he is returning to Cardiff to introduce his accomplished first feature.

TEENAGE KICKS Cyfarwyddwr: Craig Boreham / Gwlad: Awstralia / Blwyddyn: 2016 Iaith: Saesneg Yn eiliadau olaf ei ail flwyddyn ar bymtheg, mae byd Miklós Varga yn dymchwel o’i gwmpas. Mae wedi cynllunio i redeg i ffwrdd a dianc rhag gafael ei deulu o fudwyr, ond caiff y cynlluniau hynny eu chwalu mewn ffordd giaidd gyda marwolaeth ddamweiniol ei frawd mawr Tomi, a dim ond Mik sy’n gwybod beth arweiniodd at y drychineb. O’r hyn y gall Mik ei weld, dim ond un person sydd i’w feio: fe’i hunan. Caiff Mik ei dynnu ddwy ffordd, rhwng dymuniad i deithio tua’r gogledd gyda’i gyfaill Dan, a dyletswydd tuag at ei deulu sydd ar chwâl. Oes modd iddo lenwi esgidiau ei frawd poblogaidd, neu oes rhaid iddo achosi dinistr i bawb mae’n eu caru?

Cafodd ffilmiau byrion Craig Boreham, Drowning ac Ostia: Y Noson Olaf ill dwy eu cynnwys ar restr fer Gwobr Iris yn y gorffennol, felly rydym yn falch iawn ei fod yn dychwelyd i Gaerdydd i gyflwyno ei ffilm nodwedd gyntaf.

IRIS 71

Iris Prize Membership

Iris Prize Membership Benefits: Purchase an Iris Prize Festival VIP Pass (2017 price £135, members price £120) – the Iris Prize Festival VIP Pass gets you into all the Iris Prize Festival screenings, talks and official parties – including the Producers Forum and the Iris Carnival.

Purchase tickets for the Iris Carnival which incorporates the 2017 Award Show (2017 price £50, members price £40) – we are taking over the Depot on Dumballs Road and the delightful Heather Small will be headlining our sound stage. She will be joined by festival favourite Lily Beau and Climbing Trees whose track Fall features in the 2017 Iris Prize Montage. Matt Lissack from Capital FM is also back by popular demand to present the Iris Awards Show.

The carnival will also include the Co-op Food Village with a host of Welsh suppliers ready to feed the hungry guests. They include: Boss Brewing Company; Village Dairy; Frank’s Ice Cream; Radnor Hills Mineral Water Co; Village Bakery; Edwards of Conwy and the Authentic Curry Company. The food village is an excellent way to demonstrating a flavour of the diversity of great Welsh food and drink available in its stores across the UK.“Our biggest party ever – that’s the promise.”

Become an Iris Member and join 200+ members who enjoy a year-round programme of events and benefits including preview screenings, restaurant and cinema discounts and complementary tickets for events. Why not join today and enjoy the company and benefits of this growing family?

Iris Prize Membership is open to everyone aged 18 or older, and the membership fee for 2017/18 (valid until 31 August 2018) is only £15.00.

Invitations to special screenings and events – working with our partners at Cineworld, Bafta and Ffotogallery Iris will offer access to an event programme with exclusive member-only activities.

Iris Prize Member Parties – as an Iris Prize Member you get to meet other members and guests of Iris during the Summer Garden Party and Christmas drinks receptions and numerous other events.

Priority booking and extra 5% discount on reduced members price! – Available until 5 September 2017. Members can book their tickets for the Iris Prize Festival online – you will need your membership number to secure the extra 5% discount and complete the transaction. The full 2017 Iris Prize Festival programme is live and as a member you can book until 5 September 2017 – we can guarantee availability for members for all orders placed before the public box office opens on 6 September 2017.

WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD YOU CAN ALSO SAVE MONEY AT THESE AMAZING CARDIFF BASED PARTNERS: The Stable 71 Bridge Street: 15% off the full bill (including alcohol) Chapel 1877 Churchill Way, Cardiff. CF10 2WF: 20% off total bill (including alcohol) You must book in advance – available Sun–Thurs Cineworld Mary Ann Street, Cardiff: Secure the student rate for screenings (£4.50) for any film, any time (excluding 3D) Pulse, Churchill Way Cardiff. CF10 2HD: FREE entry to club and bar before midnight and 10% off food bill The Cinnamon Tree 173 Kings Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff. CF11 9DE: 10% off total bill (including alcohol) The Happy Gathering 233 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AL: 20% off food bill Kemis Pontcanna 186 – 188 King’s Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff. CF11 9DF: 10% off total bill (including alcohol) Katiwok 92 Crwys Road, Cardiff. CF24 4NP: 20% discount on all orders over £20

web: www.irisprize.org | twitter: @irisprize | facebook: irisprizefestival

AGLIFF30 IRIS AWARD AD.pdf

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8/13/17

1:40 PM

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S ON YOUR 17TH YEAR F R O M Y O U R FA M I LY ACROSS THE POND

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International Queer Film Festival

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Call for entries deadline 29.06.2018

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Celebrating 30 years as the American Southwest’s premiere LGBTQ+ film festival. agliff.org

Queer Porto 4 3-7.10.2018 Teatro Rivoli

Join us for the 26th edition of

GAZE International LGBT Film Festival 2nd - 6th August 2018

Festival Sponsored by

www.GAZE.ie gazefilmfest

@GAZEfilmfest Co-Production

Strategic Partnership

queerlisboa.pt

Queer Lisboa 22 14-22.09.2018 Cinema São Jorge

Sponsors / Noddwyr The Iris Prize Is Supported By The Michael Bishop Foundation

Media Partners

Partners

Producers Forum and other Festival partners BAR & RESTAURANT Weddings / Private Parties / Corporate

web: www.irisprize.org | twitter: @irisprize | facebook: irisprizefestival

May 24 – June 3, 2018 insideout.ca #InsideOut18

Toronto LGBT Film Festival

Submissions now open for Canada’s largest LGBTQ Film Festival.

#chapterTILT / chapter.org/TILT / 029 20304400

TILT is Chapter’s exciting new LGBTQ+ events programme bringing queer film, performance, art and debate to Cardiff.

Tilt seeks to offer a creative, educational and entertaining outlook on LGBTQ+ culture that may sometimes challenge and provoke, be a fun night out or simply take a look at an ever changing world from a different angle.

Join Chapter TILT for an opportunity to see the winner of the internationally esteemed LGBT Iris Prize and a collection of highly commended shorts from the 2017 festival.

26 October

THE BEST OF IRIS

Official Iris Prize Partner Restaurant

186 - 188 Kings Road Pontcanna Cardiff. CF11 9DF T: 029 2037 72055

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Tickets / Tocynnau ONLINE BOX OFFICE: The best way to secure tickets for the Iris Prize Festival is to visit the ONLINE BOX OFFICE TODAY! www.irisprize.org The Online Box Office is open and you can secure ticket to all screenings and events at no extra cost.

Simply visit the Iris Prize website, select the films you would like to see from the jam-packed programme and simply click on the Buy Tickets button for your chosen screening or event.

IN PERSON: You can also buy tickets on the day, if there are any left!

A box office will be selling tickets at Cineworld for all Iris Prize Festival screenings and events. The box office will open one hour before the first screening of the day, from Wed 7-Sun 11 Oct. A box office will also be selling tickets in Chapter on Sat 10 Oct only.

2017 TICKET PRICES: Feature films: £8.00 (£7.00 members & concessions) Shorts programmes: £7.00 (£6.00 members & concessions) Producers Forum: £40.00 (£20 members and concessions) VIP Pass:

£100 / £80 members & concessions (Includes access to all screenings, talks, receptions, parties, lunches and the Producers Forum)

Iris Carnival:

£50 (£40 members & concessions)

VIP Pass & Carnival:

£135 (£120 members & concessions) An all-day extravaganza combining, music, food and film, with appearances by Capital FM’s Matt Lissack and the voice of M People, Heather Small.

Film Index INTERVIEWS Faraz Ansari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p26 Bryan Bale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p10 Joan Beveridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p28 Lord Glendonbrook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p8 Lisa Gornick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p20 Fawzia Mirza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p24 Brendon McDonall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p47 Marley Morrison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p53 Christopher Schaap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p64 Tamara Shogaolu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p22 FEATURE FILMS Beach Rats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p69 Body Electric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p70 The Book of Gabrielle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p66 In Between. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p70 Palace of Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p68 Prom King 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p69 Rift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p67 Signature Move. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p67 Teenage Kicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p71 The Wound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p71

SHORT FILMS Adult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p54 Die Ballade Von Ella Plummhoff. . . . . . . . . p42 Cocoon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p48 The Colour of His Hair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p44 Curmudgeons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p49 The Dam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p49 Fanny. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p46 The Fish Curry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p46 Get the Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p50 Goodbye Mr. B, Hello Ms. B. . . . . . . . . . . . p50 Half a Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p45 Hattie Goes Cruising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p45 If I Met a Magician. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p44 Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p48 Little Potato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p45 Manly Stanley Takes New York. . . . . . . . . . p48 Mathias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p50 The Mess He Made. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p44 Mother Knows Best. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p54 The Nettle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p50 The News Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P44 Odd Job Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p49 One Summer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p52 Paperock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p50 Picture This. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p45 Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p42

web: www.irisprize.org | twitter: @irisprize | facebook: irisprizefestival IRIS 78

The Rabbi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p49 Scar Tissue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p46 Sisak. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p46 Sodom’s Cat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p52 Spring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p48 Taste of Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p52 Tommyteen18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p52 We Love Moses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p42 The Whole World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p54 BRITISH SHORTS Bearable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p60 Colours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p60 Fay Presto: Queen of the Close-Up. . . . . . p59 Leroy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p60 One Summer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p60 Outlines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p59 Pillow Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p59 Rink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p59 Sunday Morning Coming Down. . . . . . . . . p60 Sununú: The Revolution of Love. . . . . . . . . p58 An Un(Natural) Birth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p58 We Love Moses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p59 Where We Are Now. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p58 Wolves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p60 Yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p58