OUT AND ABOUT

By Lindsay Robinson

Working with Respect I find myself leaning into a lot of things that I may not necessarily get a chance to do in my everyday life, it’s one of the things I really love about it. Last year I was asked to step in and lead the work we do with the Iris film festival, but like many colleagues, I didn’t really know much about the festival and what the excitement was all about.

So what is the Iris Prize?

The Iris Prize is a filmand media organisation committed to increasing audiences for LGBTQ+ stories. Our main projects include the annual Iris Prize LGBTQ+ FilmFestival and Iris on the Move, ourUK wide touring programme. Our partnershipwith Film4/ All4 delivers a million viewers for ourBest British programme of shorts films. We alsosupport the production of new content via the £30,000 Iris Prize; our Documentary Film Finance Fund invests £20,000 annually in one British documentary; and our community work funded by the Lottery Community Fund will soon have produced 50 short films! Iris also runs LGBTQ+education and community outreach projects in Wales & the UK throughout the year.

Now back to Lindsay...

As terrified and worried as I felt, there was no way I could turn the opportunity down. I was lucky enough to work alongside the wonderful Iris team and had amazing support from some of my Co-op colleagues too. It’s fair to say that my eyes were opened even more to the difference organisations like Iris and Co-op make, and how powerful it can be when two organisations, which share the same values, come together to celebrate diversity and the LGBTQ+ community.

On the opening night of the festival our inhouse chef Dai prepared some fantastic food, with some of our local suppliers also attending to showcase their own fabulous products. Over the course of the week some of our colleagues and member pioneers were given the opportunity to volunteer and were lucky enough to watch the amazing films, meet the directors and actors and learn more about the heart of where the stories come from.

I’ve never really been one to watch a short film but having the privilege of being able to watch these really opened my eyes. I cried, I laughed, I felt hurt and so many of the stories resonated with on a personal level. I am so proud that we as a network and business support this film festival, it reinforces why it’s so important that we continue to create safe spaces where people feel that they can be themselves, always.

Respect will continue to work with the Iris Film Festival, so I’d really encourage you to come along and get involved. You can also catch the short films being showcased on Film 4, so don’t miss out!