19 countries represented in Cardiff final including for the first time Peru, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia

 

The £30,000 prize continues to be funded by The Michael Bishop Foundation

Organisers of the Iris Prize have today (16/08/2019) announced details of the 36 short films competing for the Iris Prize at the 2019 Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival. The winning director will be presented with £30,000 to make their next short film here in the UK, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation.

Andrew Pierce, Iris Prize Chair, commented:
“This impressive shortlist represents the very best in LGBT+ storytelling, offering a window into queer lives of the past, present and future. From love stories to tales of persecution, moving documentaries to joyous celebrations of freedom and pride.

“I’m also delighted to include our first films from Peru, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia. This further confirms our role in sharing stories from across the world.

“I can’t wait to see them on a big screen and enjoy the conversations that flow after each screening. The introduction last year of the themed discussions after every screening was popular with our audience – a safe space for all of us to talk and just as important to listen”

As you might expect, as well as reflecting the freedoms many LGBT+ people enjoy, those stories remind us that there are places, often close to home, where those freedoms are either compromised, threatened or non-existent. They take us from the jungles of Peru to rural India, via a Portuguese village and a high-rise flat in Sarajevo.

The full list of nominated films: