Organisers of the Iris Prize have announced the 36 short films competing at the 2019 Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival. The winning director will be presented with £30,000 to make their next short film in the UK, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation.
“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,” Andrew Pierce, Iris Prize Chair, commented.
“I’m also delighted to include our first films from Peru, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia,” Pierce continues. “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 well as reflecting the freedoms many LGBTQ+ people enjoy, these 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.
You can read more about each film, the directors and view trailers at the Iris Prize website.
The full Iris festival programme including 13 features, industry talks, special events, an education day and the Iris Carnival including the Awards will be announced on Tuesday 20th August. Very limited Early Bird Passes and other tickets available at www.irisprize.org/tickets
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