Iris Prize Festival 2008
2 - 4 Oct 2008
Established in 2007, the second Iris Prize Festival took place in Cardiff from October 2nd – 4th, 2008. The festival recorded a total of 1891 admissions across the three day event including filmmakers, distributors, film agency representatives, and journalists. The festival programme included feature films (including European and UK premieres), Q&As with visiting filmmakers, panel discussions, networking receptions, and screenings of the 30 shortlisted films for the Iris Prize.
At a glittering awards evening at the end of the festival, Torchwood creator Russell T Davies announced that the international jury had selected German filmmaker Till Kleinert’s Cowboy to scoop the coveted award - Till also received the £500 Goleudy Travel award to help them return to the UK to make his next film.
Festival organiser Berwyn Rowlands said "This year Cardiff demonstrated to the world that with the support of Iris the city could become a significant force for the world’s lesbian and gay film community. The closing night awards show was totally amazing, with guests from Germany, Israel, Australia, Canada and the US all enjoying our Welsh hospitality. Everyone involved should be very proud of what has been achieved. We’ve already started working on next year’s festival and believe that even bigger and better things are expected of Iris and her friends in 2009!"
Chair of the international jury Elan Closs Stephens said it had been an extremely difficult decision to make with long and passionate debate as to who should win the competition for the world’s best gay and lesbian short film.
Speaking before the awards evening Dr Who, Torchwood and Queer as Folk writer and director Davies said "I’m very excited to be involved with the Iris Film Festival. It’s a fantastic prize, which allows one lucky winner to make a short film. This year’s shortlist includes work from an astonishing 11 countries, which confirms that gay and lesbian film making is alive and kicking around the world!"
All the film makers who traveled to Wales for the festival were hosted by Friends of Iris, individuals who open their homes to the makers of the 30 short listed films from as far afield as Australia, Canada, and the United States at their own cost to attend.
The 35 minute film, which Till had introduced at its screening, tells the story of city dweller Christian, working for a real estate agent, comes to a deserted village where he meets country lad Cowboy. They spend the day and night together. When harvest starts at dawn the village shows its real face and the two men are forced to pay a terrible price in order to leave.
The films competing for the Iris Prize 2008 were the crème of the international gay and lesbian film industry with many having been entered for them by film festivals around the globe including new partner festivals in Germany, Brazil and Israel.
Mr Gay UK, Cardiff-based Dino Gamecho, announced that the competition’s new award for best feature film was won by American James Bolton for Dream Boy, a love story between teenagers in the American South in the 1970s.
The feature film award carries a £1,000 cash prize donated by Independent Financial Adviser Martin Briggs from Cardiff and is selected by the Friends of Iris.
2007 Iris Prize winner Dee Rees announced that the Skillset Best UK Short was won by Northern Ireland director Conor Clements for his film James. He receives £1,000 from Skillset towards training.
Almost half the of the film makers travelled to Wales for the three day festival which also included six of the latest gay and lesbian feature films, with several enjoying their UK or European premieres.
The international jury included last year’s winner Dee Rees from the United States, the highly acclaimed actor Simon Russell Beale, renowned journalist Johann Hari, director Nia Dryhurst and film makers , actors and industry experts from across the continents. At an earlier screening of last year’s winning film Pariah, Dee Rees revealed her family had still not come to terms with her daughter being gay and had not seen the film which they regarded as "the devil’s work".
Dee said the importance of the Iris Prize was that it gave new directors what they really need – the £25,000 resource to continuing making films. She also revealed Pariah is now being made as a feature film and that she plans to travel back to Wales in 2009 to make a new short film set in Cardiff’s Somali community.
Main Picture: Russell T Davies with the 2008 Iris Prize winner Till Kleinert
