New Appointments

Andrew Pierce the Assistant Editor of The Daily Telegraph (London) and LA based producer Christopher Racster were today (09/04/08) confirmed as patrons for the Iris Prize Festival joining popular actor Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters) and film maker Sara Sugarman (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen).

"As a London based journalist I was flattered to be invited as a judge for the inaugural Iris Prize Festival in 2007. I remember commenting during the closing awards show that I hoped to be invited back to Cardiff, so when the invitation came to become a Patron for the Festival I immediately said yes," said Andrew Pierce.

"This festival is going to become an established part of the arts calendar. I’m confident that over the coming years we’ll see an increase in the number of journalists from London and further a field reporting on the event. I’m looking forward to working with the team to make this happen," he added.

"I’m delighted to be involved with the Iris Prize Festival. The global network of partner festivals supporting Iris is already impressive and includes 6 from the US. As a patron for Iris my role is to help to make sure that everybody who needs to know about Iris this side of the Atlantic is up to speed. I believe that the next couple of year is going to be very exciting for the Festival as we see Iris reach out to all four corners of the globe," said Christopher Racster.

"Andrew and Christopher are both at the top of their game and having them joining Matthew and Sara is fantastic news for the Festival. Together with our funders, sponsors, partner festivals and friends of Iris we have a support structure that will see the Festival grow as a global event based in Cardiff," said Berwyn Rowlands from the Festivals Company.

The 2008 Festival will take place in Cardiff, Wales from 2 – 4 October.