upfront
THE IRIS PRIZE
With the film festival’s
grand opening ceremony
fast approaching, Jen
Thorton sets her eyes
on the Iris Prize.
T
he highlight of the film world this month
is Cardiff’s Iris Prize Festival. Taking
place over a long weekend, this showcase
of LGBT filmmaking was founded in 2007
by the Festivals Company, and has grown in size
and name year on year ever since. This year sees
the return of a number of festival favourites. Eytan
Fox, whose films were featured in two previous
festivals, returns with Cupcakes, and Amy Lamé is
back to host the awards ceremony once again. There
are also appearances from previous prize winners
and prominent filmmakers who have supported the
festival over the years.
Eytan Fox’s latest film, Cupcakes, is a feel-good story
about a group of Tel Aviv friends who end up in a
Eurovision-style competition representing Israel, and
will be the opening film at this year’s festival. Other
popular highlights include G.B.F., a teen comedy
centred around a group of young girls who take the
strategic approach to becoming prom queen by vying
to befriend the first boy in the school to come out as
gay, and Vampire: Lucas Rising, described as the
‘gay Twilight saga’.
BUZZ 14
The festival will close with a feature film by British
filmmaker Simon Savory. Bruno & Earlene Go To
Vegas is described by the director as a love letter
to the outsiders, the weird and wonderful people
who exist on the fringe. It follows the journey of a
young woman and her intersex teenage companion
travelling across Nevada. Savory is a regular
attendee at the Iris Prize Festival, and has worked
with the organisation to support the work of other
up-and-coming filmmakers.
Popular broadcaster and alternative icon Amy Lamé
returns this year to host the awards ceremony, which
takes place on the final day of the festival. Alongside
prize presentations, the event will be followed by
screenings of a selection of shorts chosen by the
international jury, and another opportunity to
see the winning film at a screening at Cardiff’s
Cineworld cinema.
In addition to the main programme of film screenings
and the awards ceremony itself, the Iris Prize
Festival also reaches out to young
people and the wider community. On
Wed 9 Oct the festival’s Education
Day is at Chapter Arts Centre. The
day is dedicated to young people
between the ages of 14 and 18 and
includes the screening of a number
of short films alongside opportunities
to discuss their themes
and topics with a panel
of experts.
The day also features
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