The 15 short films competing for LGBTQ+ Iris Prize Best British award revealed

This is the first shortlist of the 2023 Festival that is being made public, today (29 July), at a special Summer Party Event held for Iris Prize Members, in Cardiff.

Films shortlisted include a tale of a scientist and his AI best friend; a long-awaited reunion with a first love in Liverpool; couples counselling with a sock puppet; the power of a mixtape; and a coming-of-age story set during the witch trials of 1605.  
 
Each of the shortlisted films will be streamed on Channel 4 for a year after the festival. All the nominated films are eligible for consideration for BAFTA and can automatically be entered by the filmmakers.  

The winner will receive a package of services sponsored by Pinewood Studios Group.

Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize Film Festival Director, said: ‘We are thrilled to be able to present to our audiences 15 short films made in Britain and supported by one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly broadcasters and champion of the Iris Prize.
 
‘Film4 is a wonderful supporter of home-grown and new talent, and I’m excited to remind people that all 15 shorts in competition will be available to stream on Channel 4 for 12 months. This partnership has become a much-valued part of helping Iris to reach a new audience for LGBTQ+ stories.
 
‘This is the first time that we have announced the Best British shortlist to our valued and trusted Iris Prize Members, without whom many aspects of the festival would not be possible.  We have amid our members, volunteers who help with the smooth running of the day-to-day aspects of film screenings, to a dedicated group of people who open their homes to visiting filmmakers and jury members. Diolch i chi gyd.’
 
This year’s Best British award marks the continuation of a three-year sponsorship agreement with British producer/broadcaster Film4. The agreement will see Film4 acquire broadcast and streaming rights to each of the 15 British LGBTQ+ short films shortlisted for the Iris Prize Best British Short Supported by Film4 and Pinewood Studios. 

Best British Shortlist

Lemon | Dir. Tala Nahas
Miss Coco Lemon, A taxi driver dreaming of a different life faces a chaotic night of business around the streets of London with her less-than-ideal customers who drive her to absolute insanity.
 
Goodbye Python | Dir. Frankie Fox
A computer scientist struggles with his past, present and future when it comes time to part ways with his best friend.
 
Betty and Jean | Dir. Elinor Randle
80-year-old Betty waits for her true love, Jean.  She remembers their painful break-up in 1960’s Liverpool.  She wasn’t brave enough to be with a woman.  Will their love be rekindled?
 
Malcolm | Dir. Caleb J Roberts
In the aftermath of an emotionally abusive relationship, a man seeks couples counselling with a sock puppet likeness of his ex-boyfriend, Malcolm.
 
TICKER | Dir. Thom Petty
Howard drives his partner Joseph to hospital to undergo a high-risk operation, and the intimacy of the car, alongside a long forgotten mix tape, sees the masculinity of their forty-year relationship start to yield. 
 
Longing | Dir. Courteney Tan 
On the night before her flight home, a Malaysian woman with a secret finds herself on an impromptu date with another woman. 
 
Ted & Noel – Dir. Julia Alcamo
For over 50 years, iconic activist Ted Brown has fought for queer and black identities. But after losing his partner, Noel, under heart-breaking circumstances, a devastated Ted questions the impact of his activism and struggles to mount a new campaign. Can Ted find the strength for one last fight for LGBTQ+ rights? 

The Talent – Dir. Thomas May Bailey
On the set of a luxury car commercial, an overlooked assistant seizes his chance to get noticed by the star. Filmed entirely on and around a Virtual Production Stage, THE TALENT is a lyrical meditation on masculinity, desire and becoming — disguised as a 15-minute thriller. 
 
Bleach – Dir. Daniel Daniel 
Gay and lonely, Lloyd is on a shame-fuelled, Grindr-addicted spiral into tragedy. 
 
Realness with a Twist – Dir. Cass Kaur Virdee 
A talented footballer is forced to battle between his secret passion for voguing and the fear of his team-mate's disapproval. 
 
Just Passing | Dir. Sophie Austin
Del, a workaholic struggling with her mental health, wants to escape the numbness consuming her. After experiencing an attempted assault by her colleague, she has a chance encounter with Sami, a homeless undocumented man from Nigeria. Del begins to question what she stands for and starts to come to terms with her own immigrant roots. 
 
Stone | Dir. Jake Graf and Hannah Graf
When Tess learns of her estranged father’s death, she travels to the funeral hoping for nothing more than some closure and the chance to meet the woman who stole him from her. Immediately blindsided by the revelation that her father was a transgender woman, Tess starts to wonder what else has been kept from her, turning to her mother for answers. 
 
F**KED | Dir. Sara Harrak 
What exactly are the rules in an open relationship? With no rulebook, it’s down to the couple to draw their lines… So when Dani tells Jess she might be interested in sleeping with guys again, it doesn’t go down too well. F**KED raises the question many of us secretly ask ourselves - have I really explored and enjoyed my own sexuality? There’s something about hitting 30 that makes you question whether you’re really being true to yourself. 
 
Requiem | Dir. Em J Gilbertson 
Requiem is set in 1605, against the backdrop of the witch trials. It's a coming of age story, following Evelyn as she engages in a game of cat and mouse against her father, Minister Gilbert, in order to be with Mary, the woman she loves. 
 
Fortune Favours the Fantabulous  – Dir. Emmanuel Li
Queer fortune teller, conjurer and runaway Fei Liu lives and performs out of a tent in the middle of the marshes. Over the course of three days, figures and phantoms of present and past penetrate Fei's tent and plague their subconscious, threatening to unravel their way of life and throwing their own future - and grip on reality - into turmoil.