0:00:06 > 0:00:12Since 2007, Cardiff has played host to the Iris Prize Film Festival,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16the only major international film festival staged in Wales.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20In early October, film-makers from all over the globe
0:00:20 > 0:00:24descend on Cardiff to compete for one of the largest short film awards in the world.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28The Iris Prize was created by Berwyn Rowlands.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Well, Iris was created in 2006
0:00:30 > 0:00:33and here we are, the fifth birthday.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34It is LGBT -
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
0:00:36 > 0:00:37but we wanted to make sure
0:00:37 > 0:00:39that our audience was as wide an audience as possible.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43We screen feature films,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48we have talks and debates about the industry, about sexuality.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51But, at its core, we have the Iris Prize.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54The 30 short films selected from around the world
0:00:54 > 0:00:56represent the best of the best,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58but only one will win the Iris Prize.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02That film-maker will return with £25,000
0:01:02 > 0:01:05to make their short film here in Wales.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12As Iris grows in the way that she is able to support film-makers,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15I think that's also saying something about the city.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The fact that you have film-makers
0:01:18 > 0:01:21who talk about Sydney, San Francisco
0:01:21 > 0:01:23and Cardiff in the same breath
0:01:23 > 0:01:25is quite amazing,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and I think it's an indication of where Cardiff is going
0:01:29 > 0:01:32on this fantastic journey with Iris.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39The Iris Prize is open to all film-makers,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42but their entry must reflect, in some way,
0:01:42 > 0:01:43experiences and perspectives
0:01:43 > 0:01:47from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51In 2011, 15 nations were represented at Iris,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and nearly 3,500 people turned up to see
0:01:54 > 0:01:58eight feature-length films and 30 shorts.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01It's the short films that are the focus of the Iris Prize.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Welcome to the opening of the fifth Iris Prize Festival.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08APPLAUSE
0:02:09 > 0:02:12To me, the value of the short film
0:02:12 > 0:02:16is that within two, three, ten, 15 minutes,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18you can be taken on quite an incredible journey.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It takes great skill, I think, for a film-maker
0:02:21 > 0:02:23to take an audience on that journey as well
0:02:23 > 0:02:24in such a short space of time.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27And also, within those films, quite often you'll see
0:02:27 > 0:02:31a lot of innovative film work and people taking risks.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33THEY SING
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Also, in this sort of medium you can
0:02:58 > 0:02:59say something very pointed
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and not really give a shit about
0:03:01 > 0:03:03the process of weaving a story.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Sometimes you just want to say something.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09You just want to say, "Hey look, this is how I see it, this is the way it is. Boom!"
0:03:09 > 0:03:11THEY SING
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Subject matter in the films have certainly changed.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I think if you looked at what we had five years ago,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35you would see a lot more films about coming out stories,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37because those were still a kind of valid story to tell
0:03:37 > 0:03:41in these countries, in Britain, in Western Europe.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I think what you're seeing now is a move away from that,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46so you're seeing stories about, for example, gay parenting,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50you're seeing stories that have, that aren't particularly about sexuality,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53they just have gay protagonists.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57And so, yeah, I think it's definitely moving more towards
0:03:57 > 0:03:59a kind of wider range of stories in a way.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03'I like to think any shame I feel is residual.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'But when it comes to the kids and stuff,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10'I think I go into kind of protective mode,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14'that I don't want them to inherit any of that residual shame.'
0:04:18 > 0:04:22The focus is narrow in the sense that it's about gay and lesbian film-making,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25but it's broadened by the fact that they're from all over the world.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And I think those are the most successful kind of festivals for me,
0:04:28 > 0:04:29where you've got a focus
0:04:29 > 0:04:32but you've got a breadth of experience that comes through.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41My name is Tamer Ruggli. I'm from Switzerland.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43I'm 25 years old
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and the short film I am here with is called Cappuccino.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Cappuccino is a sarcastic romantic comedy of coming of age
0:04:51 > 0:04:53of a teen, a 16-year-old boy.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56And during the film, the focus goes more
0:04:56 > 0:04:58on to the mother and son relationship.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Well, Cappuccino has been in all the big LGBT festivals
0:05:04 > 0:05:06all over the world.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10And I'm very happy, actually, that it got out of the LGBT circus
0:05:10 > 0:05:12and went to the Seattle International Film Festival
0:05:12 > 0:05:14or the Palm Springs Short Fest.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17So that's also good that the film is more universal
0:05:17 > 0:05:19than just for the gay audience.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21My name's Jon Stanford.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I'm from Shropshire.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27I'm currently working as a freelance director and camera operator,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and my short film is called Lost Tracks.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Lost Tracks is my graduation film from the London Film School.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It was shot entirely in South Shropshire on location
0:05:39 > 0:05:41for a budget of around £6,000,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43half of which came from the Film School
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and the other half was from my own pocket money.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49You don't think you're going to miss it?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I've just had enough.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55My friends are all wasters.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I can't stand my dad.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59He acts as if my mum never existed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04I just...need to get away.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08'Screening the film yesterday was an exciting process.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'It's great to be in a packed room when your film's being screened
0:06:11 > 0:06:15'cos that's, for me, that's what it's all about - is showing
0:06:15 > 0:06:18'your work to an audience once all the hard work has been achieved.'
0:06:18 > 0:06:20My name is Mitsuyo Miyazaki.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I am originally from Osaka in Japan
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but currently I live in Los Angeles, California,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and I'm here to present my film, Tsuyako.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28I was a writer, producer, director.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32The inspiration came from an old
0:06:32 > 0:06:34photograph of my grandmother
0:06:34 > 0:06:36in her 20s, and she was with a woman
0:06:36 > 0:06:39that I'd never met before and don't know,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42but the picture spoke so much of a love
0:06:42 > 0:06:44that I decided to write the story.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Been to Tokyo Short Shorts Film Festival in Asia.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50We went to then Palm Springs.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52And then we travelled to Outfest
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and after that we went to Mexico.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57From that, we got a qualified for Oscar
0:06:57 > 0:07:00so we submitted to Oscar a few weeks ago,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and I'm waiting to hear back.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03How much do I want to win the Iris?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I want to win the Iris so I can come back.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09It would be an honour to win something
0:07:09 > 0:07:10as it hasn't won anything yet.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13And also an insurance that you can make something out of this money
0:07:13 > 0:07:15and create something new.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17It would be great to get some recognition for the hard work
0:07:17 > 0:07:20that myself and all the fellow film-makers who worked on it,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and it would just be a great opportunity.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29Winning the Iris Prize is something very unique for the film-maker.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Most short film-makers
0:07:30 > 0:07:32or young independent film-makers
0:07:32 > 0:07:34have to be everything.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35They have to wear every hat.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38You might be the writer and the director and the producer
0:07:38 > 0:07:40and the lighting and the make-up.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Iris Prize means that you can come in and just be the director.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48The importance of offering such a significant award,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52a life-changing award to a film-maker is just extraordinary.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Not only the money, but the support
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and mentoring that that film-maker will get,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58it really is, it really can be life-changing
0:07:58 > 0:08:01for a film-maker to have that prize.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The Iris prize, worth £25,000,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06is one of the largest short film awards,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10and the festival attracts some of the world's best talent,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12with previous winners already making an impact
0:08:12 > 0:08:15in the highly competitive film industry.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Well, Dee Rees, who won the inaugural Iris Prize,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22her first feature premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and the distributor, Focus Features,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28they picked up the film from what I understand to be a seven-figure sum.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Our second winner, Till Kleinert, well, he's been tipped for greatness
0:08:33 > 0:08:37by Peccadillo Pictures, who are one of the leading distributors in the UK
0:08:37 > 0:08:38and, from what I also understand,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41he's secured funding for his first feature film.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46They're going to go on to great success.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Iris is finding these people and it's something we're very proud of.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57I'm Till Kleinert and I'm here to present tonight
0:08:57 > 0:09:00a short film I wrote and directed called Boys' Village.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03And my connection to Iris is that I actually won the Iris Prize
0:09:03 > 0:09:05in 2008 with a film called Cowboy.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The prize of course consisted of making a new short film
0:09:08 > 0:09:10here in Wales with a Welsh team,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14which is Boys' Village, which I'm going to be presenting tonight.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Winning Iris personally means that I found a lot of great friends
0:09:21 > 0:09:25that I stayed in contact with over the years and I think will in the future,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28so I consider myself now part of the so-called Iris family.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32And, professionally, it gave me the chance to shoot a film
0:09:32 > 0:09:34outside of my comfort zone,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37in a different country and in a different language,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40so I think in itself that was a huge step forward for me
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and I'm also very pleased with the result, with the film.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46I think it stands very nicely in my progression as a film-maker.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Hi, can I have a cup of tea, please?
0:09:52 > 0:09:53'I'm back at Chapter again.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56'This is a place I have very fond memories of
0:09:56 > 0:09:59'because during the production phase of the film,'
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I was here every day with my team
0:10:01 > 0:10:05eating goat's cheese sandwich and just trying to make it work somehow.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06Yeah, it's really nice to be back.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09All the people are here from the festival.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11All the people I've met over the last years.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14And everyone's very excited, so I'm very excited as well.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26We're getting closer. People are going in.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I'm getting more and more nervous and stressed.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Yeah, I hope they will enjoy it.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33I'm quite nervous to go up there and introduce it.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37So, yeah, I just hope that everything will work just fine.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40'The winner of the 2008 prize, Till Kleinert.'
0:10:40 > 0:10:41APPLAUSE
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The location's pretty much based at the Boys' Village
0:10:46 > 0:10:50and it was a place that immediately sparked my curiosity
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and my interests, so thank you for giving me an opportunity
0:10:54 > 0:10:56to let my obsessions run rampant.
0:10:57 > 0:11:03St Athan Boys' Village, in the Vale of Glamorgan, opened in 1930.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04It was a village-style camp
0:11:04 > 0:11:08for the sons of families in the South Wales Coalfield,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11offering them a place to play and be free.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15As a result of the decline in coal mining in the Welsh valleys,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17it closed in the early '90s.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21There's something about a place like the Boys' Village
0:11:21 > 0:11:25that just fascinates me in the first place.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28So you have the story of this little boy,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30who is basically stuck in this place
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and has no-one else to really connect to
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and who is sort of longing to connect,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38even though he's afraid of the other people going there.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03It was very, very pleasing, very satisfying, actually.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I was very happy with the quality of the screening,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08the picture quality and everything so everything went just fine, very smooth.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11'And also, I think the audience reacted pretty well to it,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13'so I'm very, very happy.'
0:12:13 > 0:12:16And also, the film is now starting its festival tour.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's going to Hamburg next, then Beijing.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21I think it's going to Chicago as well.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24So there's a lot of stuff that's coming up, and yeah,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I hope it finds its audience all over the world.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The Iris Prize jury views the short films in six screening sessions
0:12:37 > 0:12:41alongside members of the public and the directors themselves.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44The jury is made up of straight and gay film-makers,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48authors, journalists and film enthusiasts.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Sarah Waters, award-winning and best-selling author of five novels,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54including Tipping The Velvet and The Night Watch,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57was on the jury in 2011.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59I used to come up to Cardiff a lot as a teenager
0:12:59 > 0:13:00from Pembrokeshire where I grew up,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03but I haven't really been back since then and, of course,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05it's changed so much in the past ten or 15 years.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It's wonderful to see it so alive as a city,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and I think Iris is a big part of that, you know.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15It's just a really exciting project in its own right.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18For me, as a Welsh woman, you know, and a gay woman,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22it's fantastically exciting to see Iris right here in Cardiff.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Well, it's always fascinating to see a short film, you know, on its own.
0:13:26 > 0:13:27They all pack a punch.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30But to see a group of them together is interesting again
0:13:30 > 0:13:31in a different kind of way
0:13:31 > 0:13:33cos it takes you on this amazing journey, you know.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Some of the films are playful, some are lots of fun,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40some are very emotional and some are really hard-hitting.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44And they just give you this fantastic vista, I think,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46on lesbian and gay experience.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48It is saying, you know, "We're here,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51"our stories count, you know, we're important."
0:13:51 > 0:13:54It's crucial that lesbian and gay people hear that,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56because we don't see ourselves affirmed
0:13:56 > 0:13:58in the regular kind of mainstream way.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02But it's also important that mainstream audiences hear that too, you know.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05We don't want to live in a society that only tells one kind of story.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08That's, that's an impoverished society.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11You know, we want to live in a world where there's a range of stories
0:14:11 > 0:14:13being made available.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18And these, these films, they're just great, emotional, well-made films
0:14:18 > 0:14:20in the way that any good film is, you know.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25So I think their appeal is crucial for the lesbian and gay community
0:14:25 > 0:14:29but it's also got a much, much broader appeal than that, too.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37My name is Lucy Asten Elliott.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I've come down from Glasgow
0:14:40 > 0:14:42and I am here at the Iris
0:14:42 > 0:14:44with my film, James Dean.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50I got a budget of three, three grand, I think it was, for my film.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52It was written in summer and then, obviously,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54it was all kind of last-minute at the very end that we had to film it
0:14:54 > 0:14:57in November and everyone was freezing.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00And, obviously, in Scotland, the sun comes up at ten
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and goes down at four so we literally only had like
0:15:02 > 0:15:04a couple of hours to film each day and we only had two days.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Who are you supposed to be?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08I'm a tranny, aren't I?
0:15:10 > 0:15:11You look like James Dean.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Don't encourage her.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15We have to pick up Nana, she's not going to like this one bit.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17She can piss off!
0:15:20 > 0:15:22My film, James Dean, has gone a lot further
0:15:22 > 0:15:24than I thought it was going to, actually.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I think it's almost in like 30 festivals now.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I'm still getting requests for it. I wasn't expecting it to go that far.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34I'm Yoav Brill.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I come from Israel.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I've done a short animated film called Ishihara,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42which was my graduation film
0:15:42 > 0:15:45for the Bezalel Academy of Visual Arts in Jerusalem.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52It's a six-minute film about colour blindness
0:15:52 > 0:15:54as a metaphor for other subjects.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03My name is Hong Khaou, I'm from London.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07And the short film I have here is called Spring.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I wrote this film a while ago and, eventually,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13I got funding by Film London.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16They gave us £8,000 to make a film.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Spring, on the surface, is about this young man who meets a stranger
0:16:20 > 0:16:23for S&M sex and how his life will kind of...
0:16:23 > 0:16:26won't be the same after that.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It was really more about the experience of when
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I first met a man and all these conflicting feelings I had.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35The excitement and the fear and the anxiety of it,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38and not knowing how to process all these conflicting feelings.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Winning this prize would make me very happy
0:16:42 > 0:16:45because it would give me a good excuse to make another film.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47This is the first thing I've written and directed.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51So it would feel a bit cheeky if I was to win, to be honest.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53I desperately really want to win the prize.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55It would mean I get to make another short film
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and, hopefully, complete this quadrilogy of seasons of short films.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Iris is good for film-makers and for the capital city of Wales.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Well, having the Iris Festival here in Cardiff for me, personally,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10as a Cardiff-born, Cardiff-bred man,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13is fantastic, it really is.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Growing up here in South Wales as a gay man,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20there was nothing like this.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23To be part of this festival is a real honour
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and what it says about Wales is that Wales does equality,
0:17:26 > 0:17:31it does diversity and we're not ashamed of who we are.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Cardiff, historically, has been quite a diverse city
0:17:34 > 0:17:36since, you know, since the 19th century.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38It's had very diverse communities here.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I think it's also a city in which there's never been a kind of gay ghetto.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44So I think it's great that a very inclusive film festival
0:17:44 > 0:17:46should be based in a city where inclusivity
0:17:46 > 0:17:48is kind of part of the daily mixture.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51What's really exciting is that not everybody may know about Cardiff,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54but the Iris Prize has such an international reputation now
0:17:54 > 0:17:56that people, you know, film-makers are coming
0:17:56 > 0:17:58from across the world to Wales,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00and what can be better than that?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03It's such a great platform for us, independent film-makers,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05to exhibit our work.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08And for such a small country,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10and Cardiff is just a small capital,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13to host such a massive festival...
0:18:13 > 0:18:14It's brilliant.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17But also, it's important from the fundamental standpoint
0:18:17 > 0:18:19of helping these film-makers.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22It's a pathway to professional stability.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25When more people see their films,
0:18:25 > 0:18:26they're more likely to get the next job.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29They're more likely to grow as a film-maker,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and I'm very proud that Iris plays a huge part in that.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34RADIO: 'It is election day.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36'No matter what happens at the polls, history will be made
0:18:36 > 0:18:38'and, based on what we've seen so far,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40'voters do want to be part of it...'
0:18:40 > 0:18:43'Quit taking sides in this thing and maybe start covering
0:18:43 > 0:18:47'Barack Hussein Obama the same way they covered Bush...'
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's pastor...'
0:18:50 > 0:18:54'California will decide whether gay marriage should be allowed
0:18:54 > 0:18:56'under the state's constitution.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:02One thing I've noticed is
0:19:02 > 0:19:04that gay films now
0:19:04 > 0:19:09aren't necessarily about being gay.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12They may have gay characters in them,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14but they can go to all sorts of directions,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17be in all kinds of different genres,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and that's a trend, I think, in gay feature films and short films.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26As if gay film-makers are possibly relaxing.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Thanks.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33'Is it only gay and lesbian people that are going to come and see gay and lesbian films?
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'I think probably at this festival that is true.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37'That is the nature of festivals.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39'But I think if you do make the effort to come and see them,'
0:19:39 > 0:19:42what strikes you, of course, is that most of them are universal.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Most of them aren't dealing with being gay,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47they're dealing with stories within that context.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49And for me, they're the better films, you know,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52because they're doing something that all films should do, really,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54which is reach out to people who are maybe strangers
0:19:54 > 0:19:58to the world that they're presenting.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00From now on...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02call me Robert.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Why?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Because that's my name.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20The quality of film-making,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22the universality of the stories
0:20:22 > 0:20:25are simply worth seeing, as any good film would be.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28And I think that's the point that we're trying to get to.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31This isn't just about gay film, this is about good film.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38My name is Joe Morris.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I'm the writer/director of Junk.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45I'm from Sheffield originally, now living in Nottingham.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49The audition process was quite long in trying to find the right boys.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I mean, it wasn't just a question of finding the right two boys,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55it was trying to find the right boys that had a kind of chemistry
0:20:55 > 0:20:59together on screen. And that took quite a long time to do.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Once we'd done that and once we'd started shooting,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04it took about a week to shoot.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06We had our ups and downs doing it but, ultimately,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I think we did a pretty good job.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Are you hungry?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I need to borrow some money.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Right.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22I'm going to go away again.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Where?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30OK.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35My name is Andonia. I'm from Bulgaria.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37I study and live in Hamburg, in Germany.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40And at Iris I showed my short film,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Portrait Of A Small-town Housewife In Her Mid-fifties In 24 Frames.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59My film was made in the time when I was at the Art Academy
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and it cost me about a thousand euro.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04And I shot it on 16-millimetre.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It would be really cool if I could win the prize.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13I have a nice idea for the next short film,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15but it's not the most important thing for me.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It's more important to be here
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and to meet a lot of other film-makers
0:22:20 > 0:22:24and see interesting films, and that's nice.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28I want to win it as much as anybody else wants to win it, I guess.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30If not more.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I want to win the prize that much.
0:22:35 > 0:22:3917 other major lesbian and gay film festivals,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43including New York, Melbourne, Toronto, Hamburg, Tel Aviv,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Mumbai and Hong Kong are linked to Iris.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And they submit films alongside individuals
0:22:49 > 0:22:51and independent production companies.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Thousands of films are therefore seen before the final 30 short films
0:22:55 > 0:22:58are subjected to the scrutiny of the jury,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01who are locked away to discuss each entry in detail
0:23:01 > 0:23:03before eventually selecting a winner.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07I can see why they made it and what we refer to in TV and media.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I see why they made it but I've never heard of that kind of...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12'The session is really interesting, actually,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16'cos all the film-makers are from different backgrounds, different countries,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19'so it's really interesting sharing views
0:23:19 > 0:23:21'and seeing what they liked in a short.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24And actually, you sort of then self-reflect and think,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26"Oh, I kind of agree with you on that point,"
0:23:26 > 0:23:27but then you have your own views.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30So, collectively, coming together, sometimes
0:23:30 > 0:23:33it might get a bit heated cos you're passionate and want the right film to win,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36cos, you know, you are giving them the money to go out
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and support mechanisms to make another film.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I've seen loads of very, very good films
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and they're all very different
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and it's hard to say the best one
0:23:47 > 0:23:50because they can all be best in whatever way.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55But my personal favourite is Hold on Tight, Irish documentary.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58'If anything ever happened between me and Clodagh,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02'that we should split up, it would feel like I was being ripped in half.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05'She's just so much my entire life.'
0:24:11 > 0:24:14'I'd like to be holding hands walking down the street with Clodagh
0:24:14 > 0:24:16'when I'm, like, 70.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19'That's the dream, and to have no-one stare.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:23It talks to me in a very intelligent sense and it makes me think.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28I think it's very much about here and now.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29It's hopeful and it's also pinpointing
0:24:29 > 0:24:33some very important issues about being gay today.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36The one that stood out was the Japanese film, Tsuyako.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41It's beautifully shot, it's gorgeously directed and filmed
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and it just tells a beautiful story simply and effectively.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47It's just a joy to watch.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Well, I'm sort of torn between two at the moment.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58There's the film shot in Japan, Tsuyako.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00But also I loved Skallamann, that's shot in Norway.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07That's like a 12-minute film, absolutely,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09it just, it felt something really new and refreshing.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14It was a musical, it was shot really well, really good dance routines
0:25:14 > 0:25:16made it look a bit like West Side Story at times.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25The film that I think I liked the most is called
0:25:25 > 0:25:26I Don't Want Go Back Alone.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29It's a Brazilian film and I love it
0:25:29 > 0:25:31because it's very simple on one level
0:25:31 > 0:25:34but the characters are all complex
0:25:34 > 0:25:37and it has a lot of depth.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Definitely, I Don't Want to Go Back Alone.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55It was absolutely amazing.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57All the films that have been shown
0:25:57 > 0:25:58have been of a fantastic standard,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00but this ticked all the boxes.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It was so touching,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04it hit home about what it's like to be a young gay guy,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08plus the fact he also was dealing with the fact he was blind as well.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09It's just absolutely amazing so,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11definitely, I Don't Want To Go Back Alone.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14The films were all so good and so good in different ways
0:26:14 > 0:26:18that it's going to be really hard, I think, to choose a winner.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22There's a film called Slow about two African-American gay guys,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26one of whom is blind, having this very tense, emotional encounter.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29A real punch to that, very unsettling,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32so I might, you know, sort of put in a word for that one.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I think it was a really we'll-made, interesting film.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Minister, can you please tell us
0:26:49 > 0:26:53the winner of the 2011 Iris Prize, please?
0:26:53 > 0:26:57The Iris Prize is awarded to Daniel Ribeiro
0:26:57 > 0:27:00for his short I Don't Want To Go Back Alone.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02APPLAUSE
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Well, I'm delighted for Daniel winning.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34This is his second time nominated for the Iris.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Winning this year is great.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40It'll be very exciting getting an opportunity
0:27:40 > 0:27:41to work with a Brazilian film-maker.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43That's going to be exciting.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44And the film is delightful.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46The film, I think, caught people's imagination.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50It's a beautiful love story. Very simple.
0:27:50 > 0:27:5215-year-old blind boy
0:27:52 > 0:27:55who has to deal with falling in love for the first time.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Beautiful, beautiful film.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Audiences attending the Iris Prize Film Festival
0:28:00 > 0:28:03have grown dramatically since the first prize in 2007,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and it has certainly caught the imagination of international film-makers
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and the film industry across the world,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11as well as some influential people in the UK
0:28:11 > 0:28:13who can safeguard its future.
0:28:13 > 0:28:172011, without a doubt, has been a watershed year for Iris.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19We've had some exciting announcements.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23We've had support from the Welsh government for the first time.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24We have a new patron,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27who is also going to be paying for the next short film.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30This is the end of a festival and,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33rather than feeling knackered and concerned about the future,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I'm feeling knackered but very excited.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37The possibilities are endless.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39We know that Iris works
0:28:39 > 0:28:43and I think the next five years is going to be amazing.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd