One even includes an animation about a gay man who lives with a real live bear.
Organisers of the Iris Prize have today announced details of the 15 short films competing for the Best British Award at the 2017 Iris Prize Festival. The winner who will be presented with a prize valued at £20,000 from sponsors Pinewood Studios Group will be announced during the October film festival in Cardiff, Wales.
Andrew Pierce, Iris Prize Chair, commented:
“This strand of the festival has become very popular as we focus on home grown talent. With nominating partners in Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Bristol we are confident that we cover all the bases and this year is possibly the strongest yet with the highest number of submissions recorded this year.
As we recognise the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales it is pleasing to see how life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people has changed over the years. This is reflected in the stories our filmmakers have decided to share and it’s worth noting that one third of the films deal with trans stories.
One of the many highlights is the animated short Bearable by David James Holloway which asks the question what if your tribe within the gay community defined you? What if you lived with a real bear? Iris is many things to many people but to most of us she is a window on the world, and as our new strapline asks: “What will you see in Cardiff?”
Here's a montage of the 15 competing films:
More details are available here: irisprize.org/the-prize-2017/best-british-short
Keep your eyes peeled for the names of the 35 short films competing for the Iris Prize. They will be announced on Monday 14 August.
Only reading DIVA online? You're missing out. For more news, reviews and commentary, check out the latest issue. It's pretty badass, if we do say so ourselves.
divadigital.co.uk // divadirect.co.uk