Deed News

• Tarneit, by John Sheedy, wins prestigious £30,000 Iris Prize supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation
• Queer Parivaar, directed by Shiva Raichandani wins the Iris Prize Best British Short supported by Film4 and Pinewood Studios
• Six films highly commended
• New Best British Performances awards, supported by Out and Proud go to Claudia Jolly and Gary Fannin
• Film4 to continue supporting the Best British Short for a further three years
• ‘celebrating queer filmmaking in all its colours, bringing to Wales and the rest of the UK the very best in short film making and queer creativity’

Tarneit, directed by John Sheedy (Australia), has been announced the winner of the Iris Prize 2022, Cardiff’s International LGBTQ+ Short Film Prize, supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation. The £30,000 prize enables the winners of the Iris Prize to make a new short film in Wales.

The winners of all Awards categories were announced at a special awards ceremony on Saturday night marking the successful end to the festival’s return to being a fully face-to-face event.

Tom Abell, Chair of the Iris Prize, said: ‘I would like to congratulate Berwyn and the whole Iris team on this outstanding 16th edition of The Iris Prize. We are so pleased to have been able to welcome national and international filmmakers back to Cardiff to celebrate queer filmmaking in all its colours, bringing to Wales and the rest of the UK the very best in short film making and queer creativity.

‘I would also like to thank the juries for their careful thoughts, discussions and lively conversations that have delivered this year’s winners including the first ever award for a role that goes beyond the binary. As always Iris leads the way.’

THE WINNERS

IRIS PRIZE

The Iris Prize – the largest LGBTQ+ short film prize in the world is supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation. £30,000 is available to the winner to make a new LGBTQ+ themed film in the UK. In 2020, for the 5th time, Iris was identified as one of the “top 50 film festivals worth the entry fee” by Movie Maker Magazine. In 2017 the festival was promoted by BAFTA to A-list festival status, alongside Cannes and Sundance, by officially being recognised as a qualifying festival for the BAFTA awards.

The winner of the Iris Prize Supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation is Tarneit, directed by John Sheedy (Australia)

Tyrone lives with his mother and her boyfriend Pommy, a lowlife drug dealer who despises immigrants and homosexuals. Tyrone’s best friend Clinton, a refugee, lives with his older brother Shaker, who also has similarly firm ideas about race and sex. Despite these obstacles, the boys share a bond, both deaf, both neglected by family, and each dreaming of escaping from the brutal violence that surrounds them.

2022 Iris Prize Winner Reaction:

Bård Ydén, Chair of the Jury, said: ‘The quality of the films in competition is as high as it is diverse, and we’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the selection process – which is exactly where we want films to take us.

‘A number of films stood out, however, and in particular, Tarneit. It touched us in numerous ways, through exceptional storytelling and performances. This is a multi-layered film that will stay with you and we can’t wait to see what the filmmaker will present us with in the future.

‘The highly commended films were films we loved for different reasons, and it was important for us to highlight diversity in representation, storytelling, and craft – all three are impressive and unique films that deserve to be mentioned.’

The highly commended films are:

• Tank Fairy, directed by Erich Rettstadt 雷利 (Taiwan)
• Kapemahu, directed by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Daniel Sousa (Animation Director) (USA)
• A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here, directed by Érica Sarmet (Brazil)

BEST BRITISH

The winner of the Iris Prize Best British Short supported by Film4 and Pinewood Studios is Queer Parivaar, directed by Shiva Raichandani
When a mysterious gatecrasher appears at their wedding, Madhav and Sufi are forced to face past secrets and reflect on what makes a family.

Tim Highsted, Channel 4, and Chair of the Iris Prize Best British Short jury, said: ‘This year’s British shorts at Iris once again reveal an array of talented filmmakers – from the joyful and warm winning short, Queer Parivaar, directed by Shiva Raichandani – through to all the films that were shortlisted.

‘It was an almost impossible task to select from all the films, but the jury felt special commendations should go to the witty The Rev, directed by Fabia Martin for its humour; the beautiful and subtly observed drama A Fox in the Night, directed by Keenan Anwar Blessie set in south London and the haunting and poetical Nant, directed by Tom Chetwode Barton.

‘I am also delighted to announce Film4’s renewal of support for the Iris Prize and the Best British Short for a further three years. Iris is a unique organisation that presents the best and most original LBGTQ+ work each year and like Channel 4 showcases original talent and stories, which we can bring to audiences through All4 after the festival has ended.’

The highly commended films are:

• A Fox in the Night, directed by Keeran Anwar Blessie
• Nant, directed by Tom Chetwode Barton
• The Rev, directed by Fabia Martin

BEST BRITISH PERFORMANCE AWARDS SUPPORTED BY OUT AND PROUD

• Best Performance in a Female Role: Claudia Jolly – for the role of ‘Lydia Willis’ in Tommies
• Best Performance in a Male Role: Gary Fannin – for the role of ‘Jim’ in Jim

James Bell and Leo LeBeau, judges for the Best British Performance Awards said: ‘Awarding a performance is no easy task, as all actors bring incredible work to the table and have our utmost respect for what they do.

‘When watching the Best British Shorts we looked for the actors that we believed through and through, who were able to fully utilise every moment that they had on screen.

‘We thought Gary Fannin gave a phenomenal performance in Jim, taking us on a believable rollercoaster of emotions that elevated the story.

‘Claudia Jolly gave a powerful and realistic performance in Tommies. Her star power lifted the piece and it was a true joy to watch.’