The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival has announced the winners of its Community, Education and Micro-short awards, shining a light on emerging filmmakers and grassroots storytelling. The awards, sponsored by Mark Williams in memory of his sister Rose Taylor, celebrate content created outside of mainstream funding structures, with two of the three winning films hailing from Wales.
“It’s important that we recognise storytelling at all stages and at all levels,” said Festival Director Berwyn Rowlands. “These awards focus on new talent and those who are creating content, sometimes with minimal, if any, budget. I’m hoping that these awards will be a boost for the winners to create more content.”
The announcement was made tonight at the culmination of a day dedicated to community filmmaking.
The Community Award honours films made by non-professionals, grassroots groups, and those without full funding. This year, the prize goes to Dysgu Hedfan, directed by Juliette Manon. The film was commissioned by S4C as part of its partnership with It’s My Shout.
The jury described Dysgu Hedfan as a “beautiful exploration of young queer love with the artistic approach of ‘finding your wings’.” They praised the film for being “emotive, well-filmed, and beautifully curated,” noting that the use of Welsh “further celebrated Welsh queer culture.”
The Education Award celebrates films made by people in an educational setting, with most of the crew aged 21 or younger. This year’s joint winners are Olivia Phillips and Connie Beck for their film After Everything.
The jury called it the “standout of the Education category,” for displaying a relationship that felt “simultaneously authentic and interesting.”
For the shortest films, the Micro-Short Award is for content under two minutes in length. This year’s winner is the animated short The Gardener, directed by Efa Blosse-Mason and Sofie Marsh.
“The animation was beautiful to watch and paired perfectly with poetry,” the jury commented. “It evoked so much emotion despite being so short, which really impressed all of us.” They also gave an honourable mention to Poltergeist, directed by Alicia Brown.
The judging panel included Cameron Wagg, Erykah Cameron, Freya Gautier and Niamh Buckland, all with strong ties to the LGBTQ+ community and the film world.
The Iris Prize Festival receives support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales and has Iris Online available until November 7, 2025. For full details on the festival and its sponsors, visit https://irisprize.org/the-irisprize-awards/.
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