Iris Prize Best British Short films head to All 4

6 October 2020

The 15 LGBT+ films shortlisted for the Iris Prize Best British Short Supported by Film4 will all be available for steaming at Film4 on All 4 from Sunday 11th October.

 

For the first time in the Iris Prize’s history, all the shortlisted films competing for Best British Short will be available to view for free by a UK-wide audience, following the 3-year sponsorship deal between the Iris Prize Festival and Film4 agreed earlier this year.

 

Tim Highsted, Senior Editor, Acquired Feature Films for Film4, who chaired the jury for Best British Short, commented: “The quality and range of this year’s Best British Short film contenders has been excellent – so much so that the jury was spoiled in having to choose a winner. The Iris Prize is an ideal partner for Film4, excelling in offering fresh perspectives and showcasing new talent. We are delighted to present the 15 LGBT+ shorts on All 4 to as wide and audience as possible, following the announcement of the winner this Saturday.”

 

The shortlisted films, selected from a record number of submissions, explore a multitude of stories reflecting richly diverse LGBT+ experiences of contemporary British life in cities and countryside. The filmmakers invite audiences on journeys of self-discovery and belonging from childhood into old age. These are tales of falling in and out of love, addressing personal battles lost and won, all filled with tears, laughter or hope. The shortlisted films represent a joyous celebration of how the LGBT+ community express individuality, helping to bring community, family and the wider world together.

 

The shortlist of 15 films competing for the Iris Prize Best British Short Supported by Film4 are:

 

BETTER (UK, 2019) - directed by Michael J Ferns

CINDY (UK/ France, 2020) – dir. Rosanagh Griffiths

DUNGAREES (UK, 2020) – dir. Abel Rubinstein

GO HOME POLISH (UK, 2019) – dir. Ian Smith

JUST ME (UK, 2019) – dir. Adam Tyler

MANDEM (UK, 2019) – dir. John Ogunmuyiwa

MY GOD, I'M QUEER (UK, 2020) – dir. Matt Mahmood-Ogston

PAINT THE DRAGONS’ EYES (UK, 2020) – dir. James Lucas

POMPEII (UK, 2019) – dir. Harry Lighton, Marco Alessi & Matthew Jacobs Morgan

QUEENS (UK, 2020) – dir. Nick Bechman

QUEERING DI TEKNOLOJIK (UK, 2019) – dir. Timothy Smith

RHIW GOCH (ON THE RED HILL) (UK, 2020) – dir. Anna Winstone
THE PASSING (UK, 2020) – dir. Nichola Wong
THE SCENE (UK, 2019) – dir. James Corley
WINGS (UK, 2020) – dir. Jamie Weston

 

The winning film will be announced at an online awards event at 7.00pm on Saturday 10th October, and its director receives a package of services sponsored by Pinewood Studios Group.

 

More information on and images of the shortlisted films and  directors are available at: irisprize.org/bestbritish

 

A montage of the 15 films competing for the 2020 Iris Prize Best British Short Supported by Film4 is available here: https://youtu.be/w_mPgX9KIyo  

 

The Iris Prize Festival opens on Tuesday 6th October and closes on Sunday 11th October. All screenings, talks and events are available online for free at www.irisprize.org. There will also be a pay-per-view catch-up service which will run until the end of October.

 

///ENDS///

 

For further information please contact:

Phil Cairns

Press & Publicity Manager – Film4

 

 

Notes to Editors:

 

Film4 channel is available for free to everyone with digital TV. It is the UK’s number one film channel, and the UK’s 4th biggest digital channel. A daily line-up of great movies guarantees a choice for every type of film fan, including the best of British film-making, Hollywood blockbusters, independent and world cinema, timeless classics and cult favourites, through an innovative schedule that features regular themed strands and seasons. Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division, which develops and co-finances films and has an established track record for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in UK and international filmmaking. Film4 has developed and/or co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, including Academy Award-winners such as Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite, Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady.

www.film4.com | @Film4

 

 

All 4 is Channel 4’s award-winning free streaming servicethat’s home to thousands of hours of iconic Channel 4 programmes through its extensive library of box sets and shows, with original and exclusive content including US acquisitions, featured channels such as Adult Swim and the best global drama from Walter Presents, plus live streams and catch up from all of Channel 4’s broadcast channels.

A curated selection of films shown on Channel 4 and Film4 are also available for either seven or 30 days to stream on All 4.

All 4 is available on more than twenty platforms including All4.com and via the app on mobile and tablet (iOS, Android, Windows Phone), games consoles (Xbox, PlayStation) and big screen (Samsung, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, YouView, Freeview Play and Now TV). It is also available via third-party providers, such as Sky and Virgin Media.

All 4 has 23 million registered users, including 80% of 16-34 year olds in the UK.

 

The Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival is a six-day celebration of LGBT+ film which takes place annually in Cardiff, Wales, UK. The diverse festival programme, with a focus on excellence in LGBT+ storytelling, includes screenings of the 35 international short films competing for the Iris Prize, the 15 British short films competing for the Best British Award and 10-15 feature films, including multiple UK premieres. In addition to film screenings, the festival features expert talks on subjects relevant to LGBT+ culture and filmmaking, filmmaker Q&As, the Producers Forum – a full-day forum for low budget filmmaking, an Education Day for young audiences, nightly parties and the Iris Carnival, featuring the Awards Show and live music.