The winners of the largest LGBT+ short film prize in the world, The Iris Prize, have been announced, with Tarneit by John Sheedy scooping the top prize.
John Sheedy has been announced as the winner of the 2022 Iris Prize, securing the £30,000 prize, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation. The Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival is a six-day celebration of LGBT+ film which takes place annually in Cardiff; it is the largest LGBTQ+ short film prize in the world and is supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation. Each year £30,000 is made
Sheedy’s winning film depicts the life of Tyrone, who 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. Chair of the Jury, Bård Ydén, spoke of how the Jury had been impressed by Tarneit as a “multi-layered film that will stay with you”, adding that “we can’t wait to see what the filmmaker will present us with in the future.”
You can see John Sheedy’s reaction to winning the Prize here.
Three films were highly commended for the 2022 Prize:
- 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).
In the Best British Short category, Queer Parivaar, directed by Shiva Raichandani took the top spot and will receive a package of services sponsored by Pinewood Studios Group. 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.”
Three films were highly commended for the 2022 Best British Short Prize, supported by Film4 and Pinewood Studios:
- A Fox in the Night, directed by Keeran Anwar Blessie
- Nant, directed by Tom Chetwode Barton
- The Rev, directed by Fabia Martin.
A number of other awards were announced during the course of the evening, including Jose Enrique Tiglao’s Metamorphosis which was awarded the Iris Prize Best Feature Award, sponsored by Bad Wolf and Breathe, directed by Harm van der Sanden which won this year’s Youth Award.
To find out more about the Iris Prize 2022 and to read full details of all of this year’s winners, visit the festival’s website.
