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Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2025 Submissions Now Open

The organisers of the prestigious LGBTQ+ film festival based in Cardiff are thrilled to announce today (13 January 2025) that submissions are open for the 19th edition of Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival – celebrating global stories and Cardiff charm, to be held Monday 13 October – Sunday 19 October 2025.
The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival is looking for excellent short and feature films and has 14 awards up for grabs including the internationally coveted £40,000 Iris Prize supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation.



Iris Prize Festival Director, Berwyn Rowlands, said:
“This time of year is magical. As we open for submissions, we are reminded that the Iris Prize continues to be the world’s largest short film prize, and this year it becomes £40,000 (almost US$50,000) thanks to the generous support of the Michael Bishop Foundation.
“Everybody is a potential winner as we start the process of receiving films, viewing and selecting. And I honestly believe that every filmmaker who produces a film is already a true winner, taking an idea and sharing that story as a film takes some serious commitment and talent.”
The winner of the Iris Prize Best British Short sponsored by Film4 and Pinewood Studios will receive an exclusive screening of their film at Pinewood Studios and a welcome reception with drinks and canapes sponsored by Pinewood Group. All films in the Best British 2025 shortlist will be broadcast on Film4 and be streamed on Channel 4 for one year. A licence fee will be paid to all shortlisted Best British filmmakers. After the end of the Channel 4 window the Best British Short nominated films will be offered a non-exclusive second window on OUTTV‘s global platforms.

Last year’s Iris Prize winner, Dima Hamdan is a Palestinian filmmaker and journalist based in Berlin. As a self-taught filmmaker, she directed several short films in the UK, Jordan, Germany and Palestine. Her previous short film, The Bomb (Germany, 2019), won the “Best Female Director” award at the Ayodhya Film Festival in India.
Dima’s winning film, Blood Like Water, tells the story of Shadi who embarks on a secret adventure, and accidentally drags his family into a trap where they only have two choices; either collaborate with the Israeli occupation, or be shamed and humiliated by their own people.
The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival will present 14 awards, and here are some of the categories:
- Iris Prize – International LGBTQ+ shorts: Win the world’s largest LGBTQ+ short film prize—£40,000 to create your next LGBTQ+ short in the UK and an invitation to sit on the 2026 International Jury.
- Iris Prize Best British – UK LGBTQ+ shorts: The winner of the Iris Prize Best British Short 2025 will receive an exclusive screening of their film at Pinewood Studios and a welcome reception with drinks and canapes sponsored by Pinewood Group and an invitation to sit on the 2026 Best British Jury.
- Feature Film: The winner for this award will be decided by an independent jury.
- Community award: Iris Prize Community Award for a film made by a UK-based community group. A cash prize of £250 is paid to enable the community group to make more films.
- Education Award: The Iris Prize Education Award is open to schools/colleges/other education establishments or youth groups based in the UK. The winning school or youth group will receive £250 prize money to enable them to make further films.
- Micro Short Award: This category is open to any individual or group based in the UK. The winner of the Iris Prize Micro Award will receive £100 prize money to enable them to make further films.
Iris Prize will return this year: Monday 13 October – Sunday 19 October 2025.
Full details about Iris can be found here: www.irisprize.org

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