The world’s finest selection of LGBTQ+ films, both long and short, will grace the capital throughout October for the Iris Prize in Cardiff – its first full, in-person affair in three years. John Evans sinks his teeth into what the 2022 edition has to offer, including a chat with the teen director of the shortlisted campy vampy romp, So Vam.
This month sees the return of Cardiff’s annual Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, marking October as a diverse and glorious month for arts and culture within Wales. With 2022 being its 16th edition, and the first time since 2019 it’s been what Iris calls “face to face” – last year, many attendees gathered in person, though the festival was still partly conducted online – the A-list, BAFTA-qualified festival has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2007. What used to span across three days with 1,500 admissions is now a week-long prestigious event that sees up to 11,000 admissions, with a month-long online version also attracting an audience of over 84,000 people.
Known as the largest LGBTQ+ short film prize in the world, the festival is supported by the likes of the Michael Bishop Foundation and Creative Wales among others, and the winner receives £30,000 to create a new LGBTQ+-themed film in the UK. Twelve new feature films from 10 different countries will be shown in the festival this year and are in the running for the grand prize. The winner is selected from a jury made up of six students from the University Of South Wales.
Themes from this year’s films range from coming of age and coming out to sex, lies and murder – indeed, something for everyone! Brand new for 2022, this year sees the award for Best British Programme, for which three Welsh films have been shortlisted. This also marks the continuation of a three-year sponsorship agreement with Film4. Alongside this, Best Feature Film is also up for grabs.
Opening night will premiere six new Welsh short films, including Cardiff from 2019 Iris Prize winner Sarah Smith. Barrio Boy, directed by Iris alum Dennis Shinners, will also receive its world premiere, but this isn’t the director’s first rodeo. With works previously shortlisted for the inaugural prize in 2007 and 2013, Dennis is now a member of this year’s international jury. He will be joining two other jury members who also have feature films being shown: Kamil Krawczyck’s Elephant, and Who We Love, directed by Ireland’s Graham Cantwell.
Other Iris alumni include Trevor Anderson, who has had three films shortlisted previously and will now attend the festival with his first feature Before I Change My Mind. The other shortlisted features include Fire Island, Hello World, Lonesome, Mascarpone, SIRENS, Metamorphosis, Yes Or No and So Vam. I spoke about the latter of these with its director, Alice Maio Mackay.
“Growing up, I started writing short stories and poetry and queer horror was always my thing,” the 18-year-old Australian trans woman tells me. “I just really wanted to put everything that I love into a horror film, but have something that’s also coming of age, and write about experiences that hopefully, other queer people can relate to. I didn’t want to water it down at all.”
Set in a conservative town in Australia, So Vam follows teenage outcast Kurt, who, despite experiencing relentless bullying for being queer, stays resilient and harbours big dreams to move to the city to become a drag queen… that is, until a predatory vampire gets in the way. With help from a gang of other young, camp and rebellious vampires, Kurt is welcomed as one of their own, and they proceed to feed on bigots and abusers.
“I wrote it with my co-writer, Ben Robinson, in a few months, and then we shot it in only a week. It was just me and Ben pretty much doing most of it,” Mackay continues. Her youth – she was only 16 at the time of filming – didn’t prove a hindrance, either. “It’s pretty amazing to have that experience at 16. When I get to work on my films, it’s often one of the times when I get to be in my hometown surrounded by other queer and trans people and make something that I’m super passionate about. It’s just a really amazing experience.”
Mackay was unfazed, she explains, because she knows just what she wants. “Directing everyone was pretty chill. I’m not an overly demanding person, but I knew what I wanted and I was able to get that from them. I think we all just had a great time.” Ultimately, she wanted to represent the idea of queerness, transness and her own experiences dealing with the two in the film.
“There’s a lot of my own personal experiences in the film. I really wanted the vampires to talk about ‘found’ family, especially with how important that is for gender-nonconforming and trans people. It’s a very on-the-nose metaphor, but that is the most important thing for me.”
Now, with So Vam shortlisted for the Iris Prize, Mackay aims to continue exploring more using the horror genre and identity, and looks forward to seeing the other shortlisted films. “It’s pretty incredible to be shortlisted and I’m very grateful. And to have one of my friends from Australia [Craig Boreham, director of Lonesome] also in it is pretty exciting – it’s one of my favourite Australian films! To be in the same festival as that is pretty mindblowing.”
Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Cardiff, Tue 11-Sun 16 Oct. Most screenings take place in Premiere Cinemas, as well as online from Wed 12-Sun 30 Oct.
Tickets: £140 full festival pass; £45 full online pass: £90 weekend pass (Fri 14-Sun 16); £30 per day; £5-£12 per event; £5 per event online.
Info: irisprize.org
words JOHN EVANS