Iris Prize

Iris Prize International Shortlist 2024: 

11:01 | Dir. Jimi Drosinos | UK | 29 mins 

A former dancer returns to her hometown, encountering an unexpected heartwarming connection with a girl who has Down syndrome. 

all the words but the one | Dir. Nava Mau | USA | 18 mins 

A dinner with her partner’s new boss becomes precarious when Maya realizes she’s also dining with someone from her past. 

Alok | Dir. Alex Hedison | USA | 19 mins 

Filmmaker Alex Hedison delivers a compelling portrait of her friend, Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed, non-binary, author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. 

Blood Like Water | Dir. Dima Hamdan | Palestine | 14 mins 

Shadi 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. 

Boys in the Water | Dir. Pawel Thomas Larue | France | 39 mins 

End of summer on the Breton coast. Oscar invites his group of friends to spend a week's vacation at his grandparent’s house. He hasn't been back to his childhood home for years - not since he came out as a trans boy. On the beach, the gang meets Malo, a handsome local guy, also trans. The story is about their meeting, which will turn everything upside down. 

Bunk | Dir. Piotr Jasiński | Czech Republic | 21 mins 

After learning that his best friend Ales is gay, Tomas tries to find out whether their friendship still makes sense. 

Bust | Dir. Angalis Field | USA | 11 mins 

A trans girl cop with the NYPD goes undercover to make a drug bust. 

Come Correct | Dir. Molly Coffee | USA | 15 mins 

Recently divorced from her husband, a woman with an unhealthy relationship with perfection explores her newfound queerness by hiring a female sex worker to teach her how to eat fruit. 

Die Bully Die | Dir. Nathan & Nick Lacey | Australia | 16 mins 

Die Bully Die follows Max, who catches up with his high school bully, Adam, 17 years later, in a fancy restaurant where Max’s grudge against Adam begins to manifest in horrific ways. 

Dildotectónica | Dir. Tomás Paula Marques | Portugal | 16 mins 

Today, Rebeca attempts to create a collection of non-phallic ceramic dildos. During the Inquisition, Josefa finds a dildo that is used in their forbidden love relationship with Maria. Although in different timelines, the paths of Rebeca and Josefa end up crossing each other. 

Don’t Forget Me | Dir. Alice Wang | Canada | 19 mins   

After discovering her recently deceased grandmother's secret love letters, a Chinese-Canadian millennial and her girlfriend try to track down the recipient to deliver her grandmother’s last letter. 

Former Best Friend | Dir. Feicien Feng | Hong Kong | 27 mins 

Yi, who is about to get married, returns to his hometown to see his parents, meanwhile, he ran into his old friend Zhong. Their discreet past was revealed, and they are no longer the two teenagers they used to be. 

G Flat | Dir. Peter Darney | UK | 18 mins 

An 84-year-old stroke survivor sends for a sex worker leading to an unexpected climax. 

Gigi | Dir. Cynthia Calvi | France | 14 mins 

From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, Gigi tells us about her gender transition with humour and sensitivity. 

Heroines | Dir. Astré Desrives | France | 29 mins 

Jersey, 1940. Threatened by the German troops' arrival, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, lesbian and Jewish artists, decided to resist. Armed with their imagination, they create the "nameless soldier" army. 

Honeymoon | Dir. Alkis Papastathopoulos | Greece | 25 mins 

After a traumatising event involving the cops, Fay is leaving Greece for good. Sandra accompanies her to the bus station, taking this time as a chance to say goodbye. As they are travelling by bus across the country, a transphobic attack by two co-passengers leaves them stranded on a highway in the middle of nowhere. 

I Never Promised You A Jasmine Garden | Dir. Teyama Alkamli | Canada | 20 mins 

Tara, a queer Palestinian woman in her late 20s, attempts to suppress her internal emotional turbulence during a phone call with her best friend Sarab. 

iykyk | Dir. Bonita Rajpurohit | India | 18 mins 

We follow Kusum, a trans girl on a series of dates with boys; As they find themselves trying to straddle the line of respecting her boundaries and expressing themselves and failing at it most of the time. 

Jia | Dir. Vee Shi | Australia | 15 mins 

A grieving Chinese mother travels to Australia and embarks on a road trip with Eric, to remember her late son. Ming's conservative values are tested when she learns Eric was her son's lover. 

Kasbi | Dir. Farah Jabir | USA | 12 mins 

A middle-aged Pakistani housewife, in search of herself, hires a young, self-assured sex worker to keep her company for the night. 

Love, Jamie | Dir. Karla Murthy | USA | 20 mins 

The story of Jamie Diaz, a trans artist incarcerated in Texas, and an enduring friendship that brought her art of liberation and pride to the world outside. 

Mami | Dir. Alecio Araci | Sweden | 7 mins 

The matriarch of the family is worried. One of her grandchildren doesn't come to visit and she doesn't understand why, but soon a phone call comes that changes everything.

mar(i)cona | Dir. Cande Lázaro | Spain | 13 mins 

An intimate reflection on the relationship between territory and trans identity, rurality and queerness, norm and dissidence, mapping out a space of expression between audiovisual essay and personal cinema. 

Marungka tjalatjunu (Dipped in black) | Dir. Matthew Thorne & Derik Lynch | Australia | 24 mins 

Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) follows Yankunytjatjara man Derik Lynch's road trip back to Country for spiritual healing, as memories from his childhood return. A journey from the oppression of white city life in Adelaide, back home to his remote Anangu Community (Aputula) to perform on sacred Inma ground. 

MnM | Dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon | USA | 15 mins 

MnM is an exuberant portrait of chosen sisters Mermaid and Milan, two emerging runway divas in the drag ballroom community. Celebrating their joy, siblinghood, and unapologetic personas, the film explores the power and beauty of being nonbinary in a community that prizes gender ‘realness’. 

Niloo | Dir. Mehdi Koushki | Iran | 10 mins 

A film about a young girl who gives birth to a baby by her abusive father and is debating what action to take next. 

Nyame Mma (Children of God) | Dir. Joewackle J Kusi | Ghana | 27 mins 

Following his father’s sudden death, a young man returns home for the funeral, and closure with him as he journeys to the afterworld. The film explores how the lack of space for male grieving makes their loss very isolating. 

Pill Nation | Dir. Bruno Tadeu | Brazil | 22 mins 

Dante is an old gay activist who refuses to retire. Facing the inevitable end of his existence, he decides to fulfil his old plans of opening the first LGBTQIA+ retirement house in Brazil, ignoring the advice of his great friend, Francisca, who argues that they no longer need to care. 

The Performance | Dir. Claire Zhou | Netherlands | 20 mins 

Lin is preparing her solo performance for the Chinese New Year celebration at her church. When rumours start circulating about her son, she is faced with a difficult choice: will she hide or show her true self? 

Rat! | Dir. Neal Suresh Mulani | USA | 17 mins 

When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans seek retribution. 

Ready for Ransom | Dir. Simon Dickel | Germany | 16 mins 

A biographical film about a so-called “conversion-therapy”, a belated filmic obituary, a meditation on loss and love, and a reflection on the filmmaker’s friendship with the late protagonist. 

SKIN | Dir. Leo Behrens | USA | 7 mins 

SKIN is a poetic exploration of identity and self-discovery, using visual symbolism to depict a woman's transformation into a man.  

Some Kind of Paradise | Dir. Nicholas Finegan | USA | 22 mins 

When a reclusive barman at an Arkansas line-dancing bar meets a Puerto-Rican film actor via Grindr, the intimacy they share leaves him questioning the isolated life he’s built for himself.  

Terratoma | Dir. Liadán Roche | Ireland | 24 mins 

Alice tries to make sense of a relationship that stole two years of her life through an invasive and deeply personal film project. After finding someone who looks just like her ex, she begins to weave him into this project without his knowledge.  

Where We Stay | Dir. Florence Bouvy | Netherlands | 23 mins 

Longtime friends Carry (31) and Daniel (28) have never acknowledged their underlying feelings for each other. Now that Carry is dying, time is running out. 

---

Best British Short 2024: 

Diomysus: More Than Monogamy | Dir: Emily Morus-Jones (5 mins) WALES

An experimental film where a group of mice (voiced by members of the UK polyamorous community whose identities are masked using puppetry) discuss their experiences of polyamory. Diomysus asks the question - are we (the audience) more open to taboo ideas if unconscious bias is eliminated?

Divine Intervention | Dir:  Ravenna Tran (17 mins)

To get the promotion of their dreams, a mischievous earth-bound angel must get two ex-best friends to finally admit their love to each other.

Everything Looks Simple from a Distance | Dir:  Conor Toner (13 mins)

With tensions mounting in 1969 Northern Ireland, Noah tries to convince politicians, money men, priests, and paramilitaries that a trip to the moon may be the best route to peace.

Fairview Park | Dir:  Aymeric Nicolet, Ellie Hodgetts (14 mins)

A film based on the murder of Declan Flynn, seen as a major catalyst for Ireland’s LGBTQ Pride movement.

G Flat | Dir:  Peter Darney (18 mins) WALES

An 84-year-old stroke survivor sends for a sex worker leading to an unexpected climax.

I Hope He Doesn't Kill Me. | Dir:  Lyndon Henley Hanrahan, Nora Dahle Borchgrevink (14 mins)

Buzz waits outside the apartment building of his anonymous Grindr hookup, imagining all the depraved ways this night could end. Horrified yet horny, Buzz buzzes the buzzer.

Making Up | Dir:  Ryan Paige (15 mins)

It's the late 1980s in East End London and drag queen Ted, who is diagnosed with a hereditary illness, must reconcile with his estranged daughter, Cassandra.

Miss Temperance | Dir:  Jeremy McClain (13 mins)

In Glasgow's alt-queer party scene, a drag artist navigates the night of their return to the stage after being one year sober.

Rage Consumes Me | Dir:  Felix Waverley-Hudson (5 mins)

This is a poetic and provocative exploration of being non-binary in today’s society, of anger and despair as your personhood and identity is stripped away.

Rejoyce! | Dir:  David Ledger (15 mins)

After the death of her husband, an elderly vicar’s wife unearths a book of erotic fiction that she wrote in her youth.

Sally Leapt out of a Window Last Night | Dir:  Tracy Spottiswoode (20 mins) WALES

Ireland 1778. Sally and Eleanor flout convention and scandalise society to escape the fate their families have planned for them. They elope. Inspired by the true story of the legendary ‘Ladies of Llangollen.’

Sister Wives | Dir:  Louisa Connolly-Burnham (28 mins)  

Two sister wives married to the same man start to develop feelings for each other.

Until Today | Dir:  Megan Lyons (15 mins)

After her overbearing mother arranges a loveless marriage, a young aristocrat must consider the price of familial duty when it threatens a forbidden romance with her best friend.

Water's Edge | Dir:  Jason Barker (15 mins)

In near future rural Somerset, Anna is trying to be a happily married woman but the arrival of a troupe of travelling players on the farm tests her beliefs to the limit.

Who's Kitty Amor? | Dir:  Maik Diederen (22 mins)

From her South London upbringing, formative clubbing years at Nottingham University and running nights at the legendary Stealth nightclub and her international DJ success across the globe, Kitty Amor’s remarkable rise through the ranks of the UK scene and unwavering dedication to flying the flag for Africa’s Electronic Music is told like never before in documentary short.

---