Winners of the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival 2022 Announced

The winners of the 2022 Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival have been announced. John Sheedy, director of Tarneit, has been awarded the £30,000 Iris Prize reward supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation. Shiva Raichandani's Queer Parivaar has won the Best British Short award, supported by Film4 and Pinewood Studios, with six other LGBTQ+ films coming highly commended at the prestigious festival.

Tarneit follows the bond between two boys, both deaf and facing neglect from their homophobic and racist family members, who dream of leaving their dangerous homes in search of a better life. Chair of the Jury, Bård Ydén spoke about the impact of the film and praised Sheedy on his work, stating: “It touched us in numerous ways, through exceptional storytelling and performances. This is a multi-layered film that will stay with you and we can't wait to see what the filmmaker will present us with in the future.”

Best British Short winner Queer Parivaar follows Madhav and Sufi, a couple who is forced to confront their past after their wedding is gatecrashed by a mysterious figure. Following their win, Shiva Raichandani (writer, director and producer) shared a statement on LinkedIn expressing their thanks:

"Honoured to share that my film #QueerParivaar has *WON* the ‘Best British Short’ Award at the prestigious Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival; one of Britain’s most coveted recognitions. This means that our film is now BAFTA-qualified, will be broadcast on Channel 4 and streamed on their platform for a year!

Thank you so much to the entire cast, crew, producers, donors, and extended family of the film for supporting our journey with so much love. We are extremely grateful. Thank you also to team Iris, the jury, and the festival’s audiences for this win."

Tim Highsted, Senior Film Editor of acquired feature films for Channel 4, congratulated Raichandani on their win and announced the 3 runner-up movies for Best British Short.

“It was an almost impossible task to select from all the films, but the jury felt special commendations should go to the witty The Rev, directed by Fabia Martin for its humor; the beautiful and subtly observed drama A Fox in the Night, directed by Keenan Anwar Blessie set in south London and the haunting and poetical Nant, directed by Tom Chetwode Barton.”

Highsted then announced Film4 would be supporting the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival for a further three years, praising the event for its authenticity. “Iris is a unique organization that presents the best and most original LBGT+ work each year and like Channel 4 Television showcases original talent and stories,”

The Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival will return next year, sponsored by Film4.

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