In the last of the series, Damian chats to filmmakers about the importance of real life stories on our screens and what is the reality of looking beyond the lens at the real lives of those our films represent, managing expectation, and the reality of dramatising our stories for screen.
Filming on location is hard, but when you chuck into the mix rural landscapes and unpredictable weather it can be damn near impossible. That and the sensitivities around shooting a queer film, Damian chat to his guests about all this can be possible and is Wales as welcoming as it perceives.
Representation on screen has never been so important, so Damian along with his guests this week chat specifically about queer young people on screen, and is it truly representative of those real lives it depicts.
Ever wondered how those stories appear on screen? Well, this week LGBTQ+ filmmaking podcast Iris answers just that. Join host Damian as he talks to Waterloo Road star Adam Ali as well as filmmaker Keeran Anwar Blessie and Bad Wolf, one the UK’s largest production companies, script editor, Bethan Evans
This week Damian interviews three LGBTQ+ filmmakers specialising in documentaries. Together they discuss the importance and collective responsibility of telling LGBTQ+ stories and ask whether documenteries have a duty to be balanced in their story telling, or does larger bias play a role?
Episode 1 – Authentic Casting
We kick things off on LGBTQ+ Iris Podcast talking all things representation in casting, and along with our interviewees attempt to answer the old age question in the filming industry, “should queer roles, be played by queer actors?”
The winners of the Iris Prize 2021 explain how they got from and idea on Canal Street to a short film set in Libya. Sam Arbor and Adam Ali talk us through the backstory of Baba, Sam tells us how he met, and then forgot Adam, and the question on everyone’s minds, what colour is Adam’s top?
To listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PBjvIHVM8IcUh70xTJu7Y
To watch the film visit: https://www.irisprize.org/
Rosemary discusses being open about your sexuality in the workplace, considers if she is a filmmaker that happens to be lesbian or a lesbian who happens to be a filmmaker and more importantly why is it still difficult for some people to say the word lesbian?
“Lesbian.” is a fierce, urgent poem by award-winning British-Syrian writer lisa luxx. It’s about the word “lesbian”, and the decades of toxic connotations that have made it feel like a hostile piece of language:
So much so that today, many queer women hesitate before using it. Rosemary Baker’s short film of the poem, which features a cast of real queer women, uses intricate body painting to bring to life what those layers of toxicity feel like. In an era of headline-hitting attacks on lesbians in public, it is a call to arms to take the word back.
Rosemary Baker is a queer filmmaker and visual artist in Wales, with an established career in documentary filmmaking for television. Her film “Lesbian.”, originally commissioned for Channel 4’s Random Acts short film platform at the Edinburgh International TV Festival in 2019, is her debut short film, and her first collaboration with the spoken word artist lisa luxx.
To listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PBjvIHVM8IcUh70xTJu7Y
To watch the film visit: https://www.irisprize.org/
‘From A to Q’ is the story of 22 year old Alex who wakes suddenly from a dream where she’s intimate with Kayla. Only problem is; Kayla happens to be Alex’s best friend and Alex has never been with a girl before…
She now has to navigate through her new found feelings, all the while trying really hard not to mess up the friendship she’s had since she was 5.
Emmalie is a writer, director and editor based in London who grew up in Spain, France and the US. In 2018 she made her first lesbian short film called ‘The Date’ which went on to do very well at film festivals around the world and has over 800k views online. Since then, she’s set out to create positive lesbian representation and in 2020, she made her second short film ‘From A to Q’. She’s very passionate about telling real human stories and hopes to continue doing so for as long as she can.
To listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PBjvIHVM8IcUh70xTJu7Y
To watch the film visit: https://www.irisprize.org/
James Bell and Leo Lebeau Birthday Boy London based filmmakers James and Leo discuss the importance of authentic storytelling, how they engaged with the Trans community and secured their trust, and the challenges and rewards of being determined to find a Trans actor to play the lead role in Birthday Boy.
“Birthday Boy” A transgender boy celebrates his birthday in online games, away from the bullying he faces at an all-girls school. A film by an LGBTQ+ crew.
To listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PBjvIHVM8IcUh70xTJu7Y
To watch the film visit: https://www.irisprize.org/
Efa Blosse-Mason discusses her love of animation, how she sustained a wrist injury while animating and why she wants to create something "naughty and sexy" are just some of the topics covered in this podcast with Cardiff based Iris alumni, Efa.
'Cwch Deilen': An animated love story about a leaf which becomes a boat, and fears come out of the murky waters as sea monsters and storms. Will the Leaf Boat survive the tumultuous waves?
AWARDS: Official Selection at Tribeca Film Festival
To listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PBjvIHVM8IcUh70xTJu7Y
To watch the film visit: https://www.irisprize.org/
‘Pop’ Storyline: Jack is a young boy exploring his own identity when he befriends a recently released ex-convict, Pop. The pair bond, but Pop's past and his inability to control his emotions threaten to put Jack in danger.
Margo Roe is a writer, director and choreographer from the Midlands, UK. Her career started with a theatre commission from the The Lincoln Company, co-directing a physical theatre piece for the TLC’s Edinburgh Fringe Tour 2014. In 2016 she was commissioned by Channel 4/Creative England Random Acts programme to direct and choreograph NAME, a short dance film now available on the Channel 4 website.
Margo’s recent short film ‘ Searching for Cowardice’ was created as part of the BBC New Creatives programme and broadcast as part of BBC4’s Female Filmmakers screening. ‘Searching for Cowardice‘ is now being adapted as a TV series with BFI Young Audience Content Fund and has been selected for the Torino Series Lab 2021. Margo’s BFI Midlands Short film ‘POP’, is now entering the film festival circuit.
To listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PBjvIHVM8IcUh70xTJu7Y
To watch the film visit: https://www.irisprize.org/
