Twenty years ago, a small idea took root in Cardiff that would eventually grow into one of the most important LGBTQ+ film festivals on the planet. The Iris Prize, founded by Berwyn Rowlands, has spent two decades championing queer short films and the filmmakers behind them, and in 2024 it reaches a milestone that very few independent festivals ever get to celebrate.
The prize itself carries serious weight. Winners take home the largest short film prize in the world, worth £30,000, with the money going directly toward making a new short film in Wales. That connection to Welsh production is central to everything the festival stands for. It was never just about screening films. It was about building something, creating work, and putting Wales on the map as a home for LGBTQ+ storytelling.
Rowlands, who has steered the festival since the beginning, has spoken warmly about what the anniversary means. Starting something like this from scratch, with limited resources and no guarantee anyone would show up, takes a particular kind of stubbornness. The fact that the Iris Prize is still here, still growing, and still pulling in submissions and audiences from across the world says everything about the need it fills.
The festival takes place in Cardiff every October and draws filmmakers and film lovers from dozens of countries. Over the years it has screened hundreds of short films, hosted industry events, and given emerging LGBTQ+ talent a platform at a time when mainstream cinema still struggles to tell those stories properly. For a lot of filmmakers, getting selected for Iris is a genuine career moment.
Wales as a location matters more than people might think. Cardiff has built a reputation as a creative city, partly through the growth of its screen industry and partly through events like this one. The Iris Prize has played a real role in that, bringing international visitors to the city every year and generating attention for Welsh culture well beyond the country’s borders.
The numbers behind two decades of the festival are striking. Thousands of films have been submitted over the years from well over 100 countries. The festival has screened work from filmmakers who have gone on to major careers in television and cinema. Previous winners and nominees have picked up BAFTA nominations and other major awards after their Iris moment gave them a boost.
What makes the Iris Prize different from a lot of film festivals is the specificity of its focus combined with the seriousness of its prize money. Short film is a format that often gets treated as a stepping stone rather than a destination, but Iris takes it seriously on its own terms. The £30,000 prize is not a token gesture. It is enough to actually make something, and the requirement that the winning film gets made in Wales keeps the benefit local.
For the LGBTQ+ community in Wales, the festival has become something of an annual landmark. It is a chance to see stories that reflect real experiences on screen, to gather, and to feel part of something bigger. That social function is easy to underestimate but it matters enormously, particularly in a year when LGBTQ+ rights and visibility are under pressure in various parts of the world.
As the festival marks its 20th year, the focus is on both looking back and pushing forward. There is a real legacy to celebrate here, built by Rowlands and a dedicated team who kept the thing going through lean years and difficult times. But the conversation is also about what comes next, how the prize stays relevant, how it continues to find and support new voices, and how it keeps Wales at the centre of the story.
For anyone who has not yet made it to the Iris Prize festival, the 20th edition is as good a reason as any to finally go. Cardiff in October, great films, and a genuine sense of community. That combination has kept people coming back for two decades, and there is no sign of it stopping now.