Episode 1 – Authentic Casting 

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?”

After meeting at Uni and going their separate ways into writing and acting, Olivia and Joey reconnected and made ‘Acrimonious’, based on some of Joey’s real life experiences. They delve into what it’s like to make a film in your own living room, the things that really did happen and the bits that were given some poetic licence. ‘Acrimonius’ is a story of Emeka’s sudden divorce from his husband which leaves him back in his childhood home after he thought he’d left it behind for good. Moving from a middle class dream back to working class reality, Emeka has to relearn how to navigate the single life. To listen to the episode - https://anchor.fm/iris-prize-podcast To watch the film - https://www.irisprize.org/

Manchester based filmmaker Mat Johns discusses his film ‘Inertia’ with Robert, from where the story began, to how much it cost to make and everything in between. The pair dissect the film and we get a first-hand rundown of Mat’s journey from school to the world of film, via the University of Salford. ‘Inertia’ is a story of unlikely friendship between Maddie and Rabia, a teacher and student, as Rabia tries to help Maddie through the overwhelming grief of losing her wife. To listen to the episode - https://anchor.fm/iris-prize-podcast To watch the film - https://www.irisprize.org/

Born and raised in Colchester in Essex, Jack studied in London and made ‘Silver and Gold’ as a love letter to London and it’s iconic scenery. In this episode, he discuses filmmaking with Robert and how YouTube and Pixar influenced his work, along with his experience with making a film during a global pandemic. ‘Silver and Gold’ is a silent short film about a living statue ‘Silver’ performing along the River Thames, who communicates with another living statue opposite her, ‘Gold’. The two form a friendship and then a romance all while communicating through just movement. To listen to the episode - https://anchor.fm/iris-prize-podcast To watch the film - https://www.irisprize.org/

‘Baby Boy’ is a film about a taxi driver’s repressed sexuality and drug addiction coming together over a weekend in London with his younger queer lover. Greg Hall co-wrote and directed the film, and in this episode of the podcast discusses the ambiguity of it alongside some of the deeper meanings of the motifs in ‘Baby Boy’ and how these came about. Greg explores the social realism of the film with host Robert, and explains why this was important to him and co-writer George Russo. They delve into how Greg and George wanted to challenge the norms of films that are about and for working class audiences and how they got into filmmaking to begin with. To listen to the episode - https://anchor.fm/iris-prize-podcast To watch the film - https://www.irisprize.org/