Iris on the Move: A Welsh Film Festival Takes Its Stories Across the UK
As the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026, its much‑loved touring showcase, Iris on the Move, is once again packing its bags — and its films — for a journey across the UK. What began as a small Cardiff festival in 2007 has grown into one of Wales’s most distinctive cultural exports, and this year’s tour promises to carry that unmistakable blend of global storytelling and Cardiff charm to more towns and cities than ever before.
Running through February and March, Iris on the Move will visit more than 25 venues across Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the programme continuing to expand. Sponsored by S4C and delivered in partnership with the Diva Film Festival, the tour offers audiences a rare chance to experience award‑winning LGBTQ+ cinema on the big screen — often accompanied by Q&As with filmmakers and introductions from Festival Director Berwyn Rowlands and Iris staff.
A Tour That Reflects the Past, Present and Future of LGBTQ+ Film
This year’s tour launches at the start of LGBT History Month, whose 2026 theme focuses on science and innovation. Fittingly, one of the standout films is Jackie, Emily Sargent’s short documentary about pioneering activist Jackie Forster, whose underground donor sperm network helped queer women become parents at a time when mainstream routes were closed to them.
Welsh filmmaking also takes centre stage with Y Tolldy, a Welsh‑language horror short commissioned by S4C. Directed by Dan Thomas and starring Al Parr, the film premiered at the 2025 Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff and now returns home as part of the touring selection.
The festival is also expanding its footprint, with two new venues joining the tour: The Arzner in London, hosting Iris for the first time on 31 January, and Edinburgh’s Filmhouse on 3 March.
Stories the Mainstream Too Often Misses
For Rowlands, the growing tour is a testament to Iris’s mission. “Taking the best of Iris on the Move has become a core element of our work in sharing LGBTQ+ stories,” he says. “The number of locations we will be visiting has increased to 25 and it is still growing… Iris is about screening stories that the mainstream can sometimes ignore.”
To mark the festival’s 20th year, Iris is also expanding its digital reach. For two months from February, selected Iris Productions will be available online, allowing audiences across the UK to host their own Iris screenings at home.
Two Curated Programmes and a Feature Documentary
The 2026 tour presents two short‑film programmes alongside a feature documentary, offering a broad sweep of queer storytelling from Wales and beyond.
Programme 1: Iris 2025 – Best Bits (15)
A 65‑minute showcase of festival highlights, including:
Y Tolldy (Dir. Dan Thomas, Wales) — A chilling homecoming tale set in a small Welsh town.
Blackout (Dir. Chris Urch, UK) — Winner of Best British Short, exploring the violence we carry within.
One Day This Kid (Dir. Alexander Farah, Canada) — The 2025 Iris Prize winner, following a first‑generation Afghan Canadian man navigating identity and family.
Never Never Never (Dir. John Sheedy, UK/Australia) — A tender story set in a Welsh fishing village, where unspoken love and Shirley Bassey’s music offer solace against conservative expectations.
Programme 2: When Love Broke the Law (12A)
A 60‑minute selection exploring love, resistance and queer histories:
Two People Exchanging Saliva (Dirs. Natalie Musteata & Alexandre Singh) — A surreal satire set in a world where kissing is punishable by death.
Jackie (Dir. Emily Sargent, Scotland) — A portrait of a groundbreaking activist whose legacy remains largely unsung.
Feature Documentary: 3000 Lesbians Go To York
Rachel Dax’s feature documentary charts the extraordinary rise of the York Lesbian Arts Festival, which from 1998 to 2008 transformed the city into an unlikely hub of lesbian culture. With thousands attending each year, the festival became a landmark moment in UK queer history.
A Festival Rooted in Wales, Reaching the World
The Iris Prize remains the world’s largest LGBTQ+ short film prize, offering £40,000 to the winner to create a new film in the UK. It is also a BAFTA and BIFA‑qualifying festival for British short film — a remarkable achievement for an event that began with just 1,500 admissions in 2007.
Today, the main festival attracts around 11,000 attendees each October, with an online programme extending its reach even further. The 20th edition will return to Cardiff from 12–18 October 2026.
As Iris on the Move sets off once again, it carries with it not only a slate of exceptional films but a distinctly Welsh commitment to community, creativity and the power of stories to travel far beyond where they were first imagined.
