Gorilla (directed by Tim Marshall, Australia) takes the Iris Prize

And the other winners are:

• My Mother (directed by Jay Bedwani) – Best UK Short

• Cupcakes (directed by Eytan Fox) - Iris Prize Best Feature Award

• Ryan Steele (Chip in Five Dances) Best Actor in a Feature

• Sabine Wolf (Katja in Two Mothers) Best Actress in a Feature

Gorilla a short film about a newly formed couple who are forced to face the unknown in their lives when a mysterious woman arrives at their secluded campsite has been announced as winner of the 2013 Iris Prize – Cardiff’s International Gay and Lesbian Short Film Prize supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation. The £25,000 prize will allow the filmmaker to make a new short film in the UK.

At the sold out Iris Awards 2013 presented by Amy Lamé at Cardiff’s Park Inn Hotel, Jeff Cuthbert AM,  

Minister for Communities & Tackling Poverty announced that the international jury had selected filmmaker Tim Marshall from Australia to scoop the coveted award.

“It is great to see such an important event for the arts and the LGBT community being held here in Wales. We understand the value of diversity and the importance of making sure it is protected.

“The collection of short films competing for this year’s Iris Prize, demonstrate this diversity perfectly.” said Cuthbert.

Gilly Adams, representative of the jury said, “IRIS 2013 has reminded us of the enjoyment to be had in discussing film. We've learned new ways of looking at cinema through sharing ideas, and often found our opinions changed by the challenge of listening to opposing views. We were impressed by the strength of the documentaries in this year's selection - subtler and perhaps less angry than in the past. Across the board we felt that the storytelling and the film making were better and a cause for optimism about the future of LGBT cinema.”

It was also announced by Julia Rebhan (The London Women’s Clinic) that the festival’s award for best feature film was won by Eytan Fox for Cupcakes. The Award carries a £1,000 cash prize donated by Martin Briggs from Cardiff and is selected by the Friends of Iris.

The Best UK Short was won by Jay Bedwani for his film My Mother.  Jay will be invited to be a member of the 2014 Iris Prize International Jury.

“It's rare to find a documentary made with such love and tenderness. This beautiful film captivates with its intimate account of a courageous life. We wanted it to be longer,” added jury representative, Gilly Adams.

For Dorian directed by Rodrigo Barriuso (Canada) and The Last Time I Saw Richard directed by Nicholas Verso (Australia) were highly commended by the jury,

The awards for best actor and best actress in a feature film were presented to Ryan Steele for his performance as Chip in the film Five Dances and Sabine Wolf for her performance as Katja in Two Mothers. Both awards were sponsored by the London Women’s Clinic and selected by Gay Star News.

The Youth Jury as part of Takeover Cardiff sponsored by The British Council announced their winner as Straight With You directed by Daan Bol. The Language of Love directed by Laura Scrivano received an honourable mention.

All of the film makers who travelled to Wales were hosted by the Friends of Iris, individuals who open their homes to the makers of the 30 short listed films from as far afield as Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Norway and the United States.

The five day festival also included nine of the latest gay and lesbian feature films, all enjoying their UK premieres at the festival.

Festival guests included directors Diemo Kemmesies (Silent Youth, Germany), Paul Sweeney, Senior Film Buyer for Cineworld and a strong UK contingency including Jason Davitt (Vampires: Lucas Rising, Wales) and Simon Savory (Bruno & Earlene Go To Vegas, England).  The International Jury included last year’s Iris Prize winner Grant Scicluna from Australia, festival directors Sridhar Rangayan from Mumbai, India and David Mullane from Dublin, Ireland.