Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival returns to Blackpool on its 20th Anniversary tour
The 20th anniversary celebrations of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival will honour lesbian-focused films in this year’s tour of 25 towns, including Blackpool.
From forbidden kisses to real-life revolution, Blackpool Film Festival and Aunty Social will be welcoming Iris on Tour to Arc Cinema, Blackpool on Wednesday 11 March 2026 for an evening of fabulous LGBTQ+ film from the Cardiff-based film festival.
The evening’s screenings will include the 2025 Iris Prize winner, One Day This Kid, directed by Alexander Farah and Best British winner Chris Urch, for his film Blackout, giving audiences outside Cardiff the chance to see award-winning queer cinema on the big screen. The event starts at 6.30pm and booking is advised.
The evening of short film will be introduced by Iris Prize Festival Director, Berwyn Rowlands and include 6 short films highlighting the best of queer cinema, sharing LGBTQ+ Stories. The screening will include the Best Bits from the 2025 Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, award winners, audience favourites from the opening night and unforgettable stories from the 2025 Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
From a haunted tollhouse to a high-rise reckoning, from a quiet self-discovery to a love song by the sea, these films capture the brilliance, beauty, and bravery that define Iris. Featuring Y Tolldy, Blackout, One Day This Kid and Never, Never, Never, this programme celebrates the very best of Iris 2025 — films that moved audiences, impressed juries, and reminded us why Iris has never been just a festival.
Following the Best Bits, When Love Broke the Law: two short films that celebrate desire, protest, and the power of those who refused to live by anyone else’s rules, including Jackie, a short documentary film. In the documentary, the filmmaker and journalist spotlights the ground-breaking lesbian activist and trailblazing campaigner, Jackie Forster whose underground donor sperm operation helped the first queer women to have children.
Festival Director Berwyn Rowlands will also take part in a Q&A talking about Iris Prize and its 20th anniversary, the Iris Prize Documentary Film Fund, from which Jackie originated, and Iris Prize Productions.
“We are thrilled to be visiting 25 locations” Rowlands said. “Taking the best of Iris on the Move has become a core element of our work in sharing LGBTQ+ stories, We are thrilled to be visiting 25 locations, and still growing, thanks to the support of S4C.”
Great film should be for everyone, and nobody should have to struggle to experience the magic of cinema. Everyone is welcome to attend the Pay What You Can (PWYC) event and pay whatever they can. Free, £2.50, £5, £10 – whatever you can afford to give, that’s what the tickets cost for that event.
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