Iris opens exciting and versatile pop-up space in St David’s Dewi Sant, Cardiff’s premiere retail venue

Monday, 3 August 2026

 

  • Cardiff’s prestigous Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival will have a public-facing space in the heart of the city’s shopping quarter
  • The pop-up will play host to a mini cinema, an art installation, and offer space for LGBTQ+ community activities
  • 2026 marks 20 years of global storytelling at the prestigious BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festival for British short film, which opens on Monday 12 October
  • “This will give us a chance to reach a new audience for Iris, and as we move to Cineworld, the pop up is just around the corner.” Berwyn Rowlands

The organisers of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival – celebrating global stories and Cardiff charm are pleased to reveal that on Monday 3 August 2026 they are opening an ambitious and exciting pop-up in the biggest retail space in Wales, the prestigious St David’s Dewi Sant in Cardiff. This is the first time the international short film festival will have an accessible public space outside the window of Iris week.  

Helen Morgan, Centre Director of St David’s Dewi Sant Cardiff, said: “We have always admired the work of the Iris Prize in sharing LGBTQ+ stories, and St David’s is as proud to support them today as we were when they first started 20 years ago. We are particularly looking forward to hosting Iris’ first-ever pop-up exhibition space, which will showcase its talented filmmakers to new audiences in the run-up to the film festival in October.” 

The focus of the pop up will be an installation created by Jenna Murphy, a Cardiff-based artist. Jenna will be creating a World Map for the pop-up, and the map to be updated every two weeks with names of filmmakers and guests who have confirmed they will be attending the festival this October. There will also be a mini cinema on site, which will show some of the best shorts from the Iris archive, along with an exhibition of Pink Portraits Revisited (2023), by Welsh photographer Dylan Lewis Thomas.  

Also making an appearance will be Iris herself, snapped by long-time friend of Iris, photographer Jon Pountney.  This iconic image of Iris will be seen in the window of the pop-up, but also in many places this year as we celebrate the 20th anniversary. 

Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize Festival Director, said: “We are beyond excited to have this amazing pop-up in the St David’s Dewi Sant shopping centre. This will give us a chance to reach a new audience for Iris, and as we move to Cineworld, the pop-up is just around the corner. 

“We will be screening films in the pop-up, and you can meet the festival team who can guide you through our programme and answer any questions you might have. We will also be hosting a number of special events with partners, all which will be revealed over the next few weeks.”  

The pop-up is located on the lower level of St David’s Grand Arcade, close to John Lewis, Castle Fine Art and Reiss. 

The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival has hosted hundreds of filmmakers, producers, acting talent, big industry names, and this year will be no different, with the full programme will be unveiled on 5 September.  This year, Iris has delivered its strongest number of open submissions to date, combining record-breaking volume with a broad international spread and a carefully balanced access strategy.   

The shortlist for the Best British Award, sponsored by Film4 and Pinewood Studios, will be revealed on 22 August 2026, at a special event hosted by Scene Festival, Manchester.  

Full details about Iris can be found here:  www.irisprize.org     

Iris Prize will return in 2026 for the 20th edition on Monday 12 October until Sunday 18 October. 

The main festival sponsors are: The Michael Bishop Foundation; Creative Wales, a Welsh Government agency that supports the creative sectors in Wales; the BFI awarding funds from The National Lottery; Ffilm Cymru Wales; Film4; University of South Wales; Co-op Respect; Ymddiried – Media Grants Cymru, Bad Wolf; S4C; Gorilla Group; Pinewood Studios; Attitude Magazine; Diva Magazine; Movie Marker; The Ministry Venues and Transport for Wales. The festival also works in partnership with British Council Wales,  BAFTA Cymru, Pride Cymru, and Visit Cardiff.