Film about Afghan-Canadian man scoops Welsh prize

A film about a first-generation Afghan Canadian man has scooped the top honours at a Welsh film festival.

Organisers at the Cardiff-based Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival announced that the top award had gone to Alexander Farah, a Afghan-Canadian filmmaker, for his film, One Day This Kid.

It tells the story of Hamed, who takes steps toward establishing an identity of his own while always conscious of his father's shadow, according to judges.

The Iris Prize, which celebrates global stories, awards £40,000 to the winner to make a new film with an LGBTQ+ theme in the UK.

The annual festival, which works in partnership with BAFTA Cymru and Pride Cymru among others, is a seven-day event and this year, the prize's 19th, attracted 11,000 admissions.

Tom Paul Martin, chairman for the 2025 Iris Prize, said Hamed's story "resonated with each of us and we know it will continue to resonate with audiences worldwide".

"That's because the themes - of queerness being with us before we have the words to describe it and the longing to reconcile it with our other identities - are so universal."

Film festival director Berwyn Rowlands described One Day This Kid as an "emotional journey" and a "delightful piece of cinema that weaves snapshots from one man's life from a young boy to a mature adult".