Glitter Cymru LGBT BAME Iris Prize

Glitter Cymru is a member-led grassroots community project for LGBT+ Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people. This year they wrote, directed and filmed a short film with the support of the Iris Outreach Community Initiative. In case you don't know, Iris Prize is an international LGBT film festival and awards ceremony. Glitter Cymru's film has been shortlisted for the Best Community Film at the Iris Education and Community Film Awards 2018. They have been granted 6 tickets to attend the screening and ceremony in North Wales on 26th January 2018. The problem is, being a member-led group without funding, Glitter members cannot afford to make the journey! It is such a shame to be invited as a predominantly invisible group in the LGBTQIA scene, and then not be able o attend because of some of the very same structures that keep BAME people out of the picture. The film is about BAME LGBTQIA visibility and Glitter Cymru wants to be visible! I've costed out the trip based upon 6 people traveling by train, staying overnight in a budget hotel, and used HMRC subsidence rates to account for modes meal allowances. The breakdown is as follows: £25 per person meal allowance = £150 £55 per person return train fare = £330 Taxis = £20 Accommodation = £150 - £200 £50 GoFundMe fees/unforeseen outlays Total = £750 Please, please spread this far and wide and help support the visibility of BAME LGBTQIA folx in film. Love Selena Glitter Cymru Member * Here is a message from Vish, the volunteer organiser and brainchild of Glitter Cymru: * Glitter Cymru is a monthly social meet-up group for BAME People, meaning Black, Asian & minority ethnic (BAME) people, who identify as LGBT+. We meet every 2nd Monday of the month in central Cardiff. The group came about after hearing the frustrations of many BAME LGBT+ people who felt unwelcomed, misunderstood or under-represented in wider society. Thus since July 2016, Glitter Cymru was created to provide a friendly safe space and platform for this minority group to express themselves and in turn be heard and seen. We have a diverse range of people of various ages and background who attend. Including, people born and brought up in Wales, LGBT+ asylum seekers and students. To emphasis, this Glitter Cymru isn't about segregating a minority group even further, it's more about communicating to the BAME LGBT attendees that they are not alone. We celebrate out intersectional identifies together and sparkle like glitter! Recently, Glitter Cymru worked with the Iris Outreach Community initiative to produce a short film called GLITTER. Excitingly, Glitter Cymru attendees got the opportunity to direct, write and star in the film. Our film explores 3 stories, following the experiences of a gay asylum seeker, non-binary person and pansexual woman. These stories share a common theme of invisible, particularly the invisibility of BAME LGBT+ identities, which we wanted to open dialogue about. Glitter has shaped up to be a wonderful, thought provoking film, which we are pleased to say has been shortlisted for the Best Community Film at the Iris Education and Community Film Awards 2018. Our film will be screened for the first time at this awards ceremony, which is taking place on Friday 26th January 2018 in Llandudno, north Wales. More details of this event here. Glitter Cymru would love to attend this Awards Ceremony and represent our film, however we don’t have the travel/accommodation funds to attend in north Wales (around a 4 hr journey from Cardiff). Unfortunately, Glitter Cymru is not funded or financially supported by any organisation. We are very much a community group set-up and run by local BAME LGBT+ people in Cardiff, where most group attendees are unwaged. So we have set up have set up this GoFundMe page to raise funds to send Glitter Cymru attendees to the awards ceremony and represent our film, which we are so proud of. Whatever can be donated would be greatly appreciated. Glitter contact/social media details: Twitter: @GlitterCymru FB: https://www.facebook.com/GlitterCymru/ Email: [email redacted] https://www.facebook.com/GlitterCymru/