Try brings a story of secret love to Cardiff’s Iris Prize

A young man mourning his boyfriend faces questions about their relationship in Try, a queer short screening at the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Cardiff on Monday 12 October.

The 17-minute film marks Lewis Bayley’s directorial debut and joins five shorts from Welsh filmmakers on the opening-night programme.

Try follows Sam as he attends the wake of his boyfriend Joe, who had not come out. When he overhears Joe’s friends talking about a girlfriend, his grief is complicated by doubts about the relationship he thought he knew.

Sam retreats to a locker room containing Joe’s belongings, only to be joined by Joe’s mother, Tia. She has no idea who he is, setting up an encounter between two people whose connections to Joe have remained painfully separate.

That premise raises a difficult question about mourning a relationship others did not know existed. How do you find your place among someone’s loved ones when they cannot recognise what you have lost?

The English-language UK short sees Bayley move into directing after working as a producer, including co-producing Shrike. He is also developing further queer film and television projects.

Try screens alongside Love Is Not An Emotion, Cranogwen a Fi, Wear I Am and BTS – Pink Portraits 2026. The selection opens the festival’s 20th edition, which runs in Cardiff from 12 to 18 October.

The opening-night film programme and Q&A begin at 7.45pm in screen 8 at Cineworld Cardiff, with doors opening at 7.30pm. Opening-night tickets are listed at £15 and can be booked through the festival’s online box office.

Where to follow and support

Follow Try on Instagram at @tryshortfilm and writer and director Lewis Bayley at @lewisbfilm.

For festival updates, follow @irisprize. You can also support queer filmmaking by attending screenings, with programme and booking details available on the Iris Prize website.