Queer Vision's Spring Shorts: Power

Celebrate the women who have inspired and influenced in the best award winning Queer Shorts from 2015 Iris Prize Festival.

From the bravery of one woman whose shocking traumatic experience and loss moved her to become an activist and affect real change for anti-gay violence in America; to a new empowering origin story in the LGBTQ narrative; a Cuban woman's dream of competing as a Boxer in a country that has banned Boxing for women but is a powerhouse in the men's sport; a child seeking to clarify who he is to who he most identifies with most and the universally understood struggle to be different- and for that to be ok. Thought provoking and poignant, Power spans the Globe, celebrating stories about triumph in the face of adversity.

Presented by Bristol Pride with films supplied by the Iris Prize Festival. Introduced by Berwyn Rowlands from the Iris Prize Festival.

Also, don't miss Queer Vision's Spring Shorts: Interior screening on Sun 17 April

In the Hollow Dir: Austin Bunn USA 15m

In May 1988, girlfriends Claudia Brenner and Rebecca Wight were attacked while hiking the Appalachian Trail by a 'mountain man' named Stephen Roy Carr. Combining documentary and narrative material, In the Hollow tells the story of the shooting, Wight's death, and Brenner's desperate survival (and later transformation into an advocate for hate crime legislation in the US) as she returns to the trail for the first time since the shooting.

D.Asian Dir: Sarah Smith USA 10m

Fourth grade is all about fitting in. For 10-year-old Daniel that means owning the latest in Hello Kitty fashion, liking the cutest boy in class, and convincing yourself you’re Asian when everyone else thinks you’re white. Davis Desmond and Sari Lennick (A Serious Man) star in this short comedy, based on a short story by Phillip Guttmann, that proves identity is all in the eye of the beholder.

Baggage Dir: Sarah Ball UK 15m

A jilted window dresser uses her Valentine's day windows to send a strong message to her ex.

Boxeadora Dir: Meg Smaker USA 16m

Since Castro’s Revolution, Cuba has won more Olympic gold medals in boxing than any other country in the world. Although this boxing powerhouse has more than 19,000 male boxers, female boxing is non-existent on the island – the result of a ban on female boxing put into place after the revolution. Boxeadora follows Namibia, a Cuban woman who has been training in secret as a boxer for five years, hoping the government would lift its ban. Now 38, she only has two years left of boxing eligibility. Journey with Namibia as she tries to leave the island to follow her only dream: to compete as a boxer.

First Clue Dir: Susan Sullivan USA 6m

What was your first clue you were a lesbian? The answers are playful and poignant prequels to our “When did you know?” and “Coming out” stories. Charming and upbeat, First Clue reveals our earliest intuitions that we knew and delighted in who we were until we were taught otherwise. A diverse group of 21 women appear in this short film that was filmed in Dolores Park in San Francisco during Gay Pride Weekend, June 2013.

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