Scaring Women at Night, a powerful short film about a Black trans man, has won the 2023 Iris Prize, which includes a prestigious £30,000 award supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation.
The captivating short film directed by Karimah Zakia Issa portrays two strangers called Ella and Ash, who meet on a late-night walk.
When Ella notices someone following closely behind her as she makes her way home in the dark, she feels fearful and calls a friend. The person walking near her is Ash, a trans man who realises he is making Ella uncomfortable and decides to take a detour to help her feel safe. From there, he begins to have an internal conversation about the change in dynamic he feels when interacting with women since transitioning.
The two eventually meet at an intersection and realise they are more connected than they first thought.
The winner of the Iris Prize supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation is Scaring Women At Night directed by Karimah Zakia Issa pic.twitter.com/Bx0DJGdr6b
— Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival (@irisprize) October 14, 2023
The film subverts expectations by focusing on both protagonists’ fears about walking home alone. It explores how they each help themselves feel safe, while also examining the complex issues of gender roles, privilege, and being a Black trans man.
Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize Festival Director, said while the film’s subject “may not be the easiest to handle,” it is the kind of story that needs to be told.
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Karimah Zakia Issa is a Montreal native who writes and directs short films. Most of her work centres around themes of “overcoming and succumbing to social expectations, how self-worth is built and broken, and the dark truths that live within us all.”
Previously described as the Oscars of the LGBTQ+ short film world, the Iris Prize is a film and media organisation that platforms queer stories in hopes of expanding its audiences. 2023 marks the first time a Canadian film took the first place Iris Prize spot, and Scaring Women at Night was nominated by Inside Out Toronto.
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