The Iris Echo, a short film by two Regent’s University London lecturers, Ted Wilkes and Michael Peel, has been nominated for two awards at the Southampton International Film Festival (SIFF); Cinematography in a Short, and Production Design.
Written and directed by Screenwriting & Digital Media lecturer Ted Wilkes, and with cinematography by lecturer in Studio & Media Production Michael Peel, The Iris Echo is a short narrative film exploring the highly topical themes of propaganda, fake news and state media.
Set in New Slavoski, a secretive and ruthless totalitarian state ruled under the iron fist of the beloved ‘Dear Leader’, Hermes, a low ranking state ‘Reader’ who is invisible like most of the working class, grows increasingly frustrated with the hardship of her existence, and begins to question the truthfulness of her broadcasts to the nation.
Roaming the airwaves in search of answers, Hermes is lead down a dangerous path, sealing her fate and sowing the seeds of revolution.
Wilkes said of their nomination: "It was amazing to be nominated at SIFF for the Production Design of The Iris Echo. The whole team worked really hard to bring the vision of the piece to the screen and it's great that the jury noticed all of the small details that brought the world of the film to life."
The short film has also been officially selected at Cannes Short Film Corner, Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, Chicago International Genre Film Festival, Dublin Sci-Fi Film Festival and Ocean City Film Festival to name just a few.
Peel, also Course Leader for Foundation in Media Production added: “When you make a film it’s a complete shot in the dark as to whether it will be any good, so for your work to get nominated for things like this it is a great reward for all the hard work everyone put into the film. Hopefully it gives you enough encouragement to do it all again.”
