Andrew Pierce, Festival Chair, commented: “Iris has been committed to representing diversity in the LGBT+ community since the very first festival in 2007. This was highlighted with the inaugural Iris Prize award going to Oscar nominated Dee Rees. The global reach of the Iris Prize, with 25 partners in 20 countries, has helped Iris achieve this goal over the past 12 years.” “The UK is hugely diverse and we are committed to making sure that our programme represents the true nature of our LGBT+ population. Therefore, I’m delighted that the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) is joining the Iris family – this partnership is a reminder that diversity starts at home. BUFF has established itself in London as a global platform and this year they will be celebrating their 14th festival with a programme of 52 films, which will also include a special Iris Programme featuring the work of Iris Prize winner, Dee Rees.”

I AM is a lifestyle and conscious brand for the black diaspora that blends style, pride & identity who will be supplying BUFF AWARDS goodie bags. I AM launched its Kings & Queens apparel collection to celebrate and honour phenomenal heroes in history: Queen Nzinga, Yaa Asantewaa, King Mansa Musa and Tenkamenin. Wearing or carrying an I AM piece will provoke conversation and ultimately create awareness of history that may not have been considered or told, hopefully seeding a desire to seek additional knowledge of other greats. In October 2018, a cultural hub was created. A virtual space for enrichment, where readers can indulge in entertaining and informative content. So far we have published pieces on the Black Tudors (which included an interview with Dr Onyeka Nubia), The History of Black Beauty, celebrated the anniversary of Black Panther, Dahomey Amazons and Colourism.

TriForce Creative Network was built on a strong ethos of inclusion and access, opening doors to the industry to people from all walks of life and providing a trusted and viable avenue for the industry to discover diverse talent. We provide opportunities for actors, writers, directors, producers and crew through the following initiatives: MonologueSlam UK, WriterSlam, TriForce Short Film Festival, and The TCN Writers Incubator, supported by Creative Skillset and the HETV Levy. The TCN are celebrating 15 years in 2018. TCN is the official sponsor of the BUFF Short Films Award and will for the first time, screen the winning BUFF short at BAFTA in Dec 2018.

Film London is supporting the BUFF Awards Live Script Winners 2018. Providing meeting room and rehearsal space for writers and development meetings with the 3 winners starting July 2018 for 12 months to oversee potential /actual production funding to produce their winning script.

Fat Lama is the world’s fastest growing peer-to-peer film and photography rental community. Lenders are earning up to £4,000/month by renting out their items fully insured and borrowers can rent industry-standard gear from fellow creatives nearby, for approximately 30% less than the cost of traditional rental houses. "The Fat Lama team are really proud to show our support for BUFF and the awesome work that they have been doing for the past 13 years. We chose to support the emerging talent award both because the calibre of contestants is always so high and this aligns with our mission to nurture younger generations."

On Monday the 4th of June, the British Film Institute led the tributes, including from black female creatives, actors and peers in saluting director Amma Asante who received this year's honorary BUFF Award from actress Dona Croll.