Latest news with #FfilmCymruWales
South Wales Argus
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Fund to boost Welsh language films now open for applications
Sinema Cymru, a partnership between S4C, Ffilm Cymru Wales, and the Welsh Government through Creative Wales, has announced the second round of its funding initiative. This aims to support the development of several Welsh-language feature films each year, with at least one progressing to production funding annually. The fund also seeks to nurture early-stage, high-potential filmmaking talent to ensure a vibrant future for Welsh language feature filmmaking in Wales. The scheme's first round last year received a significant number of high-quality applications, from which four projects were selected for feature development. The second round is now open for applications from experienced filmmakers across Wales. The fund, administered by Ffilm Cymru Wales, offers up to £30,000 for individual projects that could be ready for production within 12 months of the development period, with smaller awards of up to £10,000 available for earlier stage projects. Jack Sargeant, Welsh Government minister for culture, said: "The Sinema Cymru fund shows our drive to delivering more independent Welsh language film, and we particularly want to champion under-represented voices and push the boundaries of what is expected from Welsh language film. "The success of the four projects funded in our first round demonstrates the wealth of talent and creativity in Wales." Gwenllian Gravelle, head of film and drama for S4C, said: "The cinema is a special medium that allows us to entertain, connect with our audiences and start meaningful conversations. "Sinema Cymru is very exciting as it helps us to showcase Wales, our language, our unique talent and our stories with audiences both locally and globally." Interested applicants should submit their applications by Monday, June 16. For more information and to apply, visit the Ffilm Cymru Wales website.
Business News Wales
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business News Wales
Climate Storytellers Win Funding to Explore New Ways to Inspire Audiences
Five Research and Development (R&D) projects are sharing £100,000 of investment from the Media Cymru x Ffilm Cymru Wales Climate Stories Fund. Launched in December 2024, the Climate Stories Fund was devised and delivered by Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales to support R&D projects for feature films or immersive experiences sharing impactful climate stories that stimulate action in fresh and compelling ways. The competition was highly competitive. Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales selected five outstanding projects to progress through a four-month R&D sprint taking place from April to August 2025. The process began with an Insight Day hosted by Wales Millennium Centre, at which the teams learned from guest speakers Prof. Paul Behrens from the University of Oxford, filmmaker Elham Ehsas, Dr Catherine Graves, the BFI's Keir Oldfield-Lewis and BAFTA albert's Lisa Howe. The five projects supported through the Climate Stories Fund are: All Rivers Spill – Spill All Rivers – Joanna Wright, Tiny City A new project by filmmaker Jeanie Finlay returning to the Teesside coast where she grew up. Using immersive technology, All Rivers Spill – Spill All Rivers is a wraparound Extended Reality (XR) documentary project. Due to sensitivity around the subject matter, further details available on request. Founded by Joanna Wright, Tiny City is a North Wales-based, artist-led company developing projects that centre interdisciplinary, inclusive design. Working with a diverse network of creative collaborators in Wales and internationally, they produce projects that crossover between documentary, installation, and digital platforms, which have been exhibited at The Institute of Contemporary Art, Channel 4, BFI, BBC, The Space, Sky, True/False, MIT, IDFA, and UNESCO. Ceri (Working Title) – Richard Billingham This R&D project will explore young people's lived experiences, in particular their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and anxieties about climate change and the future. The storytelling will transition through everyday digital screens, including video games, smartphones, surveillance cameras, drones, and doorbell cameras. Swansea-based artist and filmmaker Richard Billingham has worked in photography, film and experimental video and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Debut Film (2019) for his feature Ray and Liz, supported by Ffilm Cymru Wales. As Professor at the University of Gloucestershire, Richard sees many students express a collective anxiety about climate change and their futures. Earth Speaks – Ashley Leung and Remi Bumstead, Tiny House Creatives There are people who live in deep communion with the earth, who have witnessed, documented and adapted to centuries of earth changes and who continue to do so today. Earth Speaks will explore the importance of these observations in shaping current polices, the roles the indigenous play in safeguarding our ecosystems, and the songs and stories that reflect humanity's shared connection to nature across all cultures. Ashley's journey into film began with a foundation in music, leading to a BSc in Music Technology and studio experience working on ADR, foley, scores, and SFX for film. Guided by his own nature, Ashley loves creating heart felt human and nature centric films that contribute to a more positive, caring, connected, and celebrated world view. Self-shooting Producer-Director Remi has worked across the board from Adidas and Arsenal to The UN in Somalia, filming in extreme environments from the Arctic to the Amazon. Nora's Ark – Lowri Roberts and Maisie Williams, Rapt Pictures The Earth has been squeezed dry of its resources, the end is nigh. But there's a plan to save humanity, a ship to save a select few people. Told through multiple perspectives, this feature film will be crafted based on what underserved audiences want. Based in North Wales and Somerset, Rapt is a film production company led by BAFTA Cymru-winning filmmaker and producer Lowri Roberts and Emmy-nominated actor and producer Maisie Williams. Passionate about the environment, the company has a number of projects on their slate that address climate change, and Maisie is the Global Ambassador for both WWF and Dolphin Project. Who Gives a F**k About Polar Bears? – Gavin Porter How do we tell climate stories from a working-class perspective? Those who are economically challenged will be among the first and most affected by the climate crisis, yet their voices are rarely heard in the debate. Who Gives a F**K About Polar Bears is a transmedia project anchored by a feature documentary that examines the profound intersections between class and climate. Gavin Porter is a storyteller who writes, directs and produces film, theatre and radio. Inspired by his experiences of growing up in Cardiff's Butetown, one of the oldest multicultural communities in the UK, Gavin has created theatre productions that have sold out across Wales and won a BAFTA Cymru award for fiction film. Lee Walters, Chief Executive of Ffilm Cymru Wales, said: 'We're excited to be supporting such creative, innovative and potentially impactful projects through the Climate Stories Fund. These ideas not only reflect the urgency of the climate crisis but also the power of storytelling to inspire change and spark meaningful conversations.' Professor Justin Lewis, Director of Media Cymru, said: 'After a competitive process, we're pleased to see a real breadth of innovative ideas from the final cohort, who will be exploring and developing their ideas throughout the upcoming R&D period. Together with Ffilm Cymru Wales, we wanted to see a range of fresh approaches for inspiring audiences while telling the wider story of the climate crisis. The final projects are great examples of the kinds of storytelling talent we have here in Wales, and I look forward to seeing these ideas grow and evolve.'
The Guardian
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A beloved figure': Welsh village ready for tourists as Richard Burton biopic opens
Hardly a day goes by when villagers don't spot a cinephile traipsing in the footsteps of Richard Burton, peering at his old house, taking in the vista across the valley from the aqueduct, perhaps enjoying a pint in the Miners Arms, where he and Elizabeth Taylor drank on visits back to his south Wales birthplace. The tourist traffic to Pontrhydyfen is likely to increase after a biopic focusing on the gritty early life of Burton opens in cinemas this weekend, especially as it comes in the centenary year of the Hollywood actor's birth. 'We're expecting quite a rush,' said Andrea Edwards, the chair of the Burton Bont festival committee, which is organising a series of events in the village to mark the centenary. 'Richard Burton is such a beloved figure here and across the world.' A gala screening of the film, Mr Burton, will take place at the Reel Cinema down the road in Port Talbot on Friday – much of the village will decamp there – followed by a week of preview screenings in the town before the film is released in cinemas across the UK from 4 April. 'The village will certainly be going to take a look,' said Edwards. 'We're looking forward to seeing what they made of our place.' The film's producer, Ed Talfan, said the crew had loved shooting in the village, using locations including in a steep graveyard where there is a memorial to Burton, and the aqueduct. 'We were there a couple of days and the sun shone and they couldn't have been more welcoming,' he said. 'A lot of people sort of came out of their houses to talk to us. Hopefully, it will go down well with the villagers.' The film has been financed by BBC Wales and Ffilm Cymru Wales, in partnership with the Welsh government agency Creative Wales. Talfan said he felt it was important to go to the real places connected to Burton – because of the authentic feel, and as a way of saying thank you for the public money they had used. 'It's lovely when you do something like this out in the community. It's inspiring and helps the actors. We're lucky to have extraordinary landscapes in Wales.' Harry Lawtey plays the young Burton, and Toby Jones and Lesley Manville also star. Talfan said Jones in particular had been 'blown away' by the village. The place is more verdant and less industrial than it was in Burton's youth, so chimneys belching out black smoke have been added with the use of special effects. The Welsh culture minister, Jack Sargeant, said the production exemplified 'authentic Welsh storytelling'. He said: 'We are committed to supporting filmmaking in Wales by working with partners to share our stories with the world and establish our reputation as a premier filming destination.' Everyone in Pontrhydyfen seems to have a tale about Burton and Taylor, still arguably Hollywood's greatest couple. Edwards said she remembers a glamorous man and woman coming into a general store when she was a young girl. 'They wanted to buy some Welsh bacon and what I remember is that she smelled absolutely divine.' The young Edwards pointed out that the woman appeared to be jumping the queue and was told: 'Shh, it's Elizabeth Taylor.' A sweet shop used to be sure to get in upmarket chocolate when Taylor was around, but there were few airs and graces about the pair, who stayed with relatives and friends. 'Not a fancy hotel,' said Edwards. The local school closed in 2015, which was a bitter blow to the village, and Edwards said making more of the Burton heritage had helped draw the place together. Last year the committee commissioned a mural of Burton on the Miners Arms. Edwards said some local children had not been sure who Burton was until the mural appeared. 'What's been nice is that kids now understand that somebody from humble beginnings actually made it – was, you know, bigger than Beyoncé.' Anniversary celebrations later this year include an exhibition of residents' photos and ciné film of Burton and Taylor, a concert featuring another star from the village, the Grammy award-winning soprano Rebecca Evans, and a scarecrow festival featuring characters from the actor's films, plays or narrations. Mari Clark, the secretary of the festival committee, said: 'I think everyone met Burton and Taylor. The call would come: 'Rich and Liz are home next weekend, OK?' Nobody would bother them.' She remembers Taylor in an Afghan coat, and the time when word came that Burton had given up alcohol. The Miners Arms got in non-alcoholic beer but the rumour that Burton was on the wagon was unfounded and the bottles went unopened for years. As well as celebrating Burton, the Burton Bont festival is marking the 200th anniversary of the aqueduct (bont is bridge in Welsh), a neat coincidence as there is a famous image of Burton and his miner father, Richard 'Dick Bach' Jenkins, walking across it together. Johanne Harrington, the festival's artistic director, said Burton and Taylor were part of the fabric of the place. 'The village is such a close-knit community and he is still very much part of it.'
