Joanna Quinn and Les Mills about their Oscar- nominated animated short, Affairs Of The Art, starring artistically-minded Welsh housewife, Beryl. “It unlocks the fact that Wales exists – we are a country with a particular culture,” Les told me on the specificity of their films’ characters. “It’s a quality that our films have got that I think a lot of people don’t even think about. Every other film is based in Hollywood and the areas around it, but what about the rest of the world?”
recently reported a projected worth of £7.7 billion per year for film and premium TV by 2025 (a roughly £2 billion increase since last year) will mean an additional 21,000 crew are needed. The recommended investment of £289.3 million on training from next year until then may seem like a hefty price tag, particularly with the ongoing cost of living crisis, but the training body optimistically forecasts “an economic return of more than 15 times”, with the equivalent of 122,000 full- time jobs created.
This includes investment not just on what appears on theatrical and television screens, but the venues that show them, too – some of which were hit extremely hard by the pandemic. Film Hub Wales has awarded £70,000 in National Lottery money to 13 indie cinemas and film festivals across the country in 2022, emphasising the role cinema plays in connecting communities and contributing to local economies. 2022 being the first reasonably ‘normal’ year since 2019, naturally, many of these events will explore “what it means to be Welsh post-COVID.” But on a
more expansive note, there’s also a clear desire to use the medium to spotlight diversity and ingenuity.
Earlier this year, FHW’s funding supported The Windrush Caribbean Festival in June, the WOW indigenous film festival in February- March and the first-ever film component of Hijinx’s Unity Festival across June, screening work made by learning disabled and/or autistic people.
is cultivating films from women and non- binary creators; Turner Prize-nominated art collective Gentle Radical have established a “hyper-local” film club for pop-up screenings in single streets, and the ninth Watch-Africa Film Festival, running until September, is connecting audiences in East Africa and Wales with four Welsh films on the bill. And honestly, that’s really just scratching the surface of the interesting things your lottery ticket pounds are creating.
Additionally, Reclaim The Frame
Live-action media isn’t the only thing Wales is attracting attention for. Earlier this year, I spoke to dynamic Cardiff-based animation duo
On a bigger stage, last year, Creative Wales also pumped money into British claymation icons Wallace & Gromit for augmented reality story The Big Fix Up, blending hands-on traditional filmmaking with future-thinking tech. And on the micro-to-macro level, our cover star, an animated version of Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl – taken from the music video for 2021’s Chasing Birds – wasn’t produced by a big name American studio, but by a small CG company operating out of Caerphilly town high street (Bomper Studios).
Prior to all this, Wales was mostly known for being part of the on-screen backdrop, but never its driving engine. Stunning natural landscapes and
filmmakers here for decades but never putting down roots. Once, the desire was to contribute to Hollywood. Then it was to bring Hollywood to us. Now, it’s to actually be Hollywood. From the end of July, Creative Wales’ next funding pot – £1 million per year – will allow producers to apply for up to £600,000 per project via Ffilm Cymru Wales, but with an emphasis on said productions having cultural and strategic benefits to the country.
quirky towns have been drawing
“Supporting and expanding the film industry and making the process more efficient and accessible is a priority for Creative Wales,” Chair of Creative Wales Non-Executive Board, Catryn Ramasut said. “[It] will help take Welsh cinema to the world.”
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Industry Special
Wales Film
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