Download the Made in Wales Fact Sheet to find out more…
Made in Wales (MIW) is a distinct Film Hub Wales project designed to celebrate films with Welsh connections.
It’s hard for films to reach an audience and we want to help give them the best chance, whilst also championing their ‘Welshness’, which might otherwise remain unseen.
We don’t develop or produce any films here at MIW. Instead we work with distributors on marketing assets, relationships with cinemas and maximising the release campaign in Wales.
We work with film exhibitors, distributors and self-distributing filmmakers in the following ways:
Screen Heritage
Feature Films, Documentaries and Shorts
We believe that when Welsh film is seen, Wales is seen. It’s important to invest not just in making a film but in the mechanisms of marketing, exhibition and distribution that enable a film to reach its audience.
FHW is a much bigger project in itself and MIW is just one element of our work. We’re part of a UK-wide network of eight hubs funded by the British Film Institute (BFI) which form the Film Audience Network (FAN), with Chapter appointed as the ‘Film Hub Lead Organisation’ (FHLO) in Wales.
Our job is to fund, train and advise organisations that screen film, from film festivals, to societies and mixed arts centres. Working with over 260 Welsh exhibitors, we aim to bring the best UK (including Welsh) and International film to all audiences across Wales and the UK.
We are unable to offer financial support for film production, development or distribution, including film premieres. Please see other useful partners below.
We can share on our social stories, if the film is relevant to our members.
FHW cannot physically distribute your film as this is not our organisational remit. We can add value to the release campaign and we can share your film with exhibitors. We encourage them to book directly via your booking contact.
We do not work on film development or production here at FHW, we work at the audience end of the film chain. If you need someone to read your script, to connect you to other filmmaking talent or crew, or to source locations for filming, this is outside of our remit. See other useful partners below for relevant contacts.
We work with a very large network of cinemas and, for data protection reasons, we are unable to release contact lists. We can share information on your film and encourage them to contact you. You can also view exhibitors on our map.
Many cinemas programme three months in advance (and community cinemas can be six months), so receiving this information in good time is important. Advance teasers, clips and diary markers are welcomed, even if release dates change, as they build anticipation with programmers and audiences.
Many cinemas in Wales have one screen, meaning Welsh films share space with theatre, mainstream cinema and external hires. This is another good reason to share information in advance, to get your film in their calendar.
There is demand for Welsh film from exhibitors but bear in mind that they often only have one person working on the programme. This person may also be the General Manager, Marketer and Front of House operator, and some have to respond to hundreds of requests for film bookings every month. Please be patient if they don’t get back to you immediately.
FHW was set up to support the film exhibition sector in Wales. Our membership and financial support is open to cinemas, arts centres, community venues, societies and other organisations that screen films for audiences. If you are a filmmaker, distributor or other film practitioner, you are not eligible for FHW membership but we are always happy to talk about how we can help.
We encourage members to book Welsh features, shorts and archive from across the decades! Our Made in Wales catalogue contains the booking details for a wide range of Welsh films, and we regularly support members with Welsh film seasons.
This is outside of our remit but we can offer advice to filmmakers who are self-distributing or your distributor about maximising reach in Wales. See our Annual International Film Festivals page for more information on festivals.
We can only create assets for a small number of feature films annually. We have funds for a Made in Wales project manager for two days per week, so much of what we do is in-kind and many films need support. We review things such as the strength of the Welsh connection, the level of interest / feedback from cinemas when deciding what level of support we can offer. While we can’t offer assets for all films, we can discuss the preview room, film catalogue and mailings to exhibitors. We also advocate regularly for greater support for this work in Wales.
Find our podcasts, editorial articles, social channels and more on our LinkTree, as well as our annual highlights.
If you are making, or have made a film with Welsh connections and would like to promote it to exhibitors in Wales (and the UK), please fill in one of our Made in Wales forms below:
We have a specific remit here at FHW but there are wider organisations that might be able to help you.
See our screen organisations in Wales page to find out what each organisation does and when to approach them:
