What’s on in Welsh Cinemas: Affordable Films for Communities across Wales

© Abertoir International Horror Festival, Aberystwyth Arts Centre
23rd July 2024

Film Hub Wales (FHW) has awarded over £100,000 of BFI National Lottery funding to nineteen independent Welsh cinemas and film festivals, through its Film Exhibition Fund. 

Funds will enable Welsh audiences to watch the latest UK independent and international films in their local communities, at affordable prices. From relaxed, family friendly films to eco cinema strands and the latest Welsh releases, there’s plenty to choose from.  

Audiences in Bridgend and Blaenau Ffestiniog will even get to watch the films in exciting new cinema spaces. Awen Cultural Trust is launching its Llynfi Valley Cinema Project alongside at Maesteg Town Hall following its multi-million-pound redevelopment. At Cellb, their new ‘Sgrin Emyr Ankst’, opens in memory of Welsh music and cinema pioneer Emyr Glyn Williams – his legacy is set to inspire the young people of Wales for many years to come.  

Rhys Roberts from Cellb explains the importance of their new screen to the community: 

Cellb is located in the center of the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, a high mountainous location under the Stiniog quarries with its rich past history in industry, heritage and culture. It was the location for the first ever Welsh language film, Y Chwarelwr, an important film that reflects the lives of the local quarrymen in its community. Its past historic Culture and Welsh language was a vital part of the social and cultural dynamics.

Today, we feel that it’s important to celebrate and to educate our young people about modern heroes such as Emyr and it is with this in mind that we wish to dedicate our Screen 1 to his name. Our youths need role models, whom have flourished in the arts and culture and Emyr is a fine example of a local boy who dreamt big and made a huge impact on Welsh Culture. This is for you Emyr, you have inspired us and we will shine your beacon on to the masses for years to come. Diolch Emyr, Caru chdi.

At the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, they’re building relationships with their audiences and local partners, exploring global themes of intersectional identity through their film programme. They’re opening up the space to new communities by celebrating important awareness dates such as Black History Month, LGBTQIA+ History Month and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  

Chelsey Gillard, The Torch’s Artistic Director explains:

We are thrilled to work with Film Hub Wales to deliver a series of celebratory cinema seasons across six months. This funding will allow us to build relationships with our communities and discover what people want to see at their local cinema, informing our long-term sustainability. By working with partners across Wales that bring a wealth of lived experiences, we will be able to screen a wider variety of films and facilitate post-screening events that we hope will support discussion, reflection and connection.

Other highlights include youth-led activities at Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea and Theatr Gwaun in Fishguard, works screened from neurodivergent filmmakers at both Hijinx Unity Festival and through Cardiff Animation Festival’s Different Voices strand, as well as a nature/ecology in horror strand at Abertoir International Horror Festival – think disgusting real-life parasites and ‘nature fights back’. 

Hana Lewis, Head of Film Hub Wales adds:

The fund is designed to help cinemas, festivals and community screens to bring the best UK independent and international films to Welsh audiences, in accessible and affordable ways. There’s so much to look forward to this year, which communities simply can’t get from watching a film at home. By heading out to their local cinema space, they’re already part of something bigger within their community and with a host of activities on offer, audiences get a night out for the price of their ticket.

The projects are supported by Film Hub Wales, which is part of the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) using funds from the National Lottery to ensure the greatest choice of cinema is available to everyone across the UK. Funds in Wales are administered by FHW via Chapter as the Film Hub Lead Organisation. 

More than £30M is raised each week for good causes across the UK by the National Lottery.  

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For more information, please contact:

About Film Hub Wales
Film Hub Wales (FHW) celebrates cinema. We support organisations that screen film, from film festivals, to societies and mixed arts centres. Working with over 300 Welsh exhibitors, we aim to bring the best UK and international film to all audiences across Wales and the UK. Since Film Hub Wales set up in 2013, we’ve supported over 347 exciting cinema projects, reaching over 589,000 audience members.  

We’re part of a UK wide network of eight hubs which forms the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Audience Network (FAN), made possible thanks to National Lottery funding. Film Hub Wales is managed by Chapter 

We were also proud to lead on the UK inclusive cinema strategy on behalf of BFI FAN 2017-23.
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About the BFI Film Audience Network
Supported by National Lottery funding, the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), is central to the BFI’s aim to ensure the greatest choice of film is available for everyone. Established in 2012 to build wider and more diverse UK cinema audiences for British and international film, FAN is a unique, UK-wide collaboration made up of eight Hubs managed by leading film organisations and venues strategically placed around the country. FAN also supports talent development with BFI NETWORK Talent Executives in each of the English Hubs, with a mission to discover and support talented writers, directors and producers at the start of their careers.  

BFI FAN Film Hubs are:  

  • Film Hub Midlands is led by Broadway, Nottingham working in partnership with the Birmingham-based Flatpack
  • Film Hub North is led collectively by Showroom Workstation, Sheffield and HOME Manchester 
  • Film Hub South East is led by the Independent Cinema Office 
  • Film Hub South West is led by Watershed in Bristol
  • Film Hub Scotland is led by Glasgow Film Theatre 
  • Film Hub Northern Ireland is led by Queen’s University Belfast 
  • Film Hub Wales is led by Chapter in Cardiff
  • Film Hub London is led by Film London 

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About the BFI
We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. Our mission is: 

  • To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers
  • To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive
  • To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals – delivered online and in venue
  • To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding
  • To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries 

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter.  

The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Jay Hunt.
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About Chapter
Set up by artists in 1971, Chapter is an international centre for contemporary arts and culture. It’s a hub for the production and presentation of world-class, inventive and compelling work. Their gallery commissions and produces exhibitions of the very best in national and international art. Their theatre spaces are a platform for experimental and thought-provoking work. Their cinemas offer independent and challenging films alongside a range of unique festivals and events, and they bring more films, to more people, in more places through Film Hub Wales. 

Alongside the core programme, it’s also home to 56 artists and creative companies who are based in their studios. From award-winning animators and film production companies to artists, designers and photographers, and bespoke art framers, print and recording studios, the creative community are at the heart of everything that they do.

Their programme and community collide in the award-winning Caffi Bar that seats around 120 people and is a great place to meet up with friends, find a quiet spot to work away from home, or tuck-in to a tasty plate of freshly prepared, locally sourced food and drink from their extensive menu. 
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