Welsh Films to Watch in 2025

15th January 2025

From the extravagant lifestyle of an eccentric Anglesey Marquess to adventures in the lush landscapes of Laos, eclectic stories with Welsh connections await audiences on the big screen in 2025.

Journey across Wales and beyond this year with local and global stories coming to cinemas, all of which have Welsh connections from locations, to cast and behind the scenes talent. Releasing in spring, Powys-born Joshua Trigg’s debut feature Satu – Year of the Rabbit will transport audiences to Laos as they follow two children on a stunning coming-of-age quest to find their families, friendship and the beauty of everyday life. Set to premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2025 is ie ie Productions’ newest feature film Brides, in which two teenage girls search for freedom, friendship, and belonging when they run away from their lives in the UK with a dangerous plan of travelling to Syria.

Producer Alice Lusher explains how Brides was filmed in Wales as part of an international collaboration:

It was an absolute privilege for us at ie ie productions to work alongside producers Nicky Bentham (Neon Films – UK) and Marica Stocchi (Rosamont – Italy) on Director Nadia Fall and Writer Suhayla El-Bushra’s debut feature BRIDES. A truly international collaboration exploring universal themes of identity and belonging – filmed in Wales, Turkey and Sicily. Production supported local crews and businesses in each country, and it’s been a real pleasure to see their incredible work and talent shine through this beautiful and important film. We can’t wait to share it with the world.

Thrill seeking viewers are in luck as a string of action-packed, psychological dramas and horror films are also set to release. The eagerly awaited Havoc from Welsh director of The Raid Gareth Evans, which was filmed in Cardiff sees Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker fight their way through a criminal underworld, unravelling corruption and conspiracy along the way. Following this is the mysterious The Man in My Basement starring Willem Dafoe, which is based on Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name. It was filmed in Carmarthenshire, with Welsh producer John Giwa-Amu attached. There are also high hopes for The Scurry, from Welsh director Craig Roberts and Cliff Edge Pictures, which follows the surreal story of two pest controllers who encounter an avalanche of deranged squirrels, wreaking revenge and mayhem on the staff and visitors at an eco-country park.

John Giwa-Amu comments on The Man in My Basement and it’s links to Wales:

It‘s been a great honour for Good Gate to bring such an iconic piece of American culture to film in Wales. We can’t wait for audiences to see this dark and unique thriller come to life.

There are also plenty of films brimming with Welsh heritage. Film Hub Wales is partnering with the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive to re-release a new scan of the 2002 BAFTA-winner Oed yr Addewid. This poignant look at political disillusionment, social care and aging is all the more relevant 25 years after its initial release. A ninety-minute shorts package will also be available from the Archive’s year-long Cymru Anabl (‘Disabled Wales’) project which focused on improving the accessibility of their film and video collections, as well as improving the representation of disabled and Deaf filmmakers in them.

For biography fans, the stories of two iconic Welsh figures hit screens in 2025. Mad as Birds’ new feature film Madfabulous depicts the life of the eccentric Henry Cyril Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey and stars Welsh actor Callum Scott Howells (It’s A Sin) alongside Rupert Everett and Siobhán McSweeney. From Welsh production company Severn Screen, and director Marc Evans, Mr Burton follows the origin story of actor Richard Burton, and stars Welsh talent Aneurin Barnard and Aimee-Ffion Edwards, alongside Toby Jones and Lesley Manville. This is just a snapshot of the films set for release in 2025, with many more to come.

Toki Allison, Made in Wales Project Manager explains how Film Hub Wales’ Made in Wales project supports releases such as these:

Made in Wales aims to fill a gap in the film ecosystem, by creating a bridge between filmmakers and distributors, exploring how that film reaches audiences. Working with Welsh cinemas and festivals, we aim to raise awareness of films with Welsh connections, ensuring that audiences get a chance to see these stories as part of a shared experience in a cinema setting. There’s some special storytelling going on in and around Wales and a unique perspective that deserves to be seen and invested in. Wales is many things and we’re intent on expanding that narrative.

Joedi Langley, Interim Head of Creative Wales, added:

It’s an exciting year for film, with many anticipated titles on the way. Creative Wales is proud to have supported several of these productions, both independently and via the Ffilm Cymru Wales Feature Fund – which in itself has contributed to several recent releases like ‘Chuck Chuck Baby’, ‘The Almond and the Seahorse’ and ‘Timestalker’. The Made in Wales project shines a spotlight on the breadth of filmmaking talent we have here in Wales and gives new features an important platform by raising their profile among audiences and celebrates each one’s Welsh connections and is a project we’re very proud to support. Here’s to a successful year in film for Wales in 2025.

Film Hub Wales’ Made in Wales (MIW) project celebrates films with Welsh connections. It offers a host of year-round activities in partnership with Welsh exhibitors, including a film catalogue, which hosts information on over 1000 shorts and feature films. Audiences can keep up to date with news of upcoming Welsh releases and the latest interviews by following Made in Wales on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, the Made in Wales podcast, YouTube and Letterboxd.

MIW is made possible thanks to funding from Creative Wales and the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), awarding funds from the National Lottery. BFI FAN offers support to exhibitors across the whole of the UK, to boost cultural programming and engage diverse audiences. In Wales, activity is led by Film Hub Wales, managed by Chapter.

Download the Press Release

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Brides
Release Date: Spring 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Catryn Ramasut, Alice Lusher (co-producers), ie ie Productions (production company). Financed by the Ffilm Cymru Wales Feature Film Production Fund via the National Lottery (delegated via Arts Council of Wales) and Creative Wales.
Synopsis: Quiet, watchful Doe hasn’t gone anywhere since arriving in the UK as a refugee at the age of three from Somalia. Badass Muna, of Pakistani heritage, is the dominant force. As she leads Doe through airport security, the girls are giddy and hysterical but their mood changes as soon as their flight is announced. These girls are not going on holiday, but to Istanbul, to be met by a stranger who will take them to the border to start a new life in Syria. Disaster strikes when their chaperone doesn’t show up, but they form a new plan to continue their journey alone, testing their resolve, faith and friendship.

Satu – Year of the Rabbit
Release Date: March 2025
Welsh Connections: Joshua Trigg (director, writer)
Synopsis: When a bomb endangers the Pha Tang temple, Satu, an orphan child labourer, decides to head north through the rich and feral landscape of Laos in search of his long-lost mother, with his new photojournalist friend Bo.

Cymru Anabl
Release Date: Spring 2025
Welsh Connections: Various
Cymru Anabl (‘Disabled Wales’) was a year-long project focused on improving the accessibility of the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive film and video collections, as well as improving the representation of disabled and Deaf filmmakers in them. It was delivered in partnership with Disability Arts Cymru, TAPE and Hijinx, with support from BFI National Lottery funds. A package of short films including titles such as Blue Kenny will be made available to venues for screenings with descriptive subtitles and audio description.

Oed yr Addewid
Release Date: 2000 (new scan Spring 2025 TBC)
Welsh Connections: Emlyn Williams (writer/director), Stewart Jones, Arwel Gruffydd, Gwenno Elis Hodgkins, Gwyn Vaughan (cast), Alun Ffred Jones (producer)
Synopsis: During 1997, William Davies (Stewart Jones) walks from his house one morning, setting about to break the political system, following 18 years of Tory rule. As election day approaches, William and his family learn a few truths about each other and their feelings about their home. This Bafta-winning film features themes all too relevant almost 25 years later, exploring political disillusionment, social care and aging.

Protein
Release Date: Spring 2025
Welsh Connections: Craig Russell (producer, cast), Tom Gripper, Dan Bailey (producers), Kezia Burrows, Charles Dale, Richard Mylan, Kai Owen, Steven Meo (cast)
Synopsis: A gym obsessed serial killer murders and eats a local drug dealer for their protein, inadvertently sparking a brutal and bloodthirsty tit-for-tat turf war between rival drug gangs.

H is for Hawk
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: John Giwa-Amu (producer), Cardiff, Wales (filming location). Financed by Creative Wales with the support of Ffilm Cymru Wales.
Synopsis: Chronicling the true story of Helen Macdonald (Claire Foy), who loses her well-regarded photojournalist father (Brendan Gleeson) to a heart attack, this film sees Helen find unexpected comfort in the feathery company of a stubborn northern goshawk named Mabel. The challenge of training a young goshawk turns out to be her guiding light through the grieving process and her unique bond with Mabel reintroduces her to the beauty of life and the natural world.

Hamnet
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Wales (filming location)
Synopsis: The story of Agnes – the wife of William Shakespeare – as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her only son, Hamnet. A human and heart-stopping story as the backdrop to the creation of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet.

Havoc
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Gareth Evans (director / writer / producer), Ed Talfan (producer), Richard Harrington (cast)
Synopsis: The story is set after a drug deal gone wrong, when a bruised detective must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, while unraveling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.

Madfabulous
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Celyn Jones (director), Callum Scott Howells (cast), Mad as Birds (production company). Financed by the Ffilm Cymru Wales Feature Film Production Fund via the National Lottery (delegated via Arts Council of Wales) and Creative Wales.
Synopsis: When Henry Cyril Paget inherits a vast fortune, his extravagant lifestyle and eccentric conduct lead to financial ruin, culminating in his impoverished death in France at 29, having squandered his immense wealth.

Mr Burton
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Marc Evans (director), Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Aneurin Barnard (cast), Ed Talfan and Hannah Thomas (producers, Severn Screen). Financed by BBC Cymru Wales and the Ffilm Cymru Wales Feature Film Production Fund via the National Lottery (delegated via Arts Council of Wales) and Creative Wales.
Synopsis: Richard dreams of becoming an actor, but his ambitions are in danger of being derailed by a combination of family trouble, the pressure of war, and his own lack of discipline. Mr Burton recognises the raw talent in his pupil, and makes it his mission to fight for him, becoming his tutor, strict taskmaster and eventually his adoptive father.

The Man in My Basement
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: John Giwa-Amu (producer). Financed by the Ffilm Cymru Wales Feature Film Production Fund via the National Lottery (delegated via Arts Council of Wales) and Creative Wales.
Synopsis: Charles Blakey, an African-American man living in Sag Harbor, is stuck in a rut, out of luck and about to lose his ancestral home when a peculiar white businessman with a European accent offers to rent his basement for the summer.

The Scurry
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Craig Roberts (director), Cliff Edge Pictures (production company), Rhys Ifans (cast)
Synopsis: The Scurry follows two pest controllers who are called to an eco-café in a country park to investigate what begins as a routine vermin problem. As nightfall approaches an avalanche of deranged squirrels descend, wreaking revenge and mayhem on the staff and visitors in the park. With many fatalities, the survivors take shelter in the café as a freak storm takes out the power and communications, leaving them isolated and under attack.

Uncle
Release Date: 2025 TBC
Welsh Connections: Adam Partridge (producer), Morfydd Clark (cast). Financed by the Ffilm Cymru Wales Feature Film Production Fund via the National Lottery (delegated via Arts Council of Wales) and Creative Wales.
Synopsis: After the brutal murder of their family, barely teenage Millie and her Uncle John embark on a brutal mission of revenge and retribution. But as they get closer to the people responsible, Millie must decide if she is ready to follow the bloody path of vengeance… and its violent, premature journey into adulthood.

The Walk
Release Date: 2025
Welsh Connections: Harri Grace (producer), Caryl Lewis (associate producer)
Synopsis: The Walk is based on an extraordinary artistic endeavour in 2021 which saw a 3.5m tall puppet called Amal travel from the Syrian border, all the way across Europe. The film follows the journey of Amal as she searches for safety and a place where she feels welcome. The Walk mixes vérité documentary with fantastical semi-scripted elements to create a fairytale for adults, exploring the memories, dreams and fears that make up the refugee experience.

Out There
Release Date: 2025
Welsh Connections: Aneurin Barnard, Iwan Rheon, Michael Sheen (cast), Katie Dolan (producer)
Synopsis: After 16-year-old astronomy enthusiast Maz witnesses a UFO above her Welsh seaside town, she teams up with her sceptical best mate and an outcast conspiracy theorist to launch an investigation that will put her relationships, and her life, in danger. Full of heartfelt drama and comedic turns, Out There is a feel-good film about belief, finding meaning and coming to terms with loss.

Mission
Release Date: 2025
Welsh Connections: Lowri Roberts (producer), Maisie Williams (associate producer)
Synopsis: Mission is a punk exploration of the psyche which follows alienated Dylan (George MacKay) as he throws off the shackles of his solitary life in an attempt to experience the highs and lows of existence at its most extreme, embarking on a thrilling journey of self-discovery that proves both inspiring and terrifying.

Learning to Breathe Underwater
Release Date: 2025
Welsh Connections: Nan Davies (producer)
Synopsis: From the co-producers of recent success Kneecap, the film follows an eight-year-old boy (newcomer Ezra Carlisle) as he navigates life after the death of his mother while his father swings between manic creativity and debilitating anxiety. The arrival of a Bulgarian au pair (played by Maria Bakalova), brings unexpected changes to the household.

My Extinction
Release Date: 2025
Welsh Connections: Rob Alexander (producer)
Synopsis: This feature documentary follows disabled actor/writer David Proud. He has always longed for a family – but the fertility techniques he needs to access are designed to engineer “healthy children” and screen out disabled people like him.

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 also lead Made in Wales, a project celebrating films with Welsh connections. We were also proud to lead on the UK inclusive cinema strategy on behalf of BFI FAN 2017-23.
Film Hub Wales: Website, X (Formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram

Made in Wales: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Made in Wales podcast, YouTube, Letterboxd.

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. We are a hub for the production and presentation of world-class, inventive and compelling work. Our gallery commissions and produces exhibitions of the very best in national and international art. Our theatre spaces are a platform for experimental and thought-provoking work. Our cinemas offer independent and challenging films alongside a range of unique festivals and events, and we bring more films, to more people, in more places through Film Hub Wales.

Alongside the core programme, we are also home to 56 artists and creative companies who are based in our 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 we do.

Our 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 our extensive menu.
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About Creative Wales
Creative Wales is a Welsh Government internal agency that supports the development of the fast-growing creative industry in Wales. We focus on developing and promoting growth across the Screen, Digital, Music and Publishing sectors, positioning Wales as one of the best places in the world for creative businesses to thrive.
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