This is a chronological list of films produced in Wales. It is divided between those that are in the English language, Welsh language, and no language (Silent film).

Silent films

1890s

  • 1898: Conway Castle
  • 1898: Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion, is the world's oldest extant soccer film, by Arthur Cheetham.

1900s

  • 1907: Wales, England: Land of Castles and Waterfalls

1910s

Welsh-language films

1930s

  • 1935: Y Chwarelwr (The Quarryman), was the first Welsh language sound film, directed by Ifan ab Owen Edwards.

1940s

  • 1949: Yr Etifeddiaeth (The Heritage) is a documentary by journalist John Robert Williams.

1980s

  • 1981: O'r Ddaear Hen was directed by Wil Aaron and scripted by Gwyn Thomas.

1990s

  • 1993: Gadael Lenin (Leaving Lenin), about a group of Welsh students and teachers who take a trip to Russia, was directed by Endaf Emlyn.
  • 1993:Tân ar y Comin, based on the novel by T. Llew Jones, about a young Romani who lives an idyllic life with his grandfather. Also released under the English title "A Christmas Reunion" (1994).
  • 1998: Y Mynydd Grug (The Heather Mountain), directed by Angela Barbara Roberts.
  • 1998: Pum Cynnig i Gymro (Bride of War) was directed by Peter Edwards. It was also released in English, German and Polish.

2000s

  • 2002: Eldra, directed by Timothy Lyn, is about a Romani family living in North Wales.
  • 2003: Y Mabinogi, also featuring Ioan Gruffudd, is a combined live-action and animated version of Welsh collection of tales known as the Mabinogion, directed by Derek W. Hayes.
  • 2005: Y Lleill, directed by Emyr Glyn Williams.
  • 2006: Calon Gaeth (Small Country), directed by Ashley Way.
  • 2008: Cwcw written and directed by Delyth Jones.

2010s

  • 2013: Y Syrcas (The Circus), directed by Kevin Allen, filmed in Welsh.

2020s

  • 2021: Gwledd (The Feast), a fantasy horror film set in Wales; directed by Lee Haven Jones
  • 2023: Y Sŵn, directed by Lee Haven Jones[1]

English-language films set in Wales

1930s

  • 1937: Today We Live is a communist agitprop documentary by Ralph Bond concerning unemployed miners in Pentre, Rhondda.

1940s

  • 1941: How Green Was My Valley was a classic directed by John Ford. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. However, the film is often criticised for the actors having Irish accents, as several of them were Irish, and for having a scene with an Irish jig instead of a traditional Welsh dance. Ford's response to these criticisms were simply, "It's a Celtic country, isn't it?"[2]

1950s

  • 1950: The Undefeated, by Paul Dickson.
  • 1950: David, by Paul Dickson.
  • 1952: Girdle of Gold, a comedy set in Wales about Evans the milk and Griffith the hearse searching for a pair of corsets. Directed by Montgomery Tully.

1960s

1970s

  • 1976: Whispers of Fear A woman inherits an old house in Wales, but is driven to madness and murder by jealous locals. Directed by Harry Bromley Davenport.
  • 1978: Dylan is about Dylan Thomas's final visit to America, concluding with his death in New York on 9 November 1953, and directed by Richard Lewis.
  • 1979: Black As Hell, Thick As Grass is a documentary by Kenneth Griffith.

1980s

  • 1980: The Mouse and the Woman was filmed at Lampeter House, directed by Karl Francis.
  • 1983: House of the Long Shadows was directed by Pete Walker. It comments on the nationalism of the Welsh, especially the older generation, who hate the English; the American jokes that he should wear a leek to show he's a friend. Vincent Price, who has a Welsh surname, plays a character who describes Wales as his ancestral homeland. His character's family appears to be English, however.
  • 1985: Ms Rhymney Valley, by Karl Francis

1990s

  • 1990: Dylan Thomas: Return Journey is a one-man show featuring Bob Kingdom as Thomas and directed by Anthony Hopkins.
  • 1992: Elenya, concerning a woman of Italian descent living in Wales, was directed by Steve Gough.
  • 1997: Prince Valiant, directed by Anthony Hickox and based on the comic strip series. It was partially filmed in Wales, and is partly set in Wales.
  • 1997: The Proposition, directed by Strathford Hamilton.
  • 1999: The Funeral of the Last Gypsy King, a short film directed by Jane Rogoyska.

2000s

  • 2001: Endgame was directed by Gary Wicks; much of the film takes place at the main character's Welsh cottage.
  • 2002: On All Floors was directed by Geoff Evans and written by Craig Handley.
  • 2003: Otherworld, the English-language version of the film Y Mabinogi, is listed above in the Welsh-language section.
  • 2005: Ramble On, an animated short directed by Tom Parkinson.
  • 2006: Little White Lies, directed by Caradog W. James.
  • 2006: Love You, Joseff Hughes, a short directed by Dan Hartley.
  • 2007: The Baker, AKA Assassin in Love was directed by Gareth Lewis, about a hitman who retires to a rural Welsh village as a baker.
  • 2009: Big Font. Large Spacing is a feature about two students completing a psychology essay in one night. The film was all shot in Cathays in Cardiff.

2010s

  • 2010: Devil's Bridge was filmed in Cardiff and Pembrokeshire; directed by Chris Crow.
  • 2013: A Field in England, a psychedelic horror film set in 17th century Monmouthshire (a county of contemporary Wales, but which was not clearly labeled as part of Wales at the time).
  • 2018: Say My Name was set on a Welsh island but filmed around Cardiff, directed by Deborah Frances-White.
  • 2018: Last Summer, four boys roam free through a neglected rural paradise in Wales, until a tragedy strikes, directed by Jon Jones.[3]
  • 2019: Gwen is a folk tale set and filmed in Snowdonia during the industrial revolution. Directed by William McGregor.

2020s

  • 2020: The Haunting of Margam Castle, directed by Andrew Jones.

Films with Welsh characters (but not set in Wales)

  • 1952: Cosh Boy is a film in which the main character's mother is Welsh. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert.
  • 1956: In The Searchers, directed by John Ford, the character Martin Pawly claims that he is 1/8 Cherokee, and the rest is English and Welsh.
  • 1964: Zulu, starring Michael Caine, depicts the struggle of a detachment of a Welsh regiment against Zulu warriors. It was directed by Cy Endfield.
  • 1977: In A Bridge Too Far, one of the final scenes features a minor character nicknamed Taff.
  • 1979: The Life of Brian, a film by Monty Python, features a character named Judith (played by Sue Jones-Davies) who is referred to by Brian's mother as a "Welsh tart." Several other references to Welsh characters can be gleaned from the screenplay.[4]
  • 1991: Old Scores, set in New Zealand, is about a former Welsh rugby star. It was directed by Alan Clayton.
  • 1994: Au Pair was directed by Angelika Weber. The main character and her boyfriend are Welsh.
  • 2000: The Man Who Cried, about a Jewish girl who leaves the Soviet Union to be raised in England, utilises a Welsh music teacher to help aid in the girl's assimilation to English culture. As he was not allowed to speak Welsh but succeeded professionally after learning English, so will she succeed if she abandons her native tongue.
  • 2004: Patrick, a documentary about the Welsh St. Patrick who became the patron saint of Ireland, was directed by Pamela Mason Wagner.

Filmed on location in Wales, but set elsewhere

  • 1997: The James Gang was filmed in Cardiff and Swansea; directed by Mick Barker .
  • 2006: Half Light, starring Demi Moore and directed by Craig Rosenberg, is set in Scotland but was shot on location in Wales.
  • 2008: Freebird was filmed in the Brecon Beacons directed by John Ivay.
  • 2008: Colin was filmed in Cardiff on a budget of £45, directed by Marc Price.
  • 2012: The Reverend was filmed in south Wales and directed by Neil Jones.
  • 2013: The Machine was filmed in Cardiff and directed by Caradog James.
  • 2014: Blackwood a traditional ghost story filmed in Wales and directed by Adam Wimpenny.
  • 2015: Narcopolis was filmed in Swansea which doubled for New York and directed by Justin Trefgarne.
  • 2016: The Chamber was filmed in Swansea and Pencoed, directed by Ben Parker.
  • 2017: Granny of The Dead was filmed in Cardiff and directed by Craig Tudor.

Miscellaneous

  • 1967: In Bedazzled, when Dudley Moore's character wishes for intellectualism, he develops a Welsh accent.
  • 1971: In Straw Dogs, directed by Sam Peckinpah, a Cornish vicar uses the Welsh place name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch as the magic word in a magic trick he performs.
  • 2004: Crash features the Welsh-language folk song "Lisa Lân", sung by Carol Ensley.
  • 2019: Saint Maud, written and directed by Rose Glass; the main character speaks Welsh.

Welsh actors and directors

See also

Scholarly resources

  • Wales on Screen, edited by Steve Blandford
  • Wales and Cinema: The First Hundred Years, by Dave Berry

Footnotes

  1. "Watch: Exclusive first look at film documenting the battle to establish S4C". Nation.Cymru. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  2. David Berry Wales and Cinema: The First Hundred Years. Cardiff, 1994, page 161.
  3. "Last Summer (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. Archived August 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Caerwent is scene for Captain America movie". South Wales Argus. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  6. "Watch: First trailer released for new Disney+ Willow series filmed in Wales". 27 May 2022.
  7. Tom Moody (12 May 2019). "Hollywood stars filming in Gwent for the incredible true story of how a barmaid bred a Welsh National-winning racehorse". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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