Creative talent in Wales venture into film through Ffolio
BBC Arts, BBC Cymru Wales, Arts Council of Wales and Ffilm Cymru have commissioned five more short films through Ffolio, their new platform for creative talent in Wales.
Ffolio offers training, mentoring and commissioning opportunities to creative people in Wales looking to explore their ideas through film.
In this second round of Ffolio funding, another five films have been selected to be produced. These debut short films showcase an exciting variety of creative talent: a writer, a poet, an artist, a design art director and an actor.
Welcoming these projects to the Ffolio slate, Project Co-Manager Caroline Lane says “We are thrilled to commission another round of fantastic films from individuals that have such a wide and varied range of creative backgrounds. They will all receive bespoke support in all aspects of production to enable them to bring their exciting ideas to life through film.”
The next five Ffolio short films are:
Arwel's House
After working as a production assistant and a script editor, Owen Davies now has the opportunity to write and direct his very own short film. Arwel’s House follows the mother of a dead YouTube star as she gives tours of his childhood home in west Wales to fans from around the world.
Feeding Grief to Animals
A woman grieving for the baby she miscarried suddenly notices wild animals arriving in her city garden. From this she experiences a transformation that breaks the surface of her submersion in grief. Poet, writer and publisher Rebecca Parfitt will tell her haunting tale with shadow puppets against a sonogram backdrop.
Let it Be
Yusuf Ismail’s documentary looks into the life of beekeeper Phillip Henry, a former community activist and one of the founders of the Black Youth Charter. Cardiff artist Yusuf’s recent portraiture project ‘My City, My Shirt,’ which examines race and inclusion through the lens of football, will be exhibited later this year.
Sin Eater
Ammanford art director Oliver Gabe’s film tells the story of Christmas Evans, the one-eyed preacher of Cwm Annwn, who wrestles with money and influence as his sin eating service begins to unravel. Oliver works within design studio Focus Group and as a contributing editor of independent fashion magazine Buffalo Zine.
Skinny Fat
After starring in short films for the Iris Prize, S4C and Ffilm Cymru, as well as BBC and CBS television shows, Cardiff actor Mathew David will now be writing and directing his own film. Skinny Fat sees a man confront his belly fat in a shop’s changing room. Through reliving an abusive past relationship, can he finally love his own body?
In addition to the five commissioned films, Ffolio is providing supplementary development support to Jo-el Isaac Bertram for his Jukebox Collective documentary What it Takes? Along with all the Ffolio participants, Jo-el will benefit from expert guidance and mentorship from filmmakers Jay Bedwani (Donna), Euros Lyn (Dream Horse), Sara Sugarman (Vinyl), Janis Pugh (Chuck Chuck Baby) and Blobina Animations’ Selina Wagner.
Over 175 people applied for the first two rounds of Ffolio earlier this year. The six films commissioned in the first round were writer Lloyd Glanville’s Cardiff, I Love You (working title), ballet dancer Krystal S. Lowe’s Daughters of the Sea, photographer Ashrah Suudy’s East in Colour, performance poet Hanan Issa’s The Golden Apple, theatre director Julie Benson’s King of the Pit, and musician Angharad van Rijswijk’s Whelm.
All the finished films will go on to be shown on a variety of BBC platforms on air and online, including television, BBC iPlayer and BBC Cymru Wales’ social media channels.