Ffolio commissions new film and audio artworks from creative talent in Wales with something to say

Ffolio offers training, mentoring and BBC commissioning opportunities to creative people in Wales that don’t have professional experience in film, TV or radio. Whether they’re a dancer, blogger, musician, writer, photographer, graffiti artist, games designer, puppeteer, circus performer or animator, Ffolio is a new opportunity for people in Wales to celebrate their creativity.

Following three rounds of short film commissions, this summer Ffolio offered creative people in Wales a more accessible chance to develop their ideas into unique audio projects. The commissioned artworks tell vital stories about mental health, immigration and disability through an immersive blend of spoken word and soundscape. The four successful audio projects selected to go into production and be shared across BBC platforms are: 

Endo

Presented through spoken word poetry and original beats, poet and author Llio Elain Maddocks’ Endo follows a frustrated girl’s turbulent journey to getting an endometriosis diagnosis. In 2020, Llio published her first novel 'Twll Bach yn y Niwl' with Y Lolfa, and recently released a pamphlet of her instapoems 'Stwff Ma Hogia 'Di Dddeutha Fi' with Y Stamp.

Lung Which Not

Multi-disciplinary artist Dominika Rau’s experimental audio piece Lung Which Not takes a dramatic and poetic approach to immigration and communication from the perspective of a second language speaker. Originally from Poland and now based in Wales, Dominika’s practice involves spoken word, playwriting and storytelling, as well as dance, acting and mime.

Tam vs the Horsefly

Tamsin Griffiths’ poetic, experimental soundscape is interwoven with storytelling about a paranoid woman that must defend her home against her greatest enemy. Tamsin is a director, writer, performer, soundscape and visual artist, who formed arts and health company Four in Four to create participatory projects that challenge perceptions of mental health.

Tectonic

Dan Mitchell is a writer, comedian and educational facilitator with a love of nature, mythology and the dark underside of history. His three-part experimental drama Tectonic bridges the gap between the known and unknown as it follows a teenage boy through his emotional relationship with epilepsy.

Ffolio has also commissioned four new short films from first-time filmmakers:

Diomysus

A light-hearted documentary investigating ethical non-monogamy, told through polyamorous house mouse puppets. First time filmmaker Emily Morus-Jones is a puppeteer, puppet maker and creature FX co-ordinator for film, TV and live events, who has worked on projects for CBBC, ITV, Sky1 and Netflix, as well as performing with Ed Sheeran, Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa.

Echdoe – The Day Before Yesterday

A bilingual, non-linear documentary about resilience from Gwen Thomson, a theatre director, actor, puppeteer, musician and circus performer. Her first short film follows classical musician Cheryl Law as she returns to the place of her accident, and demonstrates a unique relationship to its history as she makes peace with her trauma.

Silent Pride

Sammy has social anxiety, Ffion is deaf. The two girls find each other hiding at a high school party. Despite the difficult communication they form a connection, and their chemistry grows in a world where silence speaks louder than words. This film from queer Welsh actress Kristy Philipps explores isolation and connection in a world that is often hesitant to celebrate our differences.

Yew

A boy reflects on the memory of his grandmother and her strange relationship to the ancient yew tree that stands behind their south Wales valleys housing estate. Writer James Davis’ film is a poetic look at the effects of grief and how it ties to the timelessness and mystique of the Welsh landscape.

All eight projects will now progress into production with tailored training and expert mentorship for these first-time film and audio makers. Their mentors include Prano Bailey-Bond (Censor), Joanna Wright (Atomfa), Charlotte James (Ffasiwn), David Sant (Home) and Julian Kemp (Jamie Johnson). 

Since 2020, Ffolio has commissioned 12 vibrant short films reflecting Wales’ rich variety of creative talent, including photographer Ashrah Suudy’s In a Room Full of Sisters, writer Lloyd Glanville’s Cardiff, I Love You, and actor Mathew David’s Skinny Fat, which premiered at the opening night of this year’s Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival. Ffolio filmmakers Krystal S. Lowe and Oliver Gabe have also gone on to develop successive short films through Ffilm Cymru and BFI NETWORK Wales’ Beacons short film scheme.