Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cinema
The first genuinely Welsh film was Karl Francis' Above Us the Earth in 1977. Based on the
true story of a colliery closure, it featured an amateur cast in real valley locations. More re-
cently, the Welsh film industry has matured considerably with a growth in high-quality in-
dependent productions.
One of the most successful recent releases is The Edge of Love (2008), the biopic about
the life and loves of Dylan Thomas, which starred Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Mat-
thew Rhys in the role of Thomas. Another cult success was a low-budget documentary
about life in a Mid-Wales village. Sleep Furiously (2008), described as an elegy for the
landscape and population of Trefeurig, Ceredigion. The film was directed by Gideon Kop-
pel, who himself was brought up in Trefeurig - where his family sought refuge from Nazi
Germany. Welsh director Justin Kerrigan has enjoyed considerable commercial success
with a series of films including Cardiff-based Human Traffic (1999), the story of drug-
fuelled hedonistic youth that captured the late-90s zeitgeist. Another exploration of urban
decline, Twin Town (1997), set in Swansea, was a funny but clichéd comedy which
launched the career of Rhys Ifans. More recently the BAFTA nominated comedy drama
Submarine (2010) was critically acclaimed and enjoyed a highly successful global release.
Based in Swansea, it was an incredible debut performance by director Richard Ayoade.
For more information about Welsh film, visit the website of the Film Agency for Wales
( www.filmagencywales.com ) .
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