Earlier this year, AM shared a call-out offering four filmmakers £500 towards creating a short film about community culture in Wales. These films will document arts or social activity, or the specific work of individuals/organizations within various communities. The scheme has been funded by Arts Council of Wales as part of the multi-year funding PYST Cyf received earlier this year.
We received a large amount of applications, and following a difficult selection process, we’re very pleased to announce that the four successful filmmakers are Ffion Pritchard, Jon Berg, Mairéad Ruane and Harriet Fleuriot. Llongyfarchiadau! It’s been an eye-opening and inspirational process to see the wealth and breadth of ideas submitted from all corners of Wales.
Nico Dafydd, a filmmaker, artist and a member of AM’s Board who was on the selection panel, says:
“It was so heartening to see so many people applying for this fund, which is vital in fostering and amplifying new voices. The four chosen films are incredibly varied and ambitious, but linked together by two important factors; the vision of the filmmakers and the specificity of the communities.”
We will be sharing more information about the films during the next few months. In the meantime, learn more about the successful filmmakers below!
Ffion Pritchard
Ffion is an artist with an interest in how art can benefit society, be that through community arts, arts in healthcare or through the cathartic power of storytelling, humour and entertainment. After training as an illustrator, gradurating from Brighton University with First Class Honours in 2017, her practice has remained broad and eclectic, spanning multiple disciplines.
Jon Berg
Jon is a dance teacher turned cinematographer, who graduated from USW with a focus on documentary filmmaking. He recently created a film about the Nantgarw China Works and how they keep the traditional skills and knowledge alive today, along with a web series for the Coastal Foraging with Craig Evans YouTube channel, showing millions of people the beauty of Welsh coastlines.
Mariéad Ruane
Mairéad (they/she) is a Welsh/Irish creative seeking to collaborate in socially conscious spaces on projects fusing arts, health and social justice. Mairéad has spent 2 years co-producing a documentary escape game exploring lived experiences of OCD, and recently assistant produced a play exploring Latinx experiences of mental health. Mairéad is currently producing artist Samra Mayanja's performance programme 'The Call Centre'.
Harriet Fleuriot
Harriet is an artist working with performance, video and installation. She creates solo and collaborative art, working between the live and the recorded. She is interested in how the body performs an archive of untold resistances, and how moving image offers a space for narrative disruption and re-imagination. Harriet’s work has been presented in the UK and internationally at galleries, film festivals and performance events and she has received awards for her short films. She has mentored emerging artist filmmakers, and runs regular art workshops for a local mental health & wellbeing group in the Rhondda.