Film Hub Wales has allocated almost £170,000 to support 31 projects delivered by independent cinemas, film festivals and community screens across Wales.
The investment, provided through BFI National Lottery funding, will support 26 organisations through three funding programmes: Spotlight, the Film Exhibition Fund and Rip It Up.
The funding will help venues attract audiences, generate local economic activity and provide affordable access to UK independent and international films.
Supported projects include environmental film programmes curated by young people and Welsh film seasons marking 130 years of cinema in Wales. The programme will also help sustain independent venues that serve as social and cultural spaces within their communities.
In south-west Wales, Wales One World Film Festival will lead a new three-year Spotlight project designed to establish community screenings in towns and villages including Lampeter, Hermon, Newport and Newcastle Emlyn.
The programme will focus on rural communities where long or impractical public transport journeys can make it difficult for audiences to access cinemas and wider screen culture.
Amy Daniel, Spotlight Coordinator explains why the funding will be transformational at a local level:
“We will mentor volunteers and ambassadors who will go on to shape and lead cinema provision in their communities, meaning it belongs to them. We’ll also work closely with established venues in the region to exchange knowledge and build cinema going across the bordering counties, supporting access to culture as well as the local economy. It’s rare to secure funding for longer-term projects and this means we can create change.”
A further 24 projects have secured support through Film Hub Wales’ Film Exhibition Fund.
Recipients range from the longest-running film society in Abergavenny to Galeri Caernarfon, which is introducing a new audience strategy. This includes the community-led SineGlwb film club and Ffilms Er Newid, or Films for Change, delivered with local organisations.
At The Welfare in Ystradgynlais, the Screen Social programme will address social, health, financial and other barriers that can prevent people from visiting the cinema.
Sheba Soul’s Youth Climate Lab will work with young people across Wales, using film to explore the causes of environmental crises and develop simple, collaborative community responses.
Hana Lewis, Head of Film Hub Wales explains why this work is so important:
“As well as bringing the best films to Wales, something that many of our supported projects have in common is that community groups are taking an active role in the delivery of their local cinema activities. Such as the ‘community collaborations’ season at the Torch Theatr which runs throughout Second Hand September and Disability History Month, or Cardiff Animation Festival’s curatorial work with young asylum seeker and refugee families at Oasis Cardiff. Independent cinema is a great tool for local people to get involved in creative activities on their doorsteps. Their voices help to shape the direction of culture in that place and in return cinemas offer crucial social and well-being services that reduce isolation and generate local income.”
Funding is also supporting Rip It Up, a BFI Film Audience Network season examining the changing face of youth culture and expression on screen, covering themes including friendship, joy, heartbreak and rebellion.
Eight Welsh partners will deliver projects through the programme until October 2026.
Chapter in Cardiff will run three strands, including Hei, Mr Urdd!, a selection from the Welsh broadcast archive celebrating youth culture and accompanied by Welsh-language discussion.
At Cellb in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Video Hud will explore Welsh subcultures ranging from the Cool Cymru movement of the 1990s to emerging do-it-yourself creative scenes.
The programme will combine archive film with new work created by young people, alongside screenings, discussions, live music and participatory activities.
Rosemary Adjoa Dery Watch Africa Film Festival Producer, explains how their ‘Young, Black & Bold’ project will enable young Black Welsh voices to shape the future of film culture:
“Creating spaces where young Black creatives can come together, see themselves reflected on screen, share ideas and explore their creativity is incredibly important. Through this programme, we want to make a bold statement: Black stories, Black voices and Black creativity matter here in Wales. We belong in these cultural spaces, and we should feel empowered to take up space within them. Working alongside like-minded organisations such as Butetown Pavilion and Butetown Carnival allows us to connect different communities, ideas and creative practices, while our partnership with Chapter will build bridges with people who may not have felt that an arts centre was a space for them.”
