The 2019 Wales International Film Festival (WIFF) held in Neath brought film makers and other visitors to the town from as far afield as Canada, the USA, China, Holland, France, Hawaii and Japan as well as from other parts of the UK.
A total of 72 films were screened at the two-day festival held at Neath’s Gwyn Hall in September while there were eight workshops, a creative sector seminar delivered for Neath College and visitors staying at a variety of local accommodation including Neath’s Bluebell and Castle hotels.
The festival has provided a major showcase for Neath Port Talbot as a destination for film makers – the festival featuring organised tours to Margam Country Park as one of many possible film locations in the County Borough.
Out of a string of winners in a variety of film categories, the 2019 Award for Best Film in Festival went to the dark comedy ‘Matty Boy’ by Dr Shahid Kamal starring Vincent De Paul.
Dr Shahid Kamal is a film director and screenwriter based in London. He is also a surgeon who did his film making training at the London Film Academy after finishing his medical studies. Matty Boy starred two times Emmy award winning actor from Baltimore, Vincent De Paul.
Others from the long list of winners included The Price of Freedom (Best Illustrated Poem Award), Rocket Club (Jury’s Award for Best Feature Film), A Tale of Gyantse (Best foreign Feature Film Award), B is for for Bully by Denise Richards (Jury’s Award for Most Inspiring Film in Festival) and A Dead Canary (Best Short Film Based in Wales) by James Davis, about a boy coming to terms with his father’s death in a pit accident.
There was a special screening of the Gwyr documentary series which was presented by Georgios Dimitropoulos as well as the official launch of the new Catrin Collier novel Glyndwr: The Foretold Son during this year’s event.
Arrangements are already being made for WIFF 2020 being held at the Gwyn Hall again in late September next year as part of a three-year commitment to holding the festival in Neath.
The festival was founded by Euros Jones-Evans and Co-Founder Samira Mohamed Ali and is a non-profit organisation which provides an opportunity for up-and coming film makers to network with industry experts and experienced producers and directors and will be open for film submissions world-wide from October 9th 2019.
Euros Jones-Evans said:”The 2019 festival was a major success and we want to thank all the film-makers who entered and all the visitors who attended and supported the event. We now looking forward to working with Neath Port Talbot Council and all our other partners once more in preparing for the 2020 and 2021 events.”
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Gwyl Ffilm Ryngwladol Cymru’n rhoi Castell-nedd Port Talbot ar y map
Daeth Gwyl Ffilm Ryngwladol Cymru (WIFF) 2019, a gynhaliwyd yng Nghastell-nedd, â gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau ac ymwelwyr eraill i’r dref o bob cwr o’r byd, gan gynnwys Canada, yr Unol Daleithiau, China, yr Iseldiroedd, Ffrainc, Hawaii a Japan yn ogystal ag o rannau eraill o’r DU.
Dangoswyd cyfanswm o 72 o ffilmiau yn ystod yr wyl ddeuddydd o hyd a gynhaliwyd yn Neuadd Gwyn Castell-nedd ym mis Medi, ynghyd ag wyth gweithdy, seminar i’r sector greadigol a gyflwynwyd i Goleg Castell-nedd ac ymwelwyr oedd yn aros mewn llety lleol amrywiol, gan gynnwys gwestai’r Bluebell a’r Castell yng Nghastell-nedd. Mae’r wyl wedi bod yn gyfle gwych i arddangos Castell-nedd Port Talbot fel cyrchfan ar gyfer gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau, yn ogystal â chyflwyno gwesteion i Barc Gwledig Margam ar daith a drefnwyd fel darpar leoliadau ffilmio.
O blith cyfres o enillwyr mewn amrywiaeth o gategorïau ffilm, aeth Gwobr Ffilm Orau’r Wyl 2019 i’r gomedi dywyll ‘Matty Boy’ gan Dr Shahid Kamal gyda Vincent De Paul yn y brif ran.
Mae Dr Shahid Kamal yn gyfarwyddwr ffilmiau ac yn awdur sgrin a leolir yn Llundain. Mae ef hefyd yn llawfeddyg, a hyfforddodd fel gwneuthurwr ffilmiau yn Academi Ffilm Llundain ar ôl gorffen ei astudiaethau meddygol. Seren Matty Boy oedd yr actor o Baltimore a enillodd ddwy wobr Emmy, Vincent De Paul.
Eraill o blith y rhestr hir o enillwyr oedd ‘The Price of Freedom’ (Gwobr Cerdd Ddarluniedig Orau), ‘Rocket Club’ (Gwobr y Rheithgor am Ffilm Hir Orau), ‘A Tale of Gyantse’ (Gwobr Ffilm Hir Dramor Orau), ‘B is for for Bully’ gan Denise Richards (Gwobr y Rheithgor am Ffilm am y Ffilm wnaeth Ysbrydoli Orau yn yr Wyl) a ‘A Dead Canary’ (Ffilm Fer orau a Leolir yng Nghymru) gan James Davis, am fachgen sy’n dygymod â marwolaeth ei dad mewn damwain yn y pwll glo.
Cafwyd dangosiad arbennig o gyfres ddogfen ‘Gwyr’ a gyflwynwyd gan Georgios Dimitropoulos yn ogystal â lansiad swyddogol nofel newydd Catrin Collier, ‘Glyndwr: The Foretold Son’ yn ystod digwyddiad eleni.
Mae trefniadau eisoes ar y gweill ar gyfer cynnal WIFF 2020 yn Neuadd y Gwyn eto tua diwedd mis Medi'r flwyddyn nesaf fel rhan o ymrwymiad tair blynedd o hyd i gynnal yr wyl yng Nghastell-nedd.
Sylfaenwyd yr wyl gan Euros Jones-Evans a’r Cyd-sylfaenydd Samira Mohamed Ali ac mae’n sefydliad nid-er-elw sy’ darparu cyfle i wneuthurwyr ffilmiau ar eu prifiant rwydweithio gydag arbenigwyr yn y diwydiant a chynhyrchwyr a chyfarwyddwyr profiadol, a bydd yn agor ar gyfer ceisiadau ffilm o bob cwr o’r byd o Hydref 9, 2019 ymlaen.
Meddai Euros Jones-Evans: “Roedd gwyl 2019 yn llwyddiant mawr, a hoffem ddiolch i’r holl wneuthurwyr ffilmiau a gystadlodd, a’r holl ymwelwyr a fynychodd y digwyddiad a’i gefnogi. Rydym ni nawr yn edrych ymlaen at weithio unwaith yn rhagor gyda Chyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot a’n holl bartneriaid eraill wrth i ni baratoi ar gyfer digwyddiadau 2020 a 2021.”
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