Celebrating a Decade of CellB Cinema
To mark ten years since the establishment of the community cinema CellB in Blaenau Ffestiniog, a short film created by local young people will be released, featuring a cameo appearance by Hollywood star Rhys Ifans.
CellB was founded in the town's former Police Station and has since grown into a significant cultural hub in the area.
Archival Welsh Rock Films and London Festival
As part of this year’s celebrations, iconic archival films from the Welsh rock scene during the 'Cool Cymru' era will be screened at a festival in London in May.
The film, Video Hud: Have You Seen Your Culture Baby, Standing in the Shadows?, includes archival footage of some of the most influential bands of the 1990s, such as Catatonia, Ffa Coffi Pawb, and the Super Furry Animals.
One of the early members of the Super Furry Animals was actor Rhys Ifans, who has agreed to make a cameo appearance in this film.
Exploring Welsh Youth Culture Through Film
The film project, led by Gwenno Llwyd Till, Cian 'Clinc' Roberts, Yannick Hammer, and Rhys Roberts, explores Welsh youth culture through film, music, and life experiences.
Cian Clinc and Gwenno Llwyd Till with, from left, William Westley, Yannick Hammer, Rhys Roberts, Twm Jones, Gruff Roberts, Noa Thomas, and Math Jones
Gwenno, an independent film director, stated that the 18 short films about Welsh rock music at the end of the 20th century include works created in a wide range of formats.
The films were shot by pioneering record producer Emyr Glyn Williams, better known as Emyr Ankst to his friends, who passed away in January 2024 at the age of 57.
Significance of the British Film Institute Festival Invitation
CellB founder Rhys Roberts said the invitation to participate in the British Film Institute festival in London is a significant milestone for the young creative people involved and for CellB itself.
"This is about young people from Blaenau taking their culture to a national stage, on their own terms. What started here in the Welsh mountains is now part of a project across the UK.
"The programme captures a moment when Welsh youth culture was reinvented through music, film, and identity – a period now widely recognised as Cool Cymru.
"It brings together archival films and live discussion, and Rhys Ifans – a defining figure of that era – will join the panel to reflect on the cultural moment that was formative for a generation," he said.
The festival will take place in London on 3 May.
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