Chapter Arts Centre is Cardiff’s local hub for all things culture, so when we got the chance to attend an exclusive BAFTA screening of Welsh Films showing at Sundance Film Festival, we eagerly donned our berets and headed down to Canton for an evening of high-brow entertainment. Jordan Watkins reviews the event.┬á

To celebrate Welsh representation at the Sundance Film Festival Chapter Arts hosted a night in collaboration with BAFTA Cymru. Before the films started there was already a tangible atmosphere of good will, made evident by the many uproars of laughter from the awaiting audience. This coupled with the excellent films screened made the night a runaway success. The billing consisted of Teeth, an animated short by Daniel Gray and Tom Brown of Holbrooks Films, and a documentary feature called Dark Horse. The event was sold out showing an encouraging interest within Wales for home grown cinema. Given WalesÔÇÖ relatively small presence within the film industry it is great to see people support it by attending events such as this. With such support there is a chance for Wales to flourish as a filmmaking nation.

First up was Teeth, a concise but very effective film that is beautifully animated with a distinctive art style. Running at six minutes and voiced by Richard E. Grant the film charts the narratorÔÇÖs lifelong relationship and obsession with teeth. GrantÔÇÖs very distinctive voice compliments the animation wonderfully with its raspy and methodical delivery. The whole film has murky sheen which is realised through its colour palette and excellent sound design. The squelches and scrapes that characterise the film had the entire audience wincing and writhing in their seats, achieving an effect similar to a Cronenberg Body-Horror. Gray and Brown have clearly spent a lot of time paying attention to the little details that add up to make a film that both looks fantastic and drew a positive, expressive reaction from the audience. With the unique nature of their animation style it would be great to see Holbrooks expand on their next project to make something longer. Although the added substance to the film, implemented through parable, means that as well as being visually stunning it is also intellectually stimulating. Either way youÔÇÖll be thinking about it after it has finished.

The second film was Louise OsmondÔÇÖs Dark Horse a documentary about a workingmenÔÇÖs club who bred their own race horse. Filmed in the small valley town Blackwood it details an archetypal underdog story about the racehorse, raised in an allotment, called Dream Alliance. Intercutting interviews, dramatic recreations and archive footage Osmond manages to piece together a story that is deeply enthralling and has strong emotional core. As well as this the film is surprisingly funny. The interviewees all told their story in a way that was engaging and often humorous. In fact many of them were attending the event and were the cause of much of the laughter prior to eventÔÇÖs start. I asked Osmond how the filmÔÇÖs quintessential Welsh humour translated in America. To. She stated that the audience recognized the comedy and found it to be funny. Which is evident by the fact that it won the Audience Award for World Documentary at the festival. Whilst having an inspiring story Dark Horse also deals with many issues including class, socio-economics and the nature of small communities. The added substance makes for a far more interesting film. If it had just focused on the story of Dream Alliance then it would still be entertaining but the added elements lift it beyond that. Overall Osmond has crafted a film that is both emotionally and intellectually engaging. It treats the subject matter with the highest respect and has brought a rather small but undeniably heart-warming story to the world.

 

After the film there was a Q&A session with the directors that provided some fascinating insight and advice for those who are looking to get into filmmaking. The session lasted for about half an hour and covered the creative process, Sundance and the directorsÔÇÖ own thoughts on their film. Once the Q&A was over the directors moved into the bar and talked further with the audience. In that time I managed to speak to both directors about their films as well speak to some of those who appeared in the film. With the success of the evening it was great to see a platform provided for Welsh cinema that was jubilant and above all consisting of films that are worth celebrating.