From life in Blaenau Ffestiniog through the eyes of Effi, to an out-of-this-world ‘Roswelsh’ incident in a Welsh seaside town, new stories from Wales are set to hit cinema screens in 2026.
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Go on a journey of self-discovery this year as you connect with characters from Port Talbot’s steel town to hand rakers on the mussel beds of Anglesey. Find feel-good films, eye-opening docs, plus some revenge, mayhem and more – all with Welsh connections from locations, to cast and behind the scenes talent.
Starting off the year with its release on January 23rd is biographical drama H is for Hawk, produced by Cardiff’s John Giwa-Amu (The Man in My Basement). The film tells the true story of Helen Macdonald (Claire Foy), a woman mourning the death of her father (Brendan Gleeson) who finds solace in her friendship with a stubborn goshawk named Mabel.
Joedi Langley, Interim Head of Creative Wales looks back on the Welsh films of 2025 and ahead to their support in 2026:
“2025 has been a phenomenal year for Wales-made films, from taking Richard Burton’s origin story to the world in Mr Burton, to The Man in My Basement which was showcased at the Toronto Film Festival and Sundance-nominated feature Brides, to name a few. The next year is also gearing up to be exciting, kicking off with the January release of the beautiful H is for Hawk, alongside the true story of the 5th Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget, in Madfabulous and the first Welsh-language feature film Effi o Blaenau co-funded by Creative Wales and S4C, which is currently finalising a festival run. Creative Wales is committed to giving this growing sector the vital support it needs to continue to thrive, through funding and connecting creatives within the industry with programmes to ensure Welsh films are given a platform to be enjoyed by audiences within Wales and around the world.”
Also due in 2026 are various place-based films that give audiences insight into life in Wales. We have not one but three titles centred around Ynys Môn (Anglesey). Firstly, On the Sea, which follows Jack and his family as they hand rake the mussel beds. In this remote, rural community where life revolves around Church and fishery, Jack falls in love with itinerant deckhand Daniel. We also have the highly anticipated Madfabulous from North Wales production company Mad as Birds. The film depicts the life of the wonderfully eccentric 5th Marquess Henry Cyril Paget. Filmed on location on Ynys Môn, as well as Caernarfon and Pwllheli, the film stars Welsh actor Callum Scott Howells alongside Rupert Everett and Siobhán McSweeney. It’s directed by Ynys Môn’s own Celyn Jones. Finally, Ynys Môn-shot thriller Black Church Bay from Welsh/Irish director Rhys Marc Jones, starring Welsh actor Tom Cullen. A respected teacher’s life unravels in a remote coastal village, when the sixth form student he’s in a secret relationship with, disappears.
Actor and Director Celyn Jones, who was involved in all three productions, celebrates this moment for Ynys Môn on screen:
“Three films – all Anglesey-based and all different and all intended for the big screen. From Helen Walsh’s gorgeous and moving drama (On the Sea) about love in all its forbidden and celebrated shapes, to the scale, beauty, emotion and heartbreak of my love letter to home (Madfabulous) and the darkly tragic and vital script of Black Church Bay. It’s about moments where people come together to make something. It’s about the human connection in the endeavour of filmmaking. It’s a viable industry that has places for all who want in and we have a seat at that table… Anglesey has a seat! That’s why I will never stop cheering and hustling and making work that has Ynys Môn written through the centre like a stick of rock.”
Heading over to Blaenau Ffestiniog, we meet Effi o Blaenau. Featuring Leisa Gwenllian in the title role and directed by Marc Evans (Mr Burton), this is a big screen adaptation of Gary Owen’s modern Welsh classic play Iphigenia in Splott. Grappling with her weekly loop of unemployment, clubbing and hangovers, Effi has a chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub with injured soldier Lee, briefly opening a door to something better. For a moment, Effi glimpses a life she never imagined. The reality that follows is far tougher.
For the environmental horror fans out there, we have Welsh director Craig Roberts’ highly anticipated The Scurry. Filmed at Dragon Studios in Bridgend, starring Rhys Ifans and Ella Purnell, it’s the story of two pest controllers who encounter an avalanche of deranged squirrels, wreaking revenge on the staff and visitors at an eco-country park. For those who like their frightful films more melodic, there’s Stuffed, an original new musical-horror-romance shot in South Wales starring Jodie Comer as a brooding taxidermist whose secret ambition is to stuff a human specimen. On a more mythical Welsh folklore horror front, we have Rabbit Trap, released on January 30th. Set in the 1970s, it follows a married couple (Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen) who relocate to an isolated Welsh cabin where they accidentally disturb a Tylwyth Teg fairy ring and are visited by a mysterious child who appears to have ill intentions for them.
For a family-orientated cinema trip, Out There promises to be a feel-good, comedy, sci-fi as 16-year-old amateur astronomer Maz spots a UFO over her sleepy Welsh seaside town. Dragging along her sceptical best friend Cari, as well as Michael Sheen’s unhinged ufologist, Maz uncovers a truth she’s not prepared to face. Learning to Breathe Underwater is a new comedy drama, co-produced by Cardiff-based One Wave Films (Still Pushing Pineapples), about eight-year-old daydreamer Leo who lives with his eccentric artist father. Leo’s life is suddenly changed overnight however by the arrival of Anya, a spirited Bulgarian au pair.
For documentary lovers, 2026 promises fascinating factual stories from two prominent Welsh producers. Smoking Shores, from Truth Department’s Dewi Gregory and executive producer Michael Sheen, features the surfing community of Port Talbot. Meanwhile, Welsh producer Rob Alexander follows disabled actor/writer David Proud in Proud. He longs for a family, but the fertility techniques he needs to access are designed to engineer “healthy children” and screen out disabled people like him. What does this mean for people like David, potentially facing their own ‘extinction?’
With even more titles to come, such as a punk exploration of the psyche in the thrilling Mission, to a battle against evil for a new mother in Unspeakable, there’s plenty to choose from.
Hana Lewis, Head of Film Hub Wales explains why Film Hub Wales’ Made in Wales project supports releases such as these:
“We know that it’s important to Welsh cinemas and their audiences to be able to connect with stories that reflect their lives, their communities and their language, as well as films from Welsh storytellers that bring the international world to their doorsteps in Wales. Our aim is to help those stories to reach people, ideally in a collective cinema setting, ensuring that once a film is made, it’s also seen.”
Film Hub Wales’ Made in Wales (MIW) project celebrates films with Welsh connections. It offers a host of year-round activities in partnership with Welsh exhibitors, including a film catalogue, which hosts information on over 1000 shorts and feature films. Audiences can keep up to date with news of upcoming Welsh releases and the latest interviews by following Made in Wales on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, the Made in Wales podcast, YouTube and Letterboxd.
MIW is made possible thanks to funding from Creative Wales and the support of BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), awarding National Lottery funding. BFI FAN offers support to exhibitors across the whole of the UK, to boost cultural programming and engage diverse audiences. In Wales, activity is led by Film Hub Wales, managed by Chapter.
