FOCUS Wales Film festival earns BAFTA Cymru accreditation

This accomplishment places FOCUS Wales among the distinguished company of IRIS Prize, Cardiff Animation Festival, Abertoir, and others in Wales. Plus Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto and more internationally. Scheduled for 10-11 May in Wrexham, FOCUS Wales Film festival will now grant all films showcased in competition eligibility for a BAFTA Cymru Award nomination.

Film Festival Producer Robert Corcoran expressed his jubilation, stating: "Five years ago, our aspiration was to establish a globally acclaimed film festival in Wrexham, attracting top-tier emerging and established filmmakers from Wales and around the globe to showcase their work. This accreditation from BAFTA is testament to the calibre of our programme and jury. I couldn't be prouder of our team."

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Headlining the festival is Celyn Jones' poignant film, The Almond and the Seahorse, starring Jones himself alongside Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Partially filmed in Wrexham in 2021, the movie explores the profound impact of traumatic brain injury on the lives of two couples. The screening will take place Friday 10 May at 7pm, the same day the film is released in UK cinemas.

This year's film festival, hosted at Coleg Cambria's Theatr Ial is sponsored by Creative Wales. Alongside film screenings, it offers an expanded short film competition, industry panels, feature films, and networking opportunities. To commemorate this milestone, FOCUS is briefly reopening film submissions, inviting filmmakers to submit their films by March 31st using the code FOCUSBAFTA on the Submissions portal.