'The Language of Cymraeg' wins Best Film - 12-15

Congratulations to young people from Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Carmarthenshire, Wales, whose film The Language of Cymraeg has won Best Film - 12-15 (sponsored by Paramount Pictures) at the 2024 Into Film Awards. The award was presented by actor Stephen Merchant.

Filled with amusing dramatic recreations, The Language of Cymraeg sees a classroom in Wales being taught about the history of the Welsh language, covering everything from Henry VIII's attempts to ban it, to those who have fought to keep it alive and give the language more prominence in the modern era.

Around 16 people from the school's drama club were involved in creating the film, with the project being driven by Joseph and Taran (both aged 14). "We wanted to do something personal to our country", they explained. "We decided it would be a great idea to tell the story of the language of Cymraeg throughout history, exploring the cultural, historical and social elements of a language that we feel has been overlooked in the entirety of the history of Great Britain."

Creating a film about language came with its own unique challenges. "The writing of the script took many hours", Joseph and Taran explained. "We are second language Welsh, so we had to translate some of it. We were determined that our film would be bilingual - a true representation of a bilingual nation."

Continuing on behalf of the wider group, Joseph and Taran expressed their thanks to their drama teacher, and commented on the impact the film has had on their future aspirations. "This is our first time in the realms of filmmaking, and we are so grateful our drama teacher introduced us to the competition. It certainly has made us want to get more involved in filmmaking as a career. It is something that we didn't expect we would be able to access, and having this opportunity has broadened our horizons into the creative industry."