Theatr Gwaun launches new Welsh Film Festival and Open Call for filmmakers across Wales
Theatr Gwaun is inviting filmmakers from across Wales to submit their short films for the opportunity to see their work presented on the big screen as part of its inaugural Theatr Gwaun Welsh Film Festival, taking place in Fishguard from 23–25 October 2026.
Created to celebrate 130 years of filmmaking in Wales, the new festival will bring together the past, present and future of Welsh cinema through feature-film screenings, a programme chosen by audiences, filmmaker conversations and a special showcase of new short films.
At the heart of the festival is a simple invitation: Your film. On our cinema screen.
The Open Call welcomes films from experienced and independent filmmakers, students, artists, schools and colleges, community groups and people taking their first steps into filmmaking.
Selected films will be screened before a live audience at Theatr Gwaun on Saturday 24 October, giving filmmakers the opportunity to experience their work as cinema was made to be seen: projected on a large screen with professional digital cinema technology and Dolby 7.1 surround sound.
Theatr Gwaun’s cinema facilities were newly upgraded in February 2026 thanks to funding from Arts Council Wales and include a Barco laser cinema projector, professional digital cinema playback system and new cinema screen. The 180-seat venue is equipped to present films using the professional DCP digital cinema format used by cinemas internationally.
Films of between two and ten minutes are welcomed across all genres, including fiction, documentary, animation, comedy, drama, music video, experimental film and artists’ moving image.
Welsh-language, English-language, bilingual, silent and subtitled films are all encouraged.
Films must be suitable for a 12A classification or below and applicants must have the right to submit their work and permission to use any music, footage or other third-party material included within it.
The deadline for submissions is: 11.59pm on Friday 18 September 2026
Paul Howe, Chief Executive of Theatr Gwaun, said:
“Theatr Gwaun has always been a place where people come together to experience stories on stage and on screen. Our first Welsh Film Festival gives us an exciting opportunity to celebrate Wales’s extraordinary contribution to cinema while creating a platform for the people making films here today.
“We want filmmakers to experience the genuine thrill of seeing their own work presented in a cinema, with a live audience and professional projection and sound. Whether this is your tenth film or your very first, we would love to see what you have created.”
The first public film screening in Wales took place in 1896. Over the 130 years since, Welsh filmmakers, actors, writers, artists, technicians and communities have played a vital role in the development of cinema.
The Theatr Gwaun Welsh Film Festival will celebrate that heritage while asking what the next chapter of filmmaking in Wales might look like - and who will create it.
Simon Coton, Theatr Gwaun Board Member and lead for the Welsh Film Festival, said:
“For 130 years, Wales has been making films, and this festival is an opportunity to celebrate that remarkable history while looking confidently towards what comes next.
“Some brilliant films begin with major production companies and significant budgets. Others begin with a student, an artist, a group of friends or someone picking up a camera for the first time because they have a story they need to tell.
“We want this Open Call to reach all of those people. You do not need to consider yourself an established filmmaker. You simply need an idea, a story and a film you are ready to share.
“There is something very special about sitting in a darkened auditorium and watching your own work fill a cinema screen. We are delighted to offer filmmakers that opportunity here in Fishguard.”
The selected short films will form part of a dedicated festival screening on Saturday 24 October. Filmmakers will be invited to attend and share the experience with audiences, fellow creatives and other participants in the festival.
Alongside the Open Call showcase, audiences will be invited to explore the history of Welsh cinema and help shape the festival programme by voting for the Welsh feature films they would most like to see return to the big screen.
Further information about the audience vote and full festival programme will be announced during the coming weeks.
The Theatr Gwaun Welsh Film Festival is made possible with support from Film Hub Wales, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from the National Lottery.
Filmmakers can read the full Applicant Guidance and submit their film through the online application form:
https://forms.gle/McXaQNw6X9vW89oy9
For help with an application or questions about the Open Call, email: