This is a chronological list of films produced in Wales. It is divided among those that are in the English language, Welsh language, and no language (silent films).
Silent films
1890s 1898: Conway Castle 1898: Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion, is the world's oldest extant football film, by Arthur Cheetham.
1900s 1907: Wales, England: Land of Castles and Waterfalls
1910s 1913: The Foreman's Treachery, by Charles Brabin. 1915: A Welsh Singer was adapted from a novel by Allen Raine and starred Florence Turner. 1918: The Life Story of David Lloyd George
Welsh-language films
1930s 1935: Y Chwarelwr (The Quarryman), was the first Welsh language sound film, directed by Ifan ab Owen Edwards.
1940s 1949: Yr Etifeddiaeth (The Heritage) is a documentary by John Robert Williams.
1970s 1975: Gwaed ar y Ser (Blood on the Stars), is a horror film, Directed by Wil Aaron
1980s 1981: O'r Ddaear Hen was directed by Wil Aaron and scripted by Gwyn Thomas. 1986: Milwr Bychan (Boy Soldier), directed by Karl Francis. 1986: Rhosyn a Rhith (Coming Up Roses), directed by Stephen Bayly.
1990s 1991: Un Nos Ola Leuad, directed by Endaf Emlyn. 1992: Hedd Wyn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992. It won a BAFTA Award for Best Film in the year of its release. It was directed by Paul Turner. 1993: Cwm Hyfryd (My Pretty Valley), also directed by Paul Turner, concerns itself with a critique of Thatcherism, particularly as it relates to the closing of mines in Wales. 1993: Gadael Lenin (Leaving Lenin), about a group of Welsh students and teachers who take a trip to Russia, was directed by Endaf Emlyn. 1993:Tân ar y Comin, based on the novel by T. Llew Jones, about a young Romani who lives an idyllic life with his grandfather. Also released under the English title "A Christmas Reunion" (1994). 1994: Ymadawiad Arthur (Arthur's Departure), was directed by Marc Evans and starred Llyr Ifans. 1995: Y Mapiwr, directed by Endaf Emlyn. 1997: Tylluan Wen (A White Owl), directed by Alun Ffred Jones. 1998: Y Mynydd Grug (The Heather Mountain), directed by Angela Barbara Roberts. 1998: Pum Cynnig i Gymro (Bride of War) was directed by Peter Edwards. It was also released in English, German and Polish. 1999: Solomon & Gaenor starred Ioan Gruffudd. An English-language version was also filmed at the same time. It was directed by Paul Morrison.
2000s 2002: Eldra, directed by Timothy Lyn, is about a Romani family living in North Wales 2003: Y Mabinogi, also featuring Ioan Gruffudd, is a combined live-action and animated version of Welsh collection of tales known as the Mabinogion, directed by Derek W. Hayes 2005: Y Lleill, directed by Emyr Glyn Williams 2006: Calon Gaeth (Small Country), directed by Ashley Way 2008: Cwcw written and directed by Delyth Jones
2010s 2010: Patagonia, directed by Marc Evans, filmed in Welsh, English and Spanish. 2013: Y Syrcas (The Circus), directed by Kevin Allen, filmed in Welsh. 2015: Under Milk Wood, directed by Kevin Allen; another version simultaneously filmed in English. 2015: Yr Ymadawiad (The Passing), directed by Gareth Bryn and starring Mark Lewis Jones. 2016: Y Llyfrgell (aka The Library Suicides), directed by Euros Lyn and written by Fflur Dafydd; set in The National Library of Wales
2020s
2021: Gwledd (The Feast), a fantasy horror film set in Wales; directed by Lee Haven Jones 2023: Y Sŵn, directed by Lee Haven Jones 2024: Dwbwl Trwbwl - a Welsh comedy short film (40 mins) directed by Gruff Huws about a Darts rivalry getting out of hand in the town of Llangefni. The film is available on YouTube and has gained a cult following in Anglesey where it was filmed. 2025: Tanau’r Lloer (Fires of the Moon), a Welsh-language opera film directed by Chris Forster, inspired by the novel Un Nos Ola Leuad by Caradog Pritchard 2026: Effi o Blaenau, directed by Marc Evans 2026: Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd is a Welsh-language dub of the original 1977 Star Wars film.
English-language films set in Wales
1930s 1932: The Old Dark House, starring Boris Karloff, was directed by James Whale. 1935: The Phantom Light, directed by Michael Powell, was filmed at various locations including South Stack, Holyhead, and Ffestiniog Railway. 1937: Today We Live is a communist agitprop documentary by Ralph Bond concerning unemployed miners in Pentre, Rhondda. 1937: Eastern Valley, by Donald Alexander. 1938: The Citadel, set in a Welsh mining town, was directed by King Vidor.
1940s 1940: The Proud Valley, concerning Welsh coal miners, was directed by Pen Tennyson. 1941: How Green Was My Valley was a classic directed by John Ford. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. However, the film is often criticised for the actors having Irish accents, as several of them were Irish, and for having a scene with an Irish jig instead of a traditional Welsh dance. Ford's response to these criticisms were simply, "It's a Celtic country, isn't it?"David Berry Wales and Cinema: The First Hundred Years. Cardiff, 1994, page 161. 1941: The Wolf Man, featuring Bela Lugosi, was directed by George Waggner. 1944: The Halfway House, directed by Basil Dearden. 1945: The Corn Is Green, starring Bette Davis, was directed by Irving Rapper. 1948: The Three Weird Sisters was filmed near Aberdare, directed by Daniel Birt. 1949: The Last Days of Dolwyn was filmed at the Lake Vyrnwy dam. It was Richard Burton's first screen role and was directed by Emlyn Williams. 1949: A Run for Your Money, directed by Charles Frend. 1949: Blue Scar, by Jill Craigie, is about the nationalization of the coal industry in Wales.
1950s 1950: The Undefeated, by Paul Dickson. 1950: David, by Paul Dickson. 1952: Hindle Wakes was filmed at Great Orme, Llandudno. Directed by Arthur Crabtree. 1952: Girdle of Gold, a comedy set in Wales about Evans the milk and Griffith the hearse searching for a pair of corsets. Directed by Montgomery Tully. 1953: Valley of Song was filmed at Dryslwyn and Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire, directed by Gilbert Gunn. 1954: The Constant Husband was filmed in Newquay and Aberaeron starring Rex Harrison it was directed by Sidney Gilliat. 1954: The Happiness of Three Women (aka - wishing well ) is directed by Maurice Levey. 1955: The Blue Peter was filmed around Aberdovey and Cadair Idris, Dolgellau. Directed by Wolf Rilla. 1958: Law and Disorder was filmed in Newport, Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Harbour, directed by Charles Crichton. 1959: Tiger Bay takes place in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales, and was directed by J. Lee Thompson.
1960s 1962: Dylan Thomas is a short documentary on the poet featuring the narration of the Welsh actor Richard Burton. Directed by Jack Howells, it won the 1963 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. 1962: Only Two Can Play starred Peter Sellers as the Welsh character John Lewis, and was directed by Sidney Gilliat. 1963: Bitter Harvest was filmed in Cardiff and Senghenydd, directed by Peter Graham Scott. 1967: Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon, directed by Don Sharp.
1970s 1972: Under Milk Wood was a film version of Dylan Thomas's "play for voices", starring Pontrhydyfen-born actor Richard Burton, then-wife Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O'Toole. It was directed by Andrew Sinclair. 1973: Holiday on the Buses was filmed at Prestatyn in the Pontins holiday camp, directed by Bryan Izzard. 1973: Hang Up Your Brightest Colours is a once-banned documentary by Kenneth Griffith on Irish Republican Michael Collins. 1976: At the Earth's Core, directed by Kevin Conner, takes place in the Welsh mountains. 1976: Above Us the Earth, by Karl Francis. 1976: Whispers of Fear A woman inherits an old house in Wales, but is driven to madness and murder by jealous locals. Directed by Harry Bromley Davenport. 1977: Curious Journey, a documentary by Kenneth Griffith. 1978: Dylan is about Dylan Thomas's final visit to America, concluding with his death in New York on 9 November 1953, and directed by Richard Lewis. 1978: Grand Slam is a BBC Wales film about Welsh rugby fans travelling to Paris for the Grand Slam of Wales vs. France. 1979: Black As Hell, Thick As Grass is a documentary by Kenneth Griffith. 1979: The Corn Is Green was written by Ivan Davis, based on a play by Emlyn Williams. It starred Katharine Hepburn, Bill Fraser, Patricia Hayes, Artro Morris, Dorothea Phillips and Toyah Willcox.
1980s 1980: The Mouse and the Woman was filmed at Lampeter House, directed by Karl Francis. 1982: Giro City, by Karl Francis. 1982: Who Dares Wins outdoor training scenes were filmed in Snowdonia, starring Lewis Collins and directed by Ian Sharp. 1983: House of the Long Shadows was directed by Pete Walker. It comments on the nationalism of the Welsh, especially the older generation, who hate the English; the American jokes that he should wear a leek to show he's a friend. Vincent Price, who has a Welsh surname, plays a character who describes Wales as his ancestral homeland. His character's family appears to be English, however. 1985: Ms Rhymney Valley, by Karl Francis 1987: Girls' Night Out is an S4C film by Joanna Quinn. 1987: A Child's Christmas in Wales is a TV-movie based on Dylan Thomas's work of the same name, starring Denholm Elliott and directed by Don McBrearty. 1987: On the Black Hill is about Welsh identical twins, and was directed by Andrew Grieve.
1990s 1990: Dylan Thomas: Return Journey is a one-man show featuring Bob Kingdom as Thomas and directed by Anthony Hopkins. 1992: Elenya, concerning a woman of Italian descent living in Wales, was directed by Steve Gough. 1992: Under Milk Wood is an animated adaptation of the Dylan Thomas play. 1992: Rebecca's Daughters; filmed at Hensol Castle and St. Donats Castle, Atlantic College, directed by Karl Francis. About the Rebecca Riots, and based on a screenplay by Dylan Thomas. 1994: Second Best, starring William Hurt, Alan Cumming and Chris Cleary Miles, was directed by Chris Menges. 1994: Backbeat was filmed at the Point of Ayr Lighthouse on Talacre Beach, directed by Iain Softley. 1995: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, starring Hugh Grant, was directed by Christopher Monger. 1995: Streetlife, starring Rhys Ifans, was directed by Karl Francis. 1996: August, directed by Margam, Wales-born actor/director Anthony Hopkins, is an adaptation of Chekov's Uncle Vanya, set in North Wales. 1996: Darklands, concerning Druidic cults, was directed by Julian Richards. 1997: Twin Town, starring brothers Rhys Ifans and Llyr Ifans, was directed by Kevin Allen. 1997: House of America, starring Siân Phillips and Matthew Rhys, was directed by Marc Evans. 1997: Prince Valiant, directed by Anthony Hickox and based on the comic strip series. It was partially filmed in Wales, and is partly set in Wales. 1997: The Proposition, directed by Strathford Hamilton. 1999: Human Traffic, directed by Justin Kerrigan. 1999: Famous Fred, by Joanna Quinn. 1999: Solomon & Gaenor starred Cardiff-born actor Ioan Gruffudd. A Welsh-language version was also filmed at the same time. It was directed by Paul Morrison. 1999: The Funeral of the Last Gypsy King, a short film directed by Jane Rogoyska.
2000s 2000: The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (aka Small Miracles), starred John Paul Macleod and Jonathan Pryce, and was directed by Martin Duffy. 2000: House!, about Bingo rivalries in South Wales, starred Kelly Macdonald and was directed by Julian Kemp. 2001: Very Annie Mary, starring Rachel Griffiths, Holywell-born Jonathan Pryce and Ioan Gruffudd, was directed by Sara Sugarman. 2001: Happy Now, starring Ioan Gruffudd, was directed by Philippa Cousins. 2001: Endgame was directed by Gary Wicks; much of the film takes place at the main character's Welsh cottage. 2002: On All Floors was directed by Geoff Evans and written by Craig Handley.