17 February 2021
The judges of the 2021 Her Ffilm Fer Hansh Short Film Challenge have chosen their winner; a film called Y Gyfrinach (The Secret), by Cai Rhys.
Over a 48-hour period last weekend, Hansh set filmmakers the challenge of creating an original short film to celebrate LGBT+ Month.
At the start of the 48 hours, it was revealed that the films must feature the theme of happiness, and also feature a twist at the end.
Judging this year's competition were: Gwenllïan Gravelle, S4C Drama Commissioner, Berwyn Rowlands, Iris Prize Festival Director, actor and director Lee Haven Jones and actor and scriptwriter Amy Daniel.
With a total of 16 films entered from across Wales and beyond, the judging panel came to the decision that Y Gyfrinach was the winning entry.
The winner, Cai Rhys, will receive a prize of £1,000, as well as receiving a VIP pass to the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival in Cardiff in October, where Y Gyfrinach will be screened.
There will also be an opportunity to further develop the film with the Iris Film Academy, a development scheme in partnership with S4C and the University of South Wales.
The announcement was made live on the Hansh Facebook and Youtube pages on Tuesday 16 February, by competition host, comedian Steffan Alun.
Gwenllian Gravelle said: "It was quite a challenge to everyone who took part, but I am so glad they did. There were flashes of real creativity and resourcefulness in every film.
"I thought there was a lot to admire, the animation in some films, the lighting, the framing and the performances, which were great.
"The three that stood out for me were Brwydro, Y Gyfrinach and Gêm o Gariad, three very different films. Because it met the brief so well, I'm going for Y Gyfrinach."
Berwyn Rowlands said: "Selecting the top three was easy for me, but it was difficult to pick the winner.
"In the three I chose, there were some striong performances from the actors. I am very happy to confirm that Y Gyfrinach as my winner."
Lee Haven Jones said: "It's astounding to me that I have spent 16 weeks creating an episode of Dr Who for New Year's Day, and the people who have taken part have spent 48 hours to create films that are just as worthy as an episode of Dr Who!
"It's wonderful that people have managed to do so much in such a short space of time."
Amy Daniels said: "I have enjoyed watching all of these films and the variety has been very good; films with humour, sad films, and some that were quite unusual too.
"A lot of effort went into every one of the films, so congratulations to everyone who took part. My choice is Y Gyfrinach."
The top five films from the competition are now available to watch on the website: www.herffilmfer.cymru.
Watch the Her Ffilm Fer television programme on Friday 26 February at 10.05pm on S4C, to see and hear more about the films.
