Experiencing Interruptions?

Best Foot Forward

The award-winning Nos Galan Road Races are held in the small ex-mining town of Mountain Ash, attracting over 1,700 competitors each year, and a staggering 10,000 spectators. But due to COVID restrictions, the continuation of this beloved Welsh tradition steeped in legend has been put at risk.

Our film follows the stories of two resilient Welsh families, as they seek to put a challenging year behind them by running in the first-ever 'virtual' Nos Galan Road Race. But, without the crowds there to cheer them on this year, they’ll have to dig deep and remember their reasons for running if they hope to finish the race and add their names to the Nos Galan legend.
@ 0:03:39 a clip of the sea

  • Lewis Carter
    Director
    Campfire Story, Royal, Showdown, The Graduation, The Glamorgan Strangler, Lifeline
  • Lewis Carter
    Writer
    Campfire Story, Royal, Showdown, The Graduation, The Glamorgan Strangler, Lifeline
  • Kate Beasley
    Producer
    Showdown, The Graduation, Lifeline
  • Alex Tarran
    Key Cast
    "Guto Nyth Bran"
    Lifeline
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    documentary, drama
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lewis Carter

Lewis is an award-winning writer and indie filmmaker from South Wales. He has a master’s degree in Writing for Performance and publication from Leeds University, and in 2016, he made his directorial debut. His short films; 'Campfire Story', 'Royal', 'Showdown', 'Lifeline', and 'Best Foot Forward' have won numerous awards and been screened around the world. He was selected to direct the short film 'The Graduation' in 2019, which aired on BBC TWO as part of the prestigious It's My Shout scheme. His short stories have been published by the likes of; ‘Empty Sink’, ‘National Student’, and ‘Literally Stories’. His first original audio drama was commissioned in 2020. He is currently writing an original stage play under commission. Lewis is also the Head Writer/Producer at the award-winning video production company, Fine Rolling Media.

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Director Statement

In Wales, we preserve our important lessons of history through legends and stories. The legend of the worlds fastest runner, 'Guto', that inspired the modern-day Nos Galan Road Races—which sees thousands of people from all over the world descend on a small, ex-mining town in the heart of the South Wales Valleys, is a legend I've fallen in love with over the years.
I wanted to tell a story about people like Guto. Ordinary, everyday, working-class people who were inspired by his example to overcome adversity in their own lives, and add their names to the Nos Galan legend.
With the Nos Galan Road Races being unable to take place this year for the first time in years due to COVID restrictions, I knew we had to tell this story now in order to keep the legend alive, and give all the runners and spectators that would be missing out a communal viewing experience on New Years Eve.
#KeepTheLegendAlive