Menagerie
The death of Dadi leaves the fate of the farm to one of three dysfunctional siblings. Set in the Welsh Valleys, this dark comedy explores familial tensions as war erupts within.
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Amelia LloydDirector
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Chris HarrisWriterGwen yr Arth Wen' (BBC Radio Cymru), Cariad yn Oes y Gin' (Theatr Bara Caws), 'Golygfeydd o'r Pla Du' (Theatrau Sir Gar), Gwlad! Gwlad! (Awen Cultural Trust)
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Adam KnopfProducerLost Boys & Fairies (TV), The Pact (TV), War of the Worlds (TV), The Lazarus Project (TV), The One (TV), Dark Heart (TV)
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Scott David KnightonKey Cast"Berwyn Pritchard"Lady Chatterly's Lover
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Hannah NovelloKey Cast"Noni Pritchard"
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Iestyn ChurchillKey Cast"Morris Pritchard "
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Ieuan RhysKey Cast"Officer Taylor"The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Gwaith/Cartref, Da Vinci's Demons
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Olwen ReesKey Cast"Mrs Griffiths "Under Milk Wood (1971), Gavin & Stacey, Save the Cinema, Creisis
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Sophie HardcastleDirector of Photography
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Margred PryceEditorA Few Miles South (short), Good Night Henry (short), The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland, River City, Pobl Y Cwm
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Lowri Mair JonesComposerWinner of National Eisteddfod Composer’s Trophy 2023
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Project Title (Original Language):Milodfa
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:16 minutes
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Completion Date:November 14, 2024
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Production Budget:18,000 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:Welsh
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:2.39:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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BFI Future Film FestivalCardiff
United Kingdom
February 22, 2025 -
BFI Future Film FestivalSwansea
United Kingdom
February 26, 2025 -
BBC iPlayer
United Kingdom
February 3, 2025 -
S4C Clic
United Kingdom
February 3, 2025
Distribution Information
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S4CDistributorCountry: United KingdomRights: All Rights
Amelia is a Welsh director, writer, filmmaker and actor graduate of the Manchester School of Theatre. She has a keen interest in regional stories focusing on community, culture, language and landscape. For theatre, having directed new writing 'Baggy Bra' showcasing at The Bridge House in London, The Old Rep in Birmingham and GM Fringe (winning best comedy/OffFest nominated). For film, as part of a female-founded production company Homebird Films, projects include 'Sea Pink', a script recently long-listed for the Slick Film Fund. In addition, 'The Trio’ which screened at Birmingham film festival. In 2023, she was invited on the jury for the BAFTA Cymru Directing: Fiction category and is now a member. Last year, she graduated from NFTS on their Filmmaking Certificate course supported by a BFI Scholarship and ScreenSkills bursary. This year, Amelia has taken part in HOME Theatre's first Filmlab cohort, led by Dan Thorburn. As well as this, directed a Welsh-language funded short ‘Milodfa’. This will be broadcast on S4C and BBC iPlayer in 2025.
Writers Statement:
I have never been a writer with the audacity to prescribe to an audience what they should feel when leaving a film. The idea of having something to say also daunts me. That’s not usually something I uncover until much further down the road. But I suppose Milodfa derived from experiencing dramatic changes in life. Change is a rabbit hole which you have to brave in order to determine whether it’s for the better or worse when you come out the other side. Placing this theme against and insular world of a family living behind everyone else, and the communal forces that move between them, gives us a taste of the Welsh cultural experience – the idea that there is always something bigger than them going on in the world, but never worry themselves with it, and choose to stay in a bubble. The story grew from a character, Berwyn, who decides to break that bubble.
In theatre, the writer is somehow given a seat at the top of the pyramid. Decision-making pivots on the decisions of the playwright. In film, the mantle passes to a director, and as a first-time screenwriter, it was less frightening than I anticipated – it was tremendously exciting. I have been very blessed to work with Amelia, who shared the same mischievous, dark-minded vision as I did, and yet still evoked that spirit of a ghost-ridden community feeding on ownership, responsibility and legacy. That, and a team of like-minded artists who created this world in every corner of the screen. This film is ours.
Milodfa is a film about change, and it examines it by loosening the pressure valve a little, allowing the audience to see the comic side of tragedy.