International award for Aberystwyth University student film maker

Meleri Morgan, creator of Dwy Chwaer a Brawd (Two Sisters and a Brother), winner of the 'Best International Student Award' at the 2017 Wexford Documentary Film Festival.

A film by an Aberystwyth University student has won 'Best International Student Award' at the Wexford Documentary Film Festival which was held on 22-24 September 2017.

Dwy Chwaer a Brawd (Two Sisters and a Brother), by final year Theatre and Film student Meleri Morgan, is a revealing portrayal of family life in a rural village outside Aberystwyth and features two sisters and a brother in their nineties.

Produced as a final year project, Dwy Chwaer a Brawd was one of three short films by Aberystwyth University students to be shown at the festival.

Also shown were two short documentaries which give a behind the scenes look at life in the National Library of Wales during the 2nd World War and the running of Brodyr James bus company in Llangeitho.

Both were made as part of the second year module Creative Documentary in the Department of Theatre, Film & Television at Aberystwyth University.

The Department’s students were invited to submit films to the annual festival because of the strong links between Aberystwyth University and Enniscorthy School in County Wexford.

Speaking of her award, Meleri Morgan said: “My first response was shock, disbelief and pride. I never dreamed or thought whilst creating the film as a final project for my degree at Aberystwyth University that it would travel to other countries, not to mention win a prize.

"For me, the film's aesthetic is the three very special characters, (and three very lovely characters) and this was my main focus in creating an observational documentary. I simply tried to catch the three characters in their natural environment. I would not have succeeded without the support that I received from my lecturer, Elin Morse, as well as the constructive challenge that we faced in a creative environment. I think that challenge strengthened the whole work and contributed to the success of the film.”

Elin Morse, Lecturer in Media Productions at the Department of Theatre, Film & Television at Aberystwyth University, said: “We were delighted as a Department to be invited to screen our students’ work at the Wexford Documentary Film Festival. This selection of three short documentaries shows the outstanding standard of our students’ film-making skills and brings their work to a wider audience.”

“Meleri’s success is just reward for an excellent film, and reflects our aim of encouraging creativity and freedom of expression amongst our students and curating a constructive learning experience in a stimulating environment.”

The Department of Theatre, Film & Television has launched a new degree in practical film-making.

The three year BA Film-making degree has been created by experienced film producer Huw Penallt Jones who has completed and delivered more than 200 films over the past 32 years.

Huw’s producer credits include Cold Mountain (2003, Executive Producer), The Edge of Love (2008) and Patagonia (2010).

The exciting new programme has been developed to meet the requirements of the film industry in the 21st century and is aimed at students who want to learn about the practical aspects of making a feature-length film.

To learn more about film-making and other courses at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television following this link.

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