Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Day One of the prestigious Carmarthen Bay Film Festival kicked off in Llanelli with the exclusive world premiere of a move set in Llanelli. There was a spontaneous round of applause at the end of the screening of The Shadow Of The Missing at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, on Monday night. And cast and crew delighted members of the appreciative audience with an impromptu Question and Answer session on the film. Shadow Of The Missing mixes comedy with ‘found footage’ horror as it tells the story of a group of filmmakers who go to an abandoned Llanelli church one night. Filming took place in the summer of 2015, but, since then, Park Church in Murray Street has been decimated by fire. The blaze has been incorporated into the film – and plot lines were tweaked to make it add to the mystery. Jamie Lee Smith, the American film producer behind the project, said: "We have built a story for our movie around the history and mythology of this region. It made sense to hold our very fir...

Jamie Lee Smith with Kelvin Guy, chief executive of the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. Film star Samira Mohamed Ali with Kelvin Guy, chief executive of the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. The prestigious Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is being held in Llanelli next week. Now in its fifth year, the festival promises to be bigger and better than before. “We’re now firmly established on the international film festival calendar,” said festival chief executive Kelvin Guy. “Entry submissions increase dramatically every year and we get film-makers from every corner of the globe entering the event. “This year, we can promise more special premieres at what is a ground-breaking (free entry to the public) festival.” The festival runs from May 9 to 13 at the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli. On Monday, May 9, the premiere event will be the first screening of Shadow Of The Missing, a spooky story directed by USA film producer Jamie Lee Smith and set in and around Llanelli. Tuesday, May 10, w...

Kelvin Guy, chief executive of the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, talks to Robert Lloyd about May's film festival at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. AudioBoom in two parts -

Shadow of the Missing, a movie currently in production in both the UK and the United States, has returned to Llanelli, prompted by the loss of a historic church in that community. The August fire devastated the Park Church structure, which was built in the 1860s. “The loss of this historic structure is indeed a tragedy, but perhaps some good can come from it,” said Jamie Lee Smith, American film producer. “We have built a story for our movie around the history and mythology of this region. It only makes sense to include this latest chapter in that story.” Smith stated that the plot of the movie has been changed to include the church fire as a key element. In addition to footage and interviews related to the fire, the production company will feature additional scenes in and around Wales and Carmarthenshire. A large number of local residents have been invited be a part of filming this time around as well. “We loved working with local talent both in cast and crew. Since w...

The annual Carmarthen Bay Film Festival just keeps growing and growing. This year's event attracted more than 200 entries. "There was a fantastic response from film-makers around the world," said festival CEO and founder Kelvin Guy. "It is astonishing how the festival has grown in popularity from very small beginnings. "They say great things grow from little acorns, and that is very true of the film festival." "We are now eagerly looking ahead to 'Year Five' of the festival, another event which helps puts Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and Wales on the worldwide film map." The event, based at the Stradey Park Hotel, saw new partnerships building with the film festival by Sony, Pinnacle, Final Draft, the Royal Television Society (Wales) and S4C. There was added glitz and status to the festival as the event is now on the approved list for BAFTA Cymru Wales. Mr Guy added: "The BAFTA abbreviation is pretty special in the ...

The programme has been released for the annual Carmarthen Bay Film Festival in Llanelli - Screenings at Stradey Park Hotel Tuesday - 12th.May Screen 1 11:00am-Short Films Made In Wales Turn On 15mins Managed 20mins Dancing In Circles 25mins 11.30am- Foreign Shorts Screen 2(Bryn-y Mor) Pour l’amour de Sarah 23mins In der Stille der Nacht (In the Still of the Night) 14mins Une Bonne Affaire 20mins Black Hole 15mins 12.00pm Asian Short Films An American Piano 20mins PAN RUO YUN NI (CLOUD&MUD) 15mins 12:30pm Break 1:15pm-RTS (Cymru) Session Screen 1 My Grandfather Dylan 28mins Q & A with programme maker Phil George Chaired by Robert Lloyd 2:15PM Short Break 2:30pm- In Partnership with S4C Dan y Wenallt (Under Milk Wood) 4.00pm Short Break 4:15pm- Gwobr John Hefin Welsh Language Shorts Dad 15mins Mam a fi 6mins Slap, Clap Ar LLo 32mins Maer Glanio 3mins Eisteddfod 9mins 5:15-End of Screenings 6.00pm Film Makers' Reception Wednesday- 13th May 11am- Feature Film Real Buddy 5...

There's four weeks to go to the start of the prestigious Carmarthen Bay Film Festival in Llanelli. The festival is now in its fourth year and more than 200 entries have already been received for the event, which is being held at Llanelli’s Stradey Park Hotel, from May 12-15. “It is astonishing how the festival has grown in popularity from very small beginnings,” said Festival CEO and organiser Kelvin Guy. “They say great things grow from little acorns and that is very true of the film festival.” There is added glitz and status to this year’s festival as the event is now on the approved list for BAFTA Cymru Wales. Mr Guy added: “The BAFTA abbreviation is pretty special in the world of film. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is recognised as a hugely prestigious organisation worldwide. To get this recognition from BAFTA Cymru Wales is a huge honour and is a great achievement when you consider what the festival has achieved since it launched in 2011. “Being on t...

The deadline for entries for the prestigious Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is this weekend (Saturday, January 31). The festival is now in its fourth year and more than 150 entries have already been received for the event, which is being held at Llanelli’s Stradey Park Hotel, from May 12-15. “It is astonishing how the festival has grown in popularity from very small beginnings,” said Festival CEO and organiser Kelvin Guy. “They say great things grow from little acorns and that is very true of the film festival.” There is added glitz and status to this year’s festival as the event is now on the approved list for BAFTA Cymru Wales. Mr Guy added: “The BAFTA abbreviation is pretty special in the world of film. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is recognised as a hugely prestigious organisation worldwide. To get this recognition from BAFTA Cymru Wales is a huge honour and is a great achievement when you consider what the festival has achieved since it launched in 2011...

The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival has received a prestigious boost as plans begin to take shape for the 2015 event. The festival, which enters its fourth year in 2015, is now on the approved list for BAFTA Cymru Wales. Festival CEO and organiser Kelvin Guy said: "The BAFTA abbreviation is pretty special in the world of film. "The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is recognised as a hugely prestigious organisation worldwide. "To get this recognition from BAFTA Cymru Wales is a huge honour and is a great achievement when you consider what the festival has achieved since it launched in 2011. "Being on the list of approved BAFTA Cymru Wales festivals helps give added prestige and stardust to the festival, with entrants now being eligible for BAFTA awards as well as the ones on offer at the festival." Mr Guy said: "Last year's festival was a great success and closed with a a Gala Awards Dinner at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. “...

The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival was brought to a close with a Gala Awards Dinner at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. “It was a glitzy affair putting the spotlight on the very best films shown during four screening days at the festival venue at the Stradey Park Hotel,” said festival CEO and organiser Kelvin Guy. “We had three BAFTA Cymru members at the awards dinner and one of our chief guests was Llanelli MP Nia Griffith. “The festival, now in its third year, is truly international and it was nice to reflect that in the final awards night.” The ‘Best of Festival’ award went to a film called La Diva, which also won the best foreign short category. The film’s producers flew in from Italy to pick up their award. The inaugural John Hefin award for best Welsh language short film went to a Yann Gorriz production called Glyn. Mr Guy, a 49-year-old former Bryngwyn School pupil who is regarded as the expert on the life of Welsh silent movie star Gareth Hughes, added: “There was a big ...

Carmarthen Bay Film Festival and S4C will host an event focusing on Welsh films as part of a celebration of the world of film in Wales and beyond. On Tuesday, 6 May a Welsh language day will be held at the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival – with a schedule packed with presentations, discussions and screenings of some of S4C's films and programmes. All of the day's events will take place in the Alexander Suite at the Stradey Park Hotel in the town of Llanelli. There will be a special screening of S4C's film, Y Syrcas, a unique film for all the family, set in 1848 telling the story of a young girl who is bewitched by the excitement of the travelling circus when it visits her small town in west Wales. There will be a chance to see more of the films nominated for the John Hefin Award, followed by a discussion session on commissioning and directing factual documentaries in the company of BAFTA Cymru award winning documentary film maker, Osian Williams. Next up is a screening of the ...

There's been a massive increase in entries for the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. Entries have flooded in from all four corners of the globe to hit a magnificent total of 135 submissions. There's just four weeks to go to the start of the third annual festival on Tuesday, May 6. "Excitement is building and the foundation blocks laid by the first two festivals are paying great dividends, " said festival founder and chief executive Kelvin Guy. "In our first year, we received 35 entries from film-makers. Last year, the total was 65. This year, we've hit the figure out of the park with a massive 135 film entries. "Obviously, we won't have time to screen them all during the festival, but the schedule will see 130 films screened to the public - and it's all free!" Mr Guy said entries had been submitted from Iran, Chile, South Korea, Cyrus, Japan, Hong Kong, Argentina, Brazil, Finland, Serbia and Kosovo. "I've had my world atlas o...

S4C and BBC Cymru Wales have welcomed the launch of a brand-new award for excellence in the production of Welsh language film.  The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is to award the Gwobr John Hefin Award for the best Welsh language short film. It can either be a live action narrative fiction or a factual report on a chosen subject or idea. The film’s final running time must be more than two minutes and less than 45 minutes including credits, if any. The entry fee per submission is only £15. Entrants will need to submit their film to the festival, which is to be held in Llanelli in May 2014.  The festival website is at - http://www.carmarthenbayfilmfestival.co.uk/   The deadline is March 14. Festival founder and chief executive Kelvin Guy said: "The aim of this new award is to actively encourage the submission of Welsh language short films amongst up and coming filmmakers and to give them a platform to screen their work to a wider audience. "We’d also lik...

The countdown is well and truly on to the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. There's just over 83 days to go to the start of the third annual festival on Tuesday, May 6. "Excitement is building and the foundation blocks laid by the first two festivals are paying great dividends, " said festival founder and chief executive Kelvin Guy. "We always knew that we would start small as a festival, but it is hugely encouraging to see the event growing year by year and attracting more interest nationally and internationally." The festival aims to encourage independent film and cinema in Wales and beyond. Mr Guy said his interest in film stemmed from his ancestors — including Gareth Hughes, the first Welsh silent film star in Hollywood, who was his grandmother's cousin. "I made a documentary about him and met and interviewed some of his friends and family in the USA," said Mr Guy. "So I suppose it is his fault that I had the idea to start a festiva...

The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is continuing today at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. Diary of events for today -  More information on the website - http://www.carmarthenbayfilmfestival.co.uk

The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is continuing today at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. Diary of events for today -  More information on the website - http://www.carmarthenbayfilmfestival.co.uk

The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, now in its second year, launches tonight. The festival held its first event last year in a bid to encourage independent film and cinema in Wales and internationally. Founder and chief executive Kelvin Guy said his interest in film stemmed from his ancestors — including Gareth Hughes, the first Welsh silent film star in Hollywood, who was his grandmother's cousin. "I made a documentary about him and met and interviewed some of his friends and family in the US," said Mr Guy. "So I suppose it is his fault that I had the idea to start a festival in the first place, and what better place than his birthplace of Llanelli here in Wales?" Mr Guy said anyone who submitted a film for the festival — which launches on Monday night at Stradey Park Hotel, and runs until April 12 — will have it screened during the event. This year the festival will screen more than 60 films, an increase of 50 per cent on last year's submissions. "I...

The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is offering 'Early Bird' discount for film-makers wishing to submit entries to the event. The 2013 festival aims to build on the success of the inaugural 2012 event, staging a more expansive festival based around Llanelli. "We were delighted with the success of the first festival," said Carmarthen Bay Film Festival founder and chief executive Kelvin Guy. "All great oaks start from little acorns and we were delighted to get the film festival up and running. It's an attractive event and a great showcase to help put Llanelli and Carmarthenshire on the map. "Lots of people will remember the special Grand Slam screening we put on at Parc y Scarlets last year, plus the many different screenings of films from all over the world at the Stradey Park Hotel. "This year, we are planning to make the festival bigger and better." For film-makers, there is an 'Early Bird' discount of £10 per submission up until Jan...

Carmarthen Bay Film Festival Programme for Tuesday, May 8. Venue: Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli 14:00 Welcome to the festival 14:15 Luminary/Audio visual short fantasy A film by James Harris Audio visual fantasy As a teenager, I used to regularly go cycling though the forest used in the film. I also used to imagine a mysterious world of lights around me as I cycled through it. This film is in part a realisation of that idea. Process: It was filmed using a Canon XH A1 and a GoPro Hero 2. It was edited in Final Cut Pro, and the visual effects were created using After Effects CS5 and Cinema 4D. The soundtrack was written in Logic Pro 8. 14:30 The Future/short dry witted comedy A film by Venetia Taylor Comedy Synopsis When you're young and in love the future seems bright... but then what? 14:45 Luella and Me/comedy drama A film by Robert Howells Comedy-Drama Synopsis - Alonzo is a loner who spends his days working and living inside his ice-cream van - Luella. When local authorities s...

Interview with Kelvin Guy, of the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, recorded for the Llanelli and District Talking Newspaper for the Blind.