Deeper Development of Climate Stories with Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales

Three innovative R&D projects progress to a second round of development with new investment from the Media Cymru x Ffilm Cymru Wales Climate Stories Fund.  

The Climate Stories Fund, funded by Media Cymru and delivered in partnership with Ffilm Cymru Wales, supports research & development (R&D) projects for feature films or immersive experiences sharing impactful climate stories that stimulate action in fresh and compelling ways.   

Last year, Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales selected five innovative projects to undertake a R&D phase. Following this first phase, three of the projects have now been chosen to develop their work further with £113,500 of additional funding, as well as expert sustainability guidance during pre-production. 

Climate Stories Round 2 projects include: 

Ceri: Richard Billingham 

A cross-format project with a fiction feature film at its core, Ceri explores the personal dimensions of protest; how acts of rebellion and resistance shape and are shaped by everyday lives, identities, and character, and how protest themes intersect with a focus on climate change.  

Richard will embark on further observational research with people that are active in various forms of protest, helping to create authentic and engaging characters, encounters, situations and dialogues. 

He says: “I want to make a film about climate change where the theme drives the story. The support of Ffilm Cymru Wales and Media Cymru is enabling me to get a sense of what life is like for young people today, in terms of their experiences, challenges, desires and anxieties.Undertaking this phase of R&D provides essential time to bring this authenticity to the story and start to engage with a wider team to bring this project to life.” 

One Percent (previously Nora’s Ark): Lowri Roberts and Maisie Williams, Rapt Pictures 

A climate-positive, nearly-end-of-the-world feature film in which the Earth is deteriorating, but there’s a ship to save 1% of people in the UK. Money and fame have no clout, manual skills and resourcefulness are most valuable. 

Rapt aim to target audiences with little interest in the climate crisis and demonstrate how they hold power and can make a difference. They will survey and study demographics across the political spectrum, investigating their engagement with climate policies, and what they want to see and feel from films.     

Writers Lowri Roberts and Maisie Williams say “Getting audience feedback at this stage of development is a new way of working for us, and is proving to be invaluable. We’re used to feedback from fellow people working in film, but to hear from audiences directly is helping us avoid speaking into an echo chamber.” 

Who Gives a F**k About Polar Bears?: Gavin Porter

A feature documentary examining the intersections between class and climate. Those who are economically challenged will be among the first and most affected by the climate crisis, yet their voices are rarely heard in the debate.  

Gavin will research the current state of the climate crisis, and connect with people from working class and culturally diverse backgrounds. 

Gavin says “How do we tell working class climate stories? This is a question I’ve wrangled with for almost a decade, and currently feels more vital than ever. I’m very grateful that Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales have enabled me to explore this question further.” 

Lee Walters, Chief Executive of Ffilm Cymru Wales, says: “As affirmed in our Strategy 2026-31, Ffilm Cymru Wales, our Climate Stories projects and many global thought leaders see the unique significance and power of storytelling to influence change, a priority also highlighted in the Screen New Deal Transformation Plan for Wales to harness creative content for culture change. These projects will be both exemplars of innovative storytelling but also best practice in future sustainable production.” 

Dr Matthew Boswell, Senior Research Fellow at Media Cymru, says “The global climate crisis is one of the defining challenges of our times, and the film sector will play a crucial role in deepening the public understanding of the root causes of climate change and what we can do to address them.  

“This R&D funding is allowing a talented cohort of filmmakers to develop a powerful set of climate stories by engaging with people with a range of insights and life experiences, from climate scientists and activists through to those who have been personally impacted by the damaging changes to global weather systems that have been driven by human behaviours, such as the burning of fossil fuels.  “The projects are also experimenting with innovative filmmaking techniques and deepening their understanding of audiences in order to develop engaging new films that lead to lasting change” 

Professor Justin Lewis, Director of Media Cymru, adds “I’m excited to see how these great projects develop. Together, they take a variety of storytelling approaches, drawing on different genres, to highlight key realities and issues about the climate crisis. They are all well-informed and genuinely engaging, in ways that I have no doubt will resonate with audiences.”