A genre-bending Welsh-language opera film, Tanau’r Lloer / Fires of the Moon, will premiere on St David’s Day, 1 March, in a landmark first-ever simulcast across S4C and Channel 4.
The film will premiere across S4C, S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 streaming.
Commissioned by S4C and Channel 4, Tanau’r Lloer / Fires of the Moon is inspired by scenes from Un Nos Ola Leuad (One Moonlit Night) by Caradog Prichard, a modern literary classic first published in 1961.
The film will be broadcast as a major cultural collaboration between the two broadcasters, marking the first time a programme has been shown as a digital simulcast on both S4C and Channel 4 to celebrate St David’s Day. (Analogue simulcasts were commonplace, with S4C frequently simulcasting Channel 4 content prior to digital switchover.)
This unique film fuses the emotional power of opera with vivid cinematic storytelling and features a richly filmic, hauntingly beautiful score by renowned Welsh composer Gareth Glyn. The libretto is written by Iwan Teifion Davies and Patrick Young, with the music performed by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. Beautifully shot, the film’s visual language brings an epic cinematic quality to the operatic form.
What is it about?
Beginning in the 1950s, the film follows a writer who receives news that takes him on a melancholy train journey back home. As he travels through the night, memories resurface, forcing him to reflect on events that led to his mother’s confinement in an asylum some thirty years earlier. Moving between memory and the present day, the narrative explores grief, guilt and the lasting impact of childhood trauma.
The film brings together a wealth of Welsh acting and vocal talent, including tenor Huw Ynyr (OPRA Cymru, Mid Wales Opera, Wexford Festival Opera), Annes Elwy (Bariau, Y Sŵn, and upcoming Channel 4 action thriller Dead Point), Dylan Jones (The Red King, The Light in the Hall, The Way), soprano Elin Pritchard (Opera North, Welsh National Opera, Grange Park Opera), baritone Emyr Wyn Jones (Scottish Opera, Opera North, Welsh National Opera), alongside acclaimed singers Rhys Meirion and Shan Cothi.
Tanau’r Lloer / Fires of the Moon is not an adaptation of the novel nor a reflection of the author’s life. Instead, it is a reimagining and reinvention of the work, set against the slate-quarrying landscape of North Wales, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which provides a powerful and symbolic backdrop.
Comments
Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C’s Head of Film & Drama, said:
“With its lush visual language, filmic score and luminous performances, this beautifully shot work reimagines opera and literature through a cinematic lens that feels both intimate and otherworldly. It’s precisely this kind of fearless and bold storytelling that S4C is known for, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Channel 4 on this first-ever digital simulcast to bring it to screens at home and across the UK on St David’s Day.”
Shaminder Nahal, Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4, said:
“It’s so exciting to be collaborating with S4C and an extraordinary creative team on this utterly special and unique project. I believe this beautiful, haunting and mesmerising work will stay with audiences for a long time.”
Culture Minister Jack Sargeant said:
“This production is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through collaboration. Supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Tanau’r Lloer showcases the strength of Welsh creative talent both on screen and behind the camera. It is very promising to see the interest it is already generating, and and I look forward to seeing momentum build ahead of its broadcast on St David’s Day.”
Image: S4C