Dic Penderyn’s story set for the big screen thanks to £4m investment

A film bringing the story of Dic Penderyn to the big screen for the first time is within reach as the production team have received a £4 million investment.

Calon Films and Sterling Pictures announced the transformational £4 million backing by an anonymous investor for Iniquity, the movie on Monday (1 December).

The team said that the investor’s belief in the project has moved the film from a long–held dream to something now within reach, writing “without them, we would not be here.”

The investor is joined by fellow Executive Producers Brian Jones MBE (Castell Howell Foods), Professor Sir Christopher Evans and Paul Thandi CBE, whose support will bring credibility to what the team hopes will be a historic moment for Welsh filmmaking. 

As such financial backing is rare for independent cinema, the team have highlighted that the investment is a powerful show of confidence in writer Stuart Broad, director Chris Crow, and the producing partnership between Calon Films and Sterling Pictures.

It also reflects the cultural importance of finally bringing Dic Penderyn’s story to the screen. 

As a result of the investment, Iniquity now stands among significant independent Welsh film projects previously developed, increasing its potential to influence Welsh cultural identity and attract international attention. 

Often described as a Welsh Braveheart, Iniquity tells the emotional and deeply human story of Dic Penderyn, the innocent labourer executed after the Merthyr Uprising of 1831.

Penderyn (real name, Richard Lewis) became a symbol of injustice, resilience and working- class pride, themes that still resonate in Wales as strongly as they did almost two hundred years ago. 

However, despite his importance in Welsh identity, Dic Penderyn’s story has never been told on the big screen, until now. 

With “hiraeth at its core and social justice at its heart”, the team hopes Iniquity will become one of the most culturally critical Welsh films ever made. 

The film will be shot in and around Port Talbot, in a bid to bring training, jobs and creative opportunities into the community as steelworkers and their families face an uncertain future.

Running alongside the film is a renewed campaign for Dic Penderyn’s posthumous pardon, helping to shine a light on a historical injustice still felt across Wales. Tourism and cultural development plans for Port Talbot will also sit beside the project, showcasing the town’s history, identity and creative ambition. 

Calon Films Director, Stuart Broad said: “To receive a £4 million commitment at this stage and from Executive Producers of this calibre, is extraordinary. Their belief in the importance of this story reflects everything we stand for as a studio: courage, culture and ambition.

“With their support, Iniquity becomes more than a film. It becomes a moment for Wales. And at the centre of this moment is [the investor], whose commitment, vision and belief in Wales have brought this film to the brink of becoming a reality.” 

For more information about Calon Films, visit their site here.