ITV Cymru Wales film Barcud awarded prestigious Grierson Award

Nation.Cymru staff

Welsh language short film Barcud won the Grierson Documentary Award for Best Digital Documentary at an awards ceremony at the Roundhouse in Camden.

Made by ITV Cymru Wales for S4C’s Hansh platform, Barcud tells the story of Kian Cleator, a 21 year old aspiring model from Llangefni, Ynys Môn, as he moves away from his close-knit community to pursue his career in London.

It explores the themes of community and sacrifice, as Kian is forced to reconcile ambition with identity as he searches for success without losing the Welsh roots that shaped him.

The judges described the film as: “A touching and tender portrait, this film impressed the jury with its rule-breaking approach to the digital form, its authenticity and its rawness. It was commended for access to an underseen world, beautiful cinematography and a compelling subject.”

Other films in the category shortlist included: Inside Gooning: The Internet’s Porn Epidemic (Zandland), Phone Snatching Exposed (Bushido Films – Channel 4) and Shot Like Enemies: Inside Nepal’s Gen Z Uprising (BBC World Service).

Branwen Thomas, Head of Programmes at ITV Cymru Wales said:

“We’re delighted to be awarded with a prestigious Grierson Award for our short film Barcud. Barcud tells the story of aspiring model Kian as he moves away from his community in Ynys Môn to London to try to pursue his career.

“This award demonstrates the storytelling talent that we have here in Wales. At ITV Cymru Wales we are a small team with big ambitions, and are proud to give a voice to often unheard Welsh characters.

“Huge congratulations to the team – to producer Zahra Errami, the director Joseff Morgan, and cinematographer Tobias May who brought the film to life. And a huge thank you to Kian for letting us tell his story.”