Culture

S4C appoints new film and drama commissioners

03 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Dafydd Llewelyn, S4C’s new Drama Commissioner and Film Commissioner Catrin Cooper

Nation.Cymru staff

A filmmaker who has worked on the Harry Potter and James Bond franchises has been appointed to a senior role at S4C.

Catrin Cooper will become the Welsh-language broadcaster’s new Film Commissioner, while former Pobol y Cwm series producer Dafydd Llewelyn has been appointed Drama Commissioner.

The two separate roles have been created following the establishment of Sinema Cymru, a scheme aimed at producing a Welsh-language feature film every year.

Cooper has more than 20 years’ experience working across studio films, independent productions, development and international co-productions.

Her early career included production roles on the Harry Potter films for Warner Bros and James Bond for Sony.

More recently she was executive producer on Effi o Blaenau, which S4C said broke UK box-office records for a Welsh-language film.

She is currently working on Star Wars: A New Hope / Gobaith Newydd, a Welsh-language version of the original Star Wars film being produced by Lucasfilm in collaboration with S4C and the Welsh Government through Creative Wales.

Cooper has also worked as a development executive at Ffilm Cymru Wales and delivered From Script to Cinema, described as the first Welsh-language screenwriting course from NFTS Cymru.

She said: “I’m delighted to be joining S4C as Film Commissioner at a moment of real opportunity for Welsh-language film.

“For me, that means helping to make S4C a destination for our filmmakers – somewhere they bring their strongest, most distinctive ideas, and know there is real ambition for the work.

“I’ll also keep looking outward, learning from other indigenous-language regions that have created further opportunities for their sectors, while building on the progress already underway here.”

Pobol y Cwm

Llewelyn began his television career as a writer on Pobol y Cwm before becoming a script editor and later a producer on the long-running soap.

He has also worked on productions including Lan a Lawr, Stad, Anfamol and BBC medical drama Casualty, before returning to Pobol y Cwm as series producer between 2022 and 2025.

He said: “Joining the S4C team is a tremendous privilege, and I am looking forward to working with the production sector to deliver exciting and engaging drama content.

“As someone who grew up watching Welsh-language series and soap operas, I very much hope that I can contribute to this vitally important tradition.”

Sinema Cymru is co-funded by the Welsh Government through Creative Wales and forms part of S4C’s wider strategy to expand its activities beyond traditional television.

The appointments follow the departure of Gwenllian Gravelle after seven years at S4C, where she served as Head of Film and Drama.

S4C chief content officer Llion Iwan said: “I am looking forward to working with Catrin and Dafydd.

“Catrin’s experience in the film industry will enable us to build on our recent success with Welsh-language film. Dafydd’s long career in drama and soap opera production at a variety of levels is a major asset to S4C.”

Both will take up their new roles shortly.

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