Culture

Wales’ oldest cinema set for special evening exploring the legacy of Welsh steelmaking

08 Sep 2026 2 minute read

Amelia Jones

Wales’ oldest is cinema set to host event celebrating traditional steel working communities.

A special evening celebrating Wales’ steelmaking heritage is coming to Brynmawr, with two documentaries set to explore the people and communities shaped by the industry.

The Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr will host Steel on Film on Friday, September 18, bringing together two documentaries made half a century apart.

The event will feature The Face of Change, filmed in and around Ebbw Vale in 1976 as Britain’s steel industry faced a period of significant transformation, alongside Steel: The Blood of Us, a new documentary from filmmaker Joe Cornick focusing on Port Talbot during the final years of traditional steelmaking.

Screened together, the films offer a look at how life in Welsh steel communities has changed over generations, while highlighting themes of work, family, identity and belonging that continue to connect the past with the present.

Steel: The Blood of Us was filmed over four years using 16mm film and focuses on the people of Port Talbot, capturing the pride and resilience of a community whose identity has long been intertwined with the steelworks.

Meanwhile, The Face of Change provides a historical snapshot of Ebbw Vale at a pivotal moment for the industry, making the double bill an opportunity to compare two very different periods in the story of Welsh steel.

The screening will also be followed by a filmmaker Q&A and community discussion, giving audiences the chance to hear more about the making of the films and share their own experiences and memories.

Doors at the Market Hall Brynmawr open at 6pm, with the screening beginning at 6.30pm.

Organisers are encouraging former steelworkers, local families and anyone with an interest in Welsh industrial history to attend, with a particular appeal to older members of the community who may not see the event promoted online.

The evening promises to be both a celebration and a record of the communities whose stories remain central to Wales’ industrial heritage.

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