Year of the Sea 2018

Outstanding coastlines and epic experiences

all around our Welsh shores.

This project has now ended but you can still find programming inspiration and resources below, including the aims of the project and screenings that took place across Wales.

You may have spotted that we’re celebrating Year of the Sea in Wales during 2018, with year of discovery on the horizon for 2019. Visit Wales are inviting us to explore our country’s outstanding coastline, inviting visitors to discover new epic experiences all around our shores, with special events and attractions throughout the year.

Year of the Sea presents us with a special opportunity to promote Wales to the world as a 21st Century coastal destination, from lakesides to riverbanks, bays and beaches. As Adrift and On Chesil Beach hit the big screen, we’ve trawled through an ocean sized list of films to bring you some of our sea themed favourites, from contemporary, to cult and not forgetting the best of Welsh cinema.

Read our full programming and events guide to find our list of films and ways to run added activity events.


If you have a coast and sea themed season or event in mind that you would like some support for, we can offer bursaries of up to £500 (if you have something extra special in mind, then just let us know).

Examples of costs we can cover include:

  • Marketing,
  • Community outreach,
  • Added value (Q&A, workshop costs),
  • Audience evaluation,
  • Staffing.

All you need to do is get in touch by email to lisa@filmhubwales.org and tell us:

  • Your proposed screening/event date,
  • Projected audience numbers,
  • Any special event plans,
  • Your marketing ideas,
  • Costs you need help with,
  • What match you can offer (box office/in-kind time etc). 20-50% guideline.

The season runs until the end of 2018.

  1. Tiger Bay (1959) PG: A 12-year-old tomboy witnesses a Polish merchant marine murder his girlfriend but rather than turn him in to the police she bonds with him and helps thwart their investigation.

  2. BFI Britain On Film: Coast and Sea (Various) U: A selection of films from the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales collection which bring history alive on film with a a sharp tang of sea salt as we drop in on beaches and promenades, harbours and islands for a glimpse of Wales’ coastal life through the 20th century.

  3. Twin Town (1997) 18: Two brothers spend their time on drugs and joyriding until their breaks his leg working for the local dodgy businessman. When the pair demand compensation from the small time gangster it unleashes a ferocious feud, with each side trying to top the other.

  1. Submarine (2011) 15: A young man has two objectives; to lose his virginity before his next birthday and to extinguish the flames between his mother and her ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.

  1. The Lighthouse (2016) 15: A film based on real events; two lighthouse keepers are stranded for months at sea in a freak storm, which slowly takes its toll on their mental wellbeing.

  2. The Edge Of Love (2008) 15:  Two feisty and free-spirited young women are both in love with the same man; the charismatic poet, Dylan Thomas, who loves them both.

  1. Sleep Furiously (2008) U: A snapshot of a way of life in Trefeurig near Aberystwyth, where the landscape and population is changing rapidly, as small scale agriculture is disappearing and the generation who inhabited a pre-mechanised world is dying out.

  1. Dan Y Wenallt/Under Milk Wood (2014) U: Residents of Dylan Thomas’ fictional Welsh community are brought to life by some famous faces as they share stories of their life in a small seaside town.

  1. Pink Suede Shoes (2017) Uncertified Short: Every year Porthcawl hosts the biggest Elvis tribute festival in Europe. We join a contestant in the days leading up to the competition as he recalls how his troubled childhood fed his desire for fame.

  2. Third Star (2010) 15: A dying young man sets off on a mission to Barafundle Bay, aided by the help of his three closest friends on his journey of a lifetime.

Here are some of the projects that happened across the season:

  • Theatr Gwaun screened The Island and the Whales on Aug 17 as part of the Land Of The Sea event in Fishguard and Goodwick.
  • Porthcawl Pavillion screened a variety of films from Sept 6-27 such as Jaws, Submarine and Twin Town.
  • Wicked Wales International Youth Festival offered pop-up screenings at White Rose Shopping Centre, Rhyl of Moana and Song Of The Sea on Sept 8.
  • Galeri, Caernarfon opens their new second screening with parent and baby and relaxed screenings of Moana and Twin Town with STAMP sea themed films made by local artists in Sept 21-27.
  • Phoenix Ton Pentre will screen BFI Britain On Film: Coast and Sea archive package with a special beach themed quiz on Sept 21-27.
  • Pontio Arts Centre will screen Lars Von Trier’s Breaking the Waves followed by Michelangelo Antonioni  L’avventura, in partnership with Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, as well as BFI Britain On Film: Coast and Sea archive package on Oct 6 &16.
  • Working in partnership Tywyn Beach Guardians, The Magic Lantern will screen Deep Blue alongside a local beach clean-up. As a matinee for families, Song of the Sea will be accompanied by some special coastal craft activities. Red Turtle will be followed by a sea-themed quiz on Friday night, Jaws on Saturday by a 70s night and on Sunday evening there will be a screening coastal archives from BFI Britain On Film: Coast and Sea archive package on Oct 19-21.
  • SeeMor Festival screenings are set to be announced for Oct 20 & 21.
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