18 May 2009

      S4C has won an impressive 17 awards at the 2008 BAFTA Cymru ceremony, including six awards for its powerful film Martha, Jac a Sianco, which deals with family inheritance and heartbreak.

The film won the Best Actor award for Ifan Huw Dafydd and Best Actress award for Sharon Morgan. It also won the Best Director of Photography: Drama, Best Design, Best Make-Up and Best Original Music Soundtrack categories. Con Passionate, which followed the trials and tribulations of a male voice choir and its female music director, won the Best Drama Series/Serial for Television award.

Lleisiau’r Rhyfel Mawr, a documentary series recounting the first-hand experiences of those who fought in the First World War, won the Gwyn Alf Williams Award, which is given to a programme or series which contributes most to the understanding and appreciation of the history of Wales.

S4C scooped the award for Best Animation for Nadolig Plentyn yng Nghymru, based on Dylan Thomas’ classic, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Holi Hana won the Best Children’s Programme category, while Uned 5 won the Best Youth Programme award. Y 7 Magnifico a Matthew Rhys, which followed a group of celebrities as they learnt cowboy skills on an Arizona ranch, won the Best Entertainment category.

A number of S4C factual programmes were also successful. An episode of documentary series Yr Afon (Yangtzee) won the Best Camera: Not Drama category. America 08: Dewi Llwyd ar Daith, which looked at the US presidential elections, won the Best News and Current Affairs category.

The Grand Slam concert won the Best Lighting Director – Not Camera award, while Lle Aeth Pawb? won the Best Graphic Design category.

Elephants, an animation short by Sally Pearce, who won an S4C scholarship to study at the National Film and Television School, won the Best Short Film category.

Rhian Gibson, S4C Director of Commissioning said: “Both Ifan Huw Dafydd and Sharon Morgan gave powerful performances in Martha, Jac a Sianco, S4C’s adaptation of Caryl Lewis’ award-winning novel.

“This landmark film reflects S4C’s fiction strategy of providing authors and directors with a platform with which to challenge audiences with innovative and original content. One-off productions such as these sit alongside long-running drama series which also reflect the lives of people in Wales.

“S4C is also pleased with the range of other awards won across a range of genres. This is a major achievement, reflecting the creative talents and technical skills of our partners in the independent production sector and BBC Cymru Wales. Warmest congratulations to all the winners.”

S4C BAFTA 2008 AWARDS

Best Drama Series/Serial for Television

Con Passionate - Paul Jones (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Best News and Current Affairs

America 08: Dewi Llwyd ar Daith – Garmon Rhys (BBC Cymru Wales)

Best Light Entertainment

Y 7 Magnifico a Matthew Rhys - Amanda Price Jones/Matthew Tune/Rhys D Williams (Boomerang Plus plc)

Best Children's Programme

Holi Hana – Robin Lyons / Tom Edgar (Calon)

Best Youth Programme

Uned 5 - Nest Griffith (Antena)

Best Animation

Nadolig Plentyn yng Nghymru - Dave Unwin(Cwmni Da/Brave New World)

Best Director Of Photography: Drama

Martha, Jac a Sianco – Richard Wyn Huws (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Best Camera: Not Drama

Natur Cymru – Steve Phillips (Cynhyrchiadau Aden)

Best Lighting Director - Not Camera

Grand Slam 08: Dathliad y Pencampwyr – Tim Routledge (WRU/Avanti)

Best Design

Martha, Jac a Sianco – Phil Williams (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Best Graphic Design

Lle Aeth Pawb? – Cwmni Da/Rough Collie

Best Make-Up

Martha, Jac a Sianco – Stephen Williams (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Best Live Coverage/O.B. Team

Marathon Eryri – Dylan Huws (Cwmni Da)

Best Original Music Soundtrack

Martha, Jac a Sianco – John Hardy (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Best Actor

Martha, Jac a Sianco – Ifan Huw Dafydd (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Best Actress

Martha, Jac a Sianco – Sharon Morgan (Apollo, part of Boomerang Plus plc)

Gwyn Alf Williams Award

Lleisiau’r Rhyfel Mawr – Ifor ap Glyn (Cwmni Da)