Front left: Sioned Wiliam, behind her Rhys Gwynfor, Barry Jones, Elen Rhys, and Daniel Glyn
Cardiff Bay was the venue for this year’s ‘Sinemaes’, a week-long pop-up cinema, held at the National Eisteddfod, supported by a partnership of film and TV organisations based in Wales. During the week over 3,300 attended screenings and sessions at Sinemaes, a 36% increase on the number in 2017.
This year, RTS Wales held a discussion event on TV Comedy and a screening of the remarkable film, Dal:Yma/Nawr (Still: Here/Now), a documentary about Welsh poetry, described by the British Council as “a 2,000-year odyssey through Europe's oldest surviving bardic tradition”. It was directed by Marc Evans, and starred John Cale, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Rhys, Cerys Matthews, and Ioan Gruffudd. Along with the Director, the film’s Producer, Ynyr Williams, also took part in a Q&A session following the screening, which was chaired by RTS Wales Committee Member, Heledd Hardy.
The Comedy discussion, “Are The Welsh Funny?”, was chaired by Sioned Wiliam, a former Head of Comedy with ITV, currently working as a Radio 4 comedy commissioner. Joining her on the panel were Elen Rhys, S4C Entertainment and Music Commissioner, along with producer Rhys Gwynfor (Antena), producer and comedy writer, Barry Jones (Cwmni Da), and stand-up comedian and station manager Daniel Glyn (Made in Cardiff).
In a packed session, the discussion covered the need to take risks, develop new talent, and whether it is possible to identify specific elements that are intrinsic to on-screen comedy in Wales. Referring to the growing on-line audience, Gwynfor suggested that creating a short form sketch for YouTube brings with it “new challenges as well as new opportunities to experiment”. Jones suggested that “we need to see new faces on screen and develop new writers”. Glyn argued that, “stand-up should be seen as an art form” and should be given greater on-screen prominence. He also emphasised the need to innovate and break new ground through “disruptive technology”. In response, Rhys explained that S4C is due to screen a raft of new shows during the autumn, including a stand-up series, and that the broadcaster would continue to search for new writers and develop its YouTube platform, Hansh, along with its mainstream TV output.
In response to a closing question from the Chair, the panel concluded that TV comedy is alive and well in Wales.
Comedi a barddoniaeth yn llwyddo i RTS Cymru yn Sinemaes
Bae Caerdydd oedd lleoliad Sinemaes eleni, a gynhaliwyd yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol gyda chefnogaeth partneriaeth o blith sefydliadau ffilm a theledu yng Nghymru. Yn ystod yr wythnos daeth dros 3,300 o bobl i ddangosiadau a sesiynau yn Sinemaes, cynnydd o 36% ar ffigwr 2017.
Eleni, cynhaliodd RTS Cymru ddau ddigwyddiad: panel i drafod comedi ar y teledu o dan y teitl “Ydy’r Cymry’n Ddoniol?” a dangosiad o’r ffilm hynod, Dal: Yma/Nawr. Cadeiriwyd y drafodaeth gomedi gan Sioned Wiliam, cyn-bennaeth comedi yn ITV, sydd ar hyn o bryd yn gweithio fel Comisiynydd Comedi yn BBC Radio 4.
Yn ymuno â hi ar y panel roedd Elen Rhys, Comisiynydd Adloniant a Cherddoriaeth S4C, ynghyd â’r cynhyrchydd Rhys Gwynfor (Antena), y cynhyrchydd a’r ysgrifennwr comedi Barry Jones (Cwmni Da), a’r digrifwr a rheolwr gorsaf Made in Cardiff, Daniel Glyn. Mewn sesiwn orlawn a hynod boeth mewn hindda, roedd y drafodaeth yn ymdrin â’r angen i fentro a datblygu talent newydd gan ystyried a yw’n bosibl nodi elfennau penodol sy’n gynhenid i gomedi ar y sgrin yng Nghymru. Gan gyfeirio at y gynulleidfa gynyddol ar-lein, awgrymodd Rhys Gwynfor fod creu fideo ffurf fer ar gyfer YouTube yn dod â “heriau newydd yn ogystal â chyfleoedd newydd i arbrofi.” Awgrymodd Barry Jones fod “angen i ni weld wynebau newydd ar y sgrin a datblygu awduron newydd.”
Dadleuodd Daniel Glyn y dylid edrych ar gomedi ‘stand-up’ fel ffurf o gelfyddyd, ac y dylid rhoi mwy o amlygrwydd i’r ffurf ar y sgrin. Pwysleisiodd hefyd fod angen arloesi a thorri tir newydd drwy ddefnyd technoleg “aflonyddgar” (“disruptive”). Mewn ymateb, eglurodd Elen Rhys fod S4C yn bwriadu dangos cyfres o sioeau newydd yn ystod yr hydref, gan gynnwys cyfres ‘stand-up’, ac y byddai’r darlledwr yn parhau i chwilio am awduron newydd a datblygu ei blatfform YouTube, Hansh, ynghyd â'i allbwn teledu prif ffrwd. Mewn ymateb i gwestiwn i gloi gan y Cadeirydd, daeth y Panel i’r casgliad fod comedi teledu yn fyw ac yn iach yng Nghymru.
Dal: Yma/Nawr ar brynhawn Sadwrn gwlyb, ond er mwynhad anferth i’r gynulleidfa werthfawrogol. Mae’r ffilm hudolus hon yn teithio drwy ddwy fil o flynyddoedd o farddoniaeth Gymraeg, gan ddehongli’r gwaith o’r newydd ar y cyd â delweddau amrywiol a thrawiadol. Y cyfarwyddwr oedd Marc Evans, ac roedd RTS Cymru’n ffodus iawn o gael cwmni Marc a’r cynhyrchydd, Ynyr Williams, mewn sesiwn cwestiwn ac ateb cyn y ffilm o dan gadeiryddiaeth fedrus Heledd Wyn Hardy o Brifysgol De Cymru ac aelod o Bwyllgor RTS Cymru. Roedd y gynulleidfa’n hapus iawn wrth adael, a nifer ohonynt yn gofyn i’r ffilm gael ei dangos bob blwyddyn – rhywbeth i’w gofio wrth feddwl am Sinemaes 2019, efallai!
