Bangor student looks forward to RTS Awards

A Bangor University student will have a keen interest in the Royal Television Society awards evening on March 19th.

Osian Williams, 20, who is originally from south Wales and in his third year of study for a BA in Media and Communication, has had his first television credit for a film by BBC/S4C. The film, “Fy Chwaer a Fi”, has been nominated for awards worldwide, and is the first Welsh-language film to be nominated in the RTS’s Single Document category.

“Fy Chwaer a Fi” is a documentary film originating from the television series Beautiful Lives about the children’s hospice, Tŷ Hafan. The film is by 18 year-old twins Catherine and Kirstie Fields from Llanelli who suffer from a unique illness which has left them in wheelchairs and speechless. After years of silence, came the advent of electronic machinery and a chance for the twins to explain about their lives and share their fears and hopes with the world.

Eager for the results to be announced, Osian said: "It was a great opportunity for me to work with experienced producers. Having worked on "Fy Chwaer a Fi", this has helped my dissertation and other aspects in my academic life. It was such a pleasure to be a part of this film that tells a very unique story. The twins and their family deserve all the praise they get."

The film’s director, Mei Williams, met Osian through friends of Tŷ Hafan during the filming of Beautiful Lives in 2011, said:

"It was obvious that Osian had a keen interest and enthusiasm in making documentaries. He sent examples of his work to me which showed his natural creativity. Between his visual ability and enthusiasm, it was an obvious choice to invite Osian to join the filming for the day, knowing that his natural friendly nature would lighten the atmosphere for the girls enabling him to capture impressive images.

"Since then, Osian has continued to shine. He has made a short film about a difficult subject for S4C which showed remarkable maturity for such a young director. I very much hope we can continue to work with Osian in the near future. "

Regarding the award nomination for “Fy Chwaer a Fi”, Mei added:

"This kind of film wasn’t produced to win awards, but the nomination is a recognition of the girls’ and S4C/Bulb Films decision to make a brave film about such a difficult subject."

Publication date: 15 March 2013