“Talk to Me in Your Language”

Abstract

In 1992 a Welsh-language production was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. This recognition of Hedd Wyn marked a flowering of Welsh cinema, chiefly associated with the Welsh Fourth television Channel, Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C), established ten years earlier after lengthy and high-profile social protest. S4C made Welsh-language film a prestigious linguistic and cultural entity: providing within Wales “appointments to view” (in the words of 2004 S4C Review), and beyond Wales opportunities to showcase Welsh talent and issues. S4C, as a commissioning station, also proved important economically by supporting independent production. This, in turn, corrected the lacuna of chaotically evolved and fragmented commercial television services which have never recognised Wales as separate.