Two Machynlleth artists are launching a community-made film subverting life in the jet-filled valley.

Jenő Davies and Iolo Walker this week launch their film 18 months in the making with an inaugural screening at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.

The DIY film, Pinwydd, follows a humanoid lamb dissolutioned with small town life, using sci-fi tropes to reflect contemporary mid-Wales.

A still from the film Pinwydd
A still from the film Pinwydd/ Pine (Pinwydd)

It interrogates forces like the Ministry of Defence jets which make the valley their playground and the non-native spruce plantations alongside references to Welsh folklore.

The pair involved an estimated 70 people in creating the final product - hosting workshops with young people to create the plot, involving actors, musicians, animators and filmmakers from the valley including Stwdio Dyfi.

The film will be screened on 28 June alongside their accompanying art exhibition until 7 September.

The film is part of a wider exhibition made by the pair, Meadowsweet Palisade - offering a bricolage of sculpture, textiles and narrative film
The film is part of a wider exhibition made by the pair, Meadowsweet Palisade - offering a bricolage of sculpture, textiles and narrative film (Pinwydd)

Iolo, 28, said: “We wanted to fictionalise contemporary experiences of living in mid-Wales, giving an opportunity to view life in an alien way and therefore open for critique.”

Jenő, 28, said: “We wanted to make this film and it turned out there was a whole community of young creatives who were ready to work on a project like this - all the expertise was already here.

“It was really exciting to create this opportunity to come together.”

The pair filming on-location at a spruce plantation
The pair filming on-location at a spruce plantation (Pinwydd)

Sim Panaser, Visual Arts Curator for Chapter, said: “Jenő and Iolo’s take on rurality as a space of refuge and a place where alternative world-building could be imagined is vital in a world that’s becoming increasingly divisive.

“Their DIY and community-centred approaches speaks to Chapter, a home for artists and communities to dream new futures and build solidarities.”

Arts Council Wales and Tŷ Cerdd supported the project - the pair also hope to host a debut screening in Machynlleth where the film is set.