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Sex, austerity and mugs of vodka: how the Greek myth Iphigenia became a Welsh-language film sensation
The movie adaptation of Gary Owen’s acclaimed play Iphigenia in Splott, Effi o Blaenau, is released this month. Here, its director and crew explain why they relocated the film to a post-industrial mining town – and refused to make it in English
TL;DR
- Gary Owen's play 'Iphigenia in Splott', initially staged in 2015, is a modern reworking of Greek tragedy focusing on poverty and social inequality.
- The play has been adapted into a Welsh-language film, 'Effi o Blaenau', with the setting shifted from Cardiff to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
- The film's production emphasized the importance of being made in the Welsh language and capturing the essence of working-class Welsh culture.
- Director Marc Evans and writer Gary Owen discuss the play's origins rooted in the austerity era and the personal experiences that influenced its themes.
- Actress Leisa Gwenllian, a native of north Wales, stars in the film and discusses the powerful experience of seeing herself represented on screen.
- The article touches upon the challenges faced in the acting industry regarding accessibility for working-class individuals and the decision to prioritize female department heads in the film's crew.