Effi o Blaenau

United Kingdom | 2026 | 90 min

Language: Welsh

Subtitles: English

Not for persons under 12

Director(s): Marc Evans

Script: Branwen Cennard based on a play "Iphigenia in Splott" (2015) by Gary Owen

Cast: Leisa Gwenllian, Tom Rhys Harries, Owen Alun, Nel Rhys Lewis, Sion Eifion, Leah Gaffey, Rhodri Meilir, Carys Gwillym, Gavin Lee Lewis, Mared Llywelyn, Sarah Timmins

Production: Sianel 4 Cymru – S4C, S4C International, Creative Wales, Tarian Films

Distribution: MetFilm Sales

Drama

Home Identity Yearning Youth Class Society Friendship Critics Choice Outsiders

Horizons

Screenings:

Living in the misty Welsh highlands, wrapped in her pink dressing gown, Effi (Leisa Gwenllian), drifts through a life soaked in unemployment, casual relationships and vodka. One night of partying sets off a chain of events that exposes the personal and societal vulnerabilities hidden beneath what first seems mere recklessness. Effi's story is a bitter yet hopeful portrait of society's shortcomings – and of the women who survive lingered among them.

Effi o Blaenau is the first Cymric-language film ever screened at Espoo Ciné. It is based is on Gary Owen's monodrama Iphigenia in Splott, an 2015 adaptation of the myth of Iphigenia. The film successfully brings the ancient tale into the present day while continuing the tradition of British social realism. Leisa Gwenllian delivers a powerful lead performance, and the rugged grandeur of the Welsh highlands holds the viewer in its grip until the closing credits.

Sanni Majamaa

Updated 2026-07-30 17:30:10 UTC