Statement from the Welsh Government on the Grant to Ffilm Cymru Wales for the Construction of a Virtual Soundstage

Llywydd,

Today we are proud to announce that the Welsh Government shall be supporting a grant to Ffilm Cyrmu Wales for the construction of a state of the art Virtual 360º production soundstage called “Llwyfan Rhithiwr y Tirwedd” with over 15,000 square feet of stage space, and 13 metre high state of the art LED screens, which will allow it to be competitive as one of the largest virtual production spaces in Europe.

With a grant of £4,000,000 from the Welsh Government, and £3,500,000 from Westminster to Ffilm Cymru Wales, we will have a majority stake in the space and ensure that Welsh filmmakers are prioritised, and productions that employ a majority of local staff are always given first preference.

By constructing this state of the art space in Powys, not only are we delivering for rural Wales, but for our film industry as a whole. The demand for these spaces has never been higher, we know that with extreme demand on the current V Stage at Warner Brothers Leavesden, many local productions have been left out, and that Wales is being left behind as film production is leaving in droves to return to America, Canada, England or Australia, who have been ahead of the curve in developing these virtual production stages.

We believe that Cymru Wales is the best place to film in the world, we have access to the most beautiful landscapes within close proximity to each other, beaches and mountains, forests and plains, castles and cities, and by offering this new virtual production we are positioning ourselves not only as the best place to film, but the only place you need to.

By supporting these new and upcoming technologies we will deliver more economic benefits for Wales, through the direct investment into constructing this facility, to the ongoing jobs created for the thousands of people needed for film sets, and the long term tourism benefits created by getting our nation on screen.

All Members in the Siambr today, I hope you will be pleased in our commitment to rural Wales, and for the continued economic development of the nation. We will continue to deliver our promises as outlined in our Programme for Government, and deliver for Cymru.

The Rt. Hon. Sir /u/model-kyosanto KD OM CT MS, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, and Transport, and the Rt. Hon. /u/NewAccountMcGee MS, Minister for Culture, Cymraeg, and Communities on behalf of the 16th Welsh Government.

Debate on this statement will end on Friday 14th July at 10pm BST.