Dal: Yma/Nawr (English: Still: Here/Now; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈdal ˌəma ˈnau̯r]) is a 2003 Welsh-language documentary film directed by Marc Evans and produced by the production company Fiction Factory for the Welsh-language broadcaster S4C. It explores the history and endurance of Welsh poetic and bardic tradition.
Overview
The film is described as a "2,000-year odyssey through Europe's oldest surviving bardic tradition," examining historical and contemporary poetic responses to questions of social and cultural survival. Its scope ranges from the sixth-century poetry attributed to the bard Aneirin to modern poetry slams, presenting the tradition as a continuous and evolving cultural practice.
The documentary combines narration, recitation, and performance, with a number of prominent Welsh and Wales-connected performers delivering poetic works. It was made as a feature-length production with a running time of approximately 74 minutes (some sources list 72 minutes).
Production
- Director: Marc Evans
- Producers: Maurice Hunter, Fizzy Oppe, Ed Thomas, and Ynyr Williams
- Production company: Fiction Factory
- Distributor/broadcaster: S4C
- Cinematography: Jimmy Dibling
- Editing: Mike Hopkins
- Music: Bedwyr Humphreys and Owen Powell
- Release: November 2003
- Country: Wales
- Language: Welsh
Cast
The film features appearances by John Cale, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhys Ifans, Siân Phillips, Daniel Evans, Matthew Rhys, Cerys Matthews, Iola Gregory, Betsan Llwyd, Maureen Rhys, Guto Harri, and Nia Roberts, among others.
Reception and Context
The film was covered by BBC News in March 2003, which reported on its aim of bringing Welsh poetry to the screen. It is catalogued by institutions including the British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Council Film directory (the latter dating it to 2004), and it appears in Welsh-language references such as Wicipedia and the WICI Wales film database. Its subject matter situates it within a broader body of Welsh-language documentary and cultural programming produced for S4C.
References
- "Dal: Yma/Nawr," Wikipedia.
- "Dal: Yma/Nawr (Still: Here/Now)," British Council Film.
- "Film brings out poetry of Welsh," BBC News, 22 March 2003.
