by Alex Billington
May 12, 2026
Source: YouTube
“I’ve tried my best with you. That’s the end now.” MetFilm Distribution has revealed the first official trailer for a Welsh-language indie drama titled Effi o Blaenau, adapted from Gary Owen’s acclaimed monodrama play Iphigenia in Splott – a modern theatrical classic staged extensively across Wales, England, and around the world. This cinematic version is a re-imagining for the big screen, and it premiered at the 2026 Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year. Filmed in the Welsh language and set in North Wales. The film follows Effi, a young woman desperate to escape a small town where the pubs are closed, the jobs have vanished, and her grandmother works night shifts in the local chip shop just to get by. A chance encounter in a nightclub with injured soldier Lee briefly opens a door to something better. For just a moment Effi glimpses a life she never imagined…Too many impossible choices made out of necessity rather than care. Starring Leisa Gwenllian as Effi, with Tom Rhys Harries (who stars in DC’s Clayface), Nel Rhys Lewis, Owen Alun, and Carys Gwilym. Looks like a very emotionally resonant film about finding yourself and finding someone out there.
Here’s the official UK trailer (+ UK poster) for Marc Evans’ film Effi o Blaenau, direct from YouTube:
Based on Gary Owen’s much lauded and widely performed monodrama, Iphigenia in Splott, the film Effi o Blaenau is director Marc Evans’ cinematic interpretation set against the wide open landscapes of North Wales. The film follows Effi (Leisa Gwenllian), a young woman desperate to escape a town where the pubs are closed, the jobs have vanished and her grandmother works night shifts in the local chip shop just to get by. A chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub with the injured soldier Lee (Tom Rhys Harries) briefly opens a door to something better. For a moment, Effi glimpses a life she never imagined. The reality that follows is far tougher. Effi o Blaenau is written and directed by veteran TV & movie director Marc Evans, director of the films House of America, Resurrection Man, Beautiful Mistake, My Little Eye, Trauma, Snow Cake, In Prison My Whole Life, Patagonia, Mr. Burton, and others; recently eps of TV series “Manhunt”, “Steeltown Murders”, “Out There”. Adapted from Gary Owen’s monodrama Iphigenia in Splott. Produced by Branwen Cennard. This first premiered at the 2026 Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year. MetFilm opens Evans’ Effi o Blaenau film in UK cinemas starting June 19th, 2026. No US release is set. Want to watch?
