Festival Passes are now available to purchase for Celtic Media Festival: The International Summit of Sound and Screen, which will take place from the 4th to 6th of June 2024 at the Marriott Hotel in Cardiff’s city centre.
Now entering its 45th year, the annual three-day summit sees media professionals from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia come together to celebrate the wide-ranging creativity and talent on display across the celtic nations and regions. The programme of events includes conference panel sessions, workshops, networking events, the Torc Awards for Excellence, and theInternational Pitching Forum, which has now closed for submissions after a record number of entries.
Launched in 2016, the International Pitching Forum gives companies and individuals the opportunity to pitch new projects to commissioners from across the UK, Ireland, and Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and has previously led to a range of successful TV and film productions.
For 2024, the International Pitching Forum is focused on Factual Programming, and eight selected submissions will get the chance to present live to a panel of experts, who will then name the winning pitch that will receive £6,000 in development money to bring their production to life. Chaired by Pádhraic Ó Ciardha, this year’s panel will include Áine Walsh (Northern Ireland Screen), David Harron (BBC Scotland), Nick Andrews (BBC Cymru Wales), Proinsias Ní Ghrainne (TG4), Montse Besada (Televisión de Galicia), Margaret Cameron (MG ALBA), Justin Binding (BBC Northern Ireland), Seán Mac Giolla Phadraig (RTÉ), Mael Le Guennec (France 3 Bretagne), and Iwan England (S4C).
As festival passes go on sale, the first details of the Festival Programme have also been announced. An exclusive interview with Kevin Bakhurst, the Director-General of RTÉ will take place in Cardiff, as he comes to the close of his first year at the helm of Ireland's national broadcaster. The Festival programme will also include a number of conference sessions relevant to the broadcasting industry such as the panel session on Children’s TV, a discussion on the Celtic Sense of Humour, Women’s Sports on free-to-air channels, Sustainability, Wellbeing, Composing Music for Film and TV Production and many more to be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are thrilled to support Celtic Media Festival and to welcome this prestigious international festival to Wales,” said Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director, Creative Wales. “It’s an important event that will bring all our Celtic cousins here to Wales to experience everything we have to offer as a nation, including our talented creatives. It will also open up a wealth of opportunities thanks to the exciting programme of pitching and networking activities on offer. We look forward to extending a warm, Welsh welcome!”
“Ry’n ni mor falch o estyn croeso cynnes i’r Ŵyl Cyfryngau Celtaidd i Gaerdydd,” added Rhuanedd Richards, Director BBC Cymru Wales. “It’s wonderful to welcome the Festival to Wales’s capital city; a city with the creative industries, culture and media at its heart. We’re looking forward to welcoming colleagues for a celebration of the media industry and the fantastic content created across the Celtic nations.”
Geraint Evans, Interim Chief Content Officer, S4C said: “We’re delighted to support the Celtic Media Festival as it returns to the heart of our capital city here in Caerdydd. The contribution broadcast media makes to the development of a thriving Welsh language, culture and economy is significant, and we look forward to celebrating the best of content from all the Celtic nations in June.”
Entering its 45th year, Celtic Media Festival will take place in Cardiff’s city centre from the 4th to 6th of June 2024 at the Marriott Hotel.
