Gorilla helps commemorate 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster
October 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster which saw 116 children and 28 adult tragically killed when a colliery waste tip collapsed on Pantglas Junior School in the valleys village. The local community was devastated by the incident and the effects continue to be felt today.
A number of television programmes have been commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy – Gorilla has been involved in three of these:
Cantata Memoria – Rondo Media for S4C
A special concert the Wales Millennium Centre to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy featuring performances by bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and harpist Catrin Finch and a newly composed piece from world-renowned composer Sir Karl Jenkins.
We used Quadrus to simultaneously record the production across multiple channels for the broadcast.
The Aberfan Young Wives’ Club – Shiver Cymru (ITV Factual/ITV Cymru Wales) for ITV
An original network documentary which sees the story of the Aberfan disaster and its aftermath told through the eyes of seven women who are part of the Aberfan Young Wives Club. Directed by multi-award-winning director Marc Evans, the programme features extensive archive footage of the disaster and subsequent events as well as a specially-commissioned soundtrack composed by James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers.
Gorilla dubbed, completed the grade in Baselight and onlined the production.
Surviving Aberfan – Testimony Films for BBC 1 Wales
Documentary combining archive film with people today, each telling their stories of tragic loss, miraculous survival and heroic rescue. Some of the survivors talk for the first time about the most harrowing day of their lives, and how they have lived with the memory for half a century. An intimate and deeply moving portrait of a community that suffered a heart-breaking disaster, yet somehow found the strength to carry on with hope and dignity.
Aberfan: The Day our Lives Changed – ITV Cymru Wales
An hour long documentary telling the story on one of the most seriously injured survivors of the Aberfan disaster, Phillip Thomas, as he remembers the events of 21 October 1966 when he was a 10 year-old pupil at Pantglas Junior School. Featuring interviews with those who lost loved ones and some of those involved in the rescue operation, the programme provides another moving perspective on the impact of the tragedy and the resilience of the human spirit.
Gorilla dubbed the production.
As a proud Welsh company we were honoured to play a part in the productions, each of which offers an alternative perspective on this tragic event in Welsh history.