Effi o Blaenau

Leisa Gwenllian delivers a tour de force performance as a young woman desperate to escape her hometown in this powerful Welsh language drama.

  • Director

    Marc Evans

  • With

    Leisa Gwenllian, Tom Rhys Harries, Nel Rhys Lewis

  • UK 2026. 90min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    15

  • English subtitles

  • A Metfilm Release

In the slate quarry town of Blaenau in North Wales, Effi, a working-class young woman is caught in a weekly loop of unemployment, clubbing and hangovers. After she meets a soldier on a night out, she begins to believe her life might be changing for the better. The reality that follows is far tougher. Marc Evans' adaptation of the one-woman play Iphigenia in Splott, has broken UK box office records as the most successful Welsh-language film of all time, and with good reason. Leisa Gwenllian gives a remarkable and unforgettably raw performance as Effi, against beautifully shot stunning yet scarred landscapes of North Wales. An astonishing film that confronts austerity and broken systems with honesty and compassion, it will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy and distressing themes that might potentially spoil the plot of the film. Find out more on the BBFC website.

Tickets on sale Tue 7 Jul from 11:00 to BFI Patrons, 12:00 to BFI Members and on general sale from 16:00