''The Green Hollow'' (or ''Aberfan: The Green Hollow'') is a "film-poem", which was broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

on 21 October 2016 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the

Aberfan disaster The Aberfan disaster () was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. Heavy rai ...

of 1966.

Owen Sheers Owen Sheers (born 20 September 1974) is a Welsh poet, author, playwright and television presenter. He was the first writer-in-residence to be appointed by any national rugby union team. Early life Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji, and was ...

wrote the script of the

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

using the words of survivors of the disaster whom he interviewed over a period. Sheers described ''The Green Hollow'' as “a film poem in the voice of

Aberfan Aberfan () is a former coal mining village in the Taff Valley south of the town of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. On 21 October 1966, in the Aberfan disaster, a colliery spoil tip collapsed into homes and a school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. ...

, both then and now”. The work falls into three sections: “Children”, “Rescuers” and “Survivors”. Actors who participated in the film, reading in the authentic voices of those who witnessed the disaster, included

Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage roles in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1992), ''Don't Fool wi ...

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's '' ...

Eve Myles Eve Myles (born 26 July 1978) is a British actress from Ystradgynlais, Wales. Her television roles include Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series '' Belonging'' (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series '' To ...

Robert Pugh Robert Pugh (born 3 November 1948) is a Welsh actor, known for his many television appearances, including the role of Craster in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. Life and career Pugh was born in Tyntetown, Mountain Ash and attended Ynysbo ...

and

Iwan Rheon Iwan Rheon (; born 13 May 1985) is a Welsh actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series '' Misfits'' (2009–2011), Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2013–2016), and Mötley Crüe gu ...

, and the film was directed by

Pip Broughton Pip Broughton is an English film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. Career Broughton began her career working in theatre, holding Artistic Directorships of Croydon Warehouse, Paines Plough and Nottingham Playhouse. Since 199 ...

. Sheers said that he had at first been doubtful about the project because he did not want to exploit the grief of the local community. He later concluded that "I realized that this small community had become defined by the disaster and I wanted to show what the place was like before that." The poem was published in book form by

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

in 2018. Sheers said that the incremental sense of menace in the book was "a feeling that’s got stronger with its eventual publication ... because of the physical entity of the book".

Reception

References

2016 television films 2016 films {{UK-tv-film-stub