A college reunion is the focus of S4C’s St David’s Day drama, Arwyr (Heroes).
When a group of old friends – played by Welsh actors Huw Garmon, Dewi Rhys Williams, Alun ap Brinley, Bethan Dwyfor and Rhys Parry Jones - meets for the first time in twenty years, everything goes well to begin with.
But as their shared history impacts on the present, old loyalties and resentments rise to the surface. The lives of friends who were once close have changed - are some friendships best left in the past?
The drama has been written by Geraint Lewis and directed by Huw Chiswell, who also composed the musical score. Huw enjoyed working on the project, partly because he could identify with the characters. The friends in the drama are the same age as him, would have been at college about the same time and have shared similar life experiences.
“When you’re young and living life to the full, you think you’re invincible,” says Huw. “When one of the crew dies, not only do they have to deal with the death of a contemporary, they have to face the inevitable changes in their relationships with each other. Are they still true friends?”
"You definitely realise how important true friends are as you get older," muses Rhys Parry Jones, who plays one of the group, Huw. "They are rare and you should really treasure them."
Fittingly, the location for the reunion is Cilmeri, where there’s a memorial to Llywelyn, the last of the Welsh princes, and where a remembrance service is held every year.
“It was very emotional," says Rhys. "It makes you think how important our history and our heroes are – it does matter."
© 2008 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales