From 75 to 480+ creative partners, Am’s journey has redefined the digital landscape for Welsh arts as it celebrates five years
A first-of-its-kind digital platform for discovering and celebrating Welsh arts and culture, Am, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a renewed vision, a major website relaunch to improve accessibility and user experience, and the launch of AmCam, its first ever digital film festival. Designed to reflect the creativity and diversity of modern Wales, Am has become a central force for cultural discovery and community storytelling and now, it’s setting its sights even higher.
Launched in 2020, Am was created in Wales for Wales – a bilingual, inclusive, and open-access space to explore the nation’s creative industries, from music and theatre to literature and film. What began with 75 creative organisations has now grown into a thriving online home for more than 480 partners, hosting over 8,000 pieces of content and becoming a vital tool for discovery, connection and creative collaboration.
Throughout its growth, Am has stayed true to its founding mission: to create a platform that reflects the inclusivity and innovation of modern Wales. This includes a landmark 2022 partnership with Disability Arts Cymru to break down barriers for deaf and disabled creatives.
To mark its five-year milestone, Am will launch its first-ever digital film festival, AmCam, on June 18th. Supported by Arts Council Wales, AmCam coincides with the relaunch of its redesigned website – developed to improve accessibility and enhance user experience. The festival will premiere four original short films portraying life, art and resilience across Welsh communities.
The featured films include Pwy Ydw I Heddiw? exploring women’s empowerment in Bangor; Village Artists, a portrait of creative life in Cwmllynfell; Interior Windows / Ffenestri Mewnol, capturing reflections from older women in the Rhondda; and The Willow Collective, documenting a neurodivergent-led creative community in Rhyl.
Congratulating Am on its fifth birthday, Dafydd Rhys Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales said, “Am has grown from the ground up and many of us saw first-hand what a lifeline it was in connecting us all during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it’s gone from strength to strength and as it reaches its five-year milestone, the platform’s achievements are many. I’d encourage everyone to take a look at ambobdim.cymru and discover all the creativity going on in Wales at the moment.”
The Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, said: “I’d like to congratulate the Am team on this impressive milestone. Five years ago, Creative Wales was approached to support a new, unique concept to benefit the creative industries, and I’m excited to see the innovative ways it has grown and continuously improved to become the dynamic, accessible and hugely valuable Am it is today. Not to mention the benefits the platform offers to Welsh creatives in terms of its potential for collaboration and discovery. Penblwydd hapus, Am!”
As it enters its sixth year, Am is focused on continuing to grow as the go-to destination for Welsh cultural engagement. With new partnerships, digital innovation and a platform designed to support creativity at every level, Am is creating more opportunities for artists and audiences to connect and redefining what a national cultural platform can be.
Chief Executive of Am, Alun Llwyd, said: “Over the last five years, Am has served as a Welsh-made service for Welsh people and for anyone, anywhere, who wants to understand and engage with the richness of Welsh culture. Our mission has always been to build an inclusive, democratic platform that welcomes everyone, regardless of age, identity or language. We’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, and even more excited about what’s still to come.”
For more information about Am, which is funded by Welsh Government agency, Creative Wales, the relaunch, or the AmCam festival, visit ambobdim.cymru.
