Synopis

Slate was the lifeblood of Blaenau Ffestiniog and its Llechwedd Quarry, but its dust can be deadly, with a painful legacy for family and society.

This landmark drama was the first Welsh language ‘talkie’, and toured Wales to great acclaim in the 1930s. It portrays the quarryman's life in Blaenau Ffestiniog - work, home, chapel and courtship - and highlights the importance of education to the younger generation, revealing the hardships and tough choices that were part and parcel of life in such a society, alongside its cultural vibrancy and community spirit.

This version of Y Chwarelwr is a joint restoration by the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive and Cwmni Da, who used local and professional actors to recreate the film's missing fourth reel from the surviving script by John Ellis Williams, and recorded a new soundtrack for the film.