Coming Up Roses (Welsh: Rhosyn a Rhith) is a 1986 Welsh language comedy film. It was produced by Red Rooster Films for the Welsh language channel, S4C. Directed by Stephen Bayly, it starred Dafydd Hywel, Gillian Elisa and Mari Emlyn. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.
The film is set in the aftermath of the 1984-85 miners' strikes. It centres on the closure of the last small town cinema in South Wales and the efforts of the janitor, and former projectionist, Trevor, and the usher, Mona, to raise funds by growing mushrooms in the dark, to pay off the cinema's debts. The New York Times' film critic, Vincent Canby, noted that the film's setting, the "economically depressed town of Aberdare in south Wales" illustrates the Margaret Thatcher government's impact not only on coal mining but local communities, more generally, due to the knock-on effects of unemployment.
The film was noteworthy in that it was the first Welsh language film to receive a UK theatrical release in 1987. As well, it was one of two Welsh language films being screened in the London's West End cinemas with English subtitles. The other Welsh language film on West End screens was Milwr Bychan or Boy Soldier. It is also noteworthy in that it was the only British film in 1986 to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
In August 2024, the National Eisteddfod, an annual celebration of Welsh culture, was held in Pontypridd close to Aberdare. The programme featured a pop-up cinema, Sinemaes, which screened Coming Up Roses, followed by a panel discussion.
In November 2017, media & publishing company Whales Online listed Coming Up Roses as #41 in its "Top 50 greatest Welsh Films" opinion piece.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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