Film shot 'round corner' from Carey Mulligan's family after star had third baby

The director of The Ballad of Wallis Island has said it was filmed "around the corner" from the Welsh family roots of one its stars, Carey Mulligan.

James Griffiths, who directed the Bafta-nominated film, said Mulligan "wanted to be close" to her family during its production after welcoming her third child.

Filmed over 18 days in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, Griffiths said he walked "most" of the Welsh Coast Path before finding the perfect beach to use.

The comedy has been nominated for outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay at the 2026 Baftas, with Mulligan also nominated for best supporting actress.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast about the nomination, Welsh director Griffiths said: "We're so thrilled to be recognised, it's been quite the journey with the movie so we're very happy."

The film is based on the 2008 short film of the same name, which Griffiths also worked on.

"It's incredible - it was 20 years ago that we shot our first short film down the coast in Aberystwyth and we were nominated for a Bafta," he said.

"It's amazing to come full circle and see it recognised again, and hopefully we can go one step further and actually win a Bafta."

Written by and starring comedians Tim Key and Tom Basden, The Ballad of Wallis Island follows former bandmates and couple Herb and Nell, played by Mulligan and Basden, who are paid by a lottery-winning fan to reunite for a private performance.

While the pair must travel to a remote island in the film, the movie was actually shot on the Pembrokeshire coast and in Carmarthenshire.

Griffiths said: "I walked most of the Welsh coastal path to find that beach.

"It was filmed in August [2023] so we didn't have a huge amount of access to those beaches, people wanted to get down there with a bucket and spade.

"So we had to find somewhere that was remote."

From there Griffiths found Marros Beach near Tenby and was given permission by the farmer who owned it to film on the "difficult to get to" land.

"It felt incredibly remote but also had a mythical quality to it," he said.

"[Wales] delivered so much in the short [film] and then kind of over-delivered for the film in terms of the location and the crew."

One of the filming locations was "around the corner" from where Mulligan's mother grew up in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, with the Pride and Prejudice actress keen to be around her family at the time after the birth of her third child.

"Her family are from around Wales," Griffiths said.

"And so she wanted to be close to her auntie and uncle... so there was a Carey connection too."

Speaking at a gala screening of the film in May 2025, Mulligan said: "It's just attached to all these gorgeous memories of my baby being little.

"And [the cast and crew] were all around, and everyone was cuddling her, and we were all sort of together for a bit. So it's very precious to me."

The comedy is not the only Bafta-nominated film shot in Wales this year.

With filming taking place in Cardiff and south Wales, H for Hawk, starring The Crown's Claire Foy and Harry Potter star Brendan Gleeson, is one of the 10 nominations for outstanding British film.

Also in the same category is Mr Burton, which documents the early life of iconic actor Richard Burton and was filmed partly in his hometown of Pontrhydyfen, Neath Port Talbot, among other Welsh locations.

The Ballad of Wallis Island will face competition from some of last year's most anticipated films, including Hamnet, starring Irish actors Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, and Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy.

The 79th Bafta Awards will take place in London on 22 February.