THE story of a Teifi Valley farmer who ate the same meal every day for 10 years has won the award for short documentary at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Heart Valley is a documentary which follows the life of Wilf Davies, a sheep farmer from the Teifi Valley. Recently it was screened at Tribeca and has been met with great success.

The film was born after an article in The Guardian told Wilf’s story. Growing up in Wales, Wilf spent his boyhood helping his family on their farm.

“I have never wanted to run away from it, even as a young lad. This valley is cut in the shape of my heart. I once visited a farm in England, about 30 years ago: that was the only time I left Wales, he told the newspaper back in 2021.

Now, Wilf and his daily supper of “two pieces of fish, one big onion, an egg, baked beans and a few biscuits” has been seen by thousands across the world thanks to director Christian Cargil.

The 19-minute documentary beat more than 7,000 submissions to win the award.

Christian said: “I think for a lot of people that spent lockdowns in cities, Wilf’s story really touched on that yearning to disconnect.”

“I remember first reading the piece and finding it inspiring, unconventional and deeply heartfelt. “Two weeks on, I realised I was still thinking about this shepherd I’d never met called Wilf and in that moment, I knew it was a story I wanted to explore, to find out more about this man and his life.”