PENARTH Pier Pavilion is set to showcase the Bafta-winning sci-fi thriller The Machine this weekend.

The Machine paves the way for a new era in Welsh movie making as the Cardiff-based Red and Black Films and director Caradog James turn the capital city into a bleak Blade Runner landscape, run by a dystopian society fighting a war built on cyber terrorism.

Penarth Pier Pavilion will be screening the film on Friday and Saturday (March 21 and 22) and Tuesday and Wednesday (March 25 and 26), as well as hosting a Question and Answer session with the director and producer on Tuesday , March 25, after the screening which begins at 7.30pm.

Cardiff is unrecognisable as the setting for a bleak near-future where the fight to find the ultimate human-cyborg hybrid becomes the biggest weapon in the Cold War between China and Britain. Scientists Vincent and Ava, played by Toby Stephens and Caity Lotz, combine their efforts to create an evolved form of Artificial Intelligence as part of the covert operations to create a fully conscious fighting machine.

Sci-fi at its core, with an unlikely romantic subtext and a thrilling narrative, The Machine has been winning plaudits all over the international film festival circuit for its stylish interpretation of the genre and is tipped to become one of the sci-fi movies of the year.

The film was originally selected out of 6,000 to premier at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and has since gone on to win three BAFTA Cyrmu Awards as well as nods at both the Toronto and Raindance film festivals in 2013. Shot entirely on-location in Wales and backed by Welsh funding, The Machine marks a pivotal cultural shift in Welsh cinema as the industry earns recognition for its creative and post-production talent on an international scale.

The Machine will be screened on March 21, 22 and 26 with a special screening on March 25 when Director Caradog James and Producer John Giwu-Ama will be featuring in a live Q&A after the show. For tickets and more information: www.penarthpavilion.co.uk/cinema