Cardiff OT Student Champions Music and Recovery in Welsh Language Documentary
11 August 2025
A first-year MSc Pre-Registration Occupational Therapy student at Cardiff University is making waves outside the classroom with a powerful new Welsh language documentary that shines a spotlight on the role that creativity, community and rebellion play in recovery.
Efa Thomas has directed Nana Punk, a short documentary commissioned by S4C, which tells the story of Jude Price, a Cardiff-based musician who transformed her personal stroke recovery into a movement, founding a punk rock school for women over the age of 50. Through energetic rehearsals, candid interviews and unapologetic attitude, Nana Punk explores how music and identity can become powerful tools in rebuilding life after trauma.
The project resonates strongly with the core values of occupational therapy: engaging in meaningful activity, promoting inclusion and enabling people to redefine themselves through purposeful roles and occupations. Efa’s unique perspective as both an Occupational Therapy student and the film’s director showcases the power of music as a tool for rehabilitation and demonstrates that therapeutic recovery is not just clinical but is also creative and social.
“When I was asked to organise workshops as part of the Nana Punk project, it sounded like a dream job!” said Efa. “I'm super passionate about DIY punk and music's ability to empower, so this combined two of my passions. The sessions were run at The Cab in Newport and funded by the Wales Millennium Centre.
On a whim, I pitched a documentary idea to It's My Shout and S4C - and it all came together in a whirlwind of chaos and adventure, culminating with a headline gig for the band at the legendary Hope & Anchor in London. These women smash every stereotype about what ‘older’ women should do, and it's been amazing working with them.
Nana Punk is a celebration of recovery through resistance, of creative identity reclaimed in later life and of how occupational therapy can intersect with community, language and the arts to drive meaningful change.
Efa added, "I'm thrilled we're launching series two this Autumn - tell your Mum or Nan to come and join us! And keep your eyes peeled for the original band, now named The Nanaz performing in South Wales soon!”
Nana Punk is available now on the Hansh YouTube channel and BBC iPlayer – the film is available in Welsh with English subtitles.