Around the release of Jimmy’s Hall in 2014, Ken Loach announced his retirement, but thankfully it was short-lived as he returned with I, Daniel Blake, which went on to win the Palme d’Or, and Sorry We Missed You. Now, the British director, who turns 86 next month, has unveiled his next project which begins shooting soon.
Screen Daily reports the film is titled The Old Oak, scripted by Loach’s longtime collaborator Paul Laverty and led by Dave Turner (Sorry We Missed You) alongside newcomer Ebla Mari, with cinematographer Robbie Ryan on board. Check out the synopsis below via Wild Bunch International, who will be handling sales at Cannes:
THE OLD OAK is the story of a village in the Northeast of England, where the mine closed, and people feel deserted by the system. Many young ones have left and what was once a thriving, proud community struggles to keep old values alive. But there is growing anger, resentment, and a lack of hope. Houses are cheap and available. This makes it an ideal location for the Syrian refugees that have been accepted by Britain in recent years. How will the Syrians be received? And what will be the future for the last remaining pub in the village, The Old Oak?
With production beginning on May 19, one shouldn’t be surprised if a return to Cannes Film Festival is in store next year.
We spoke to Loach back in 2020, where he touched on the history of revolutions and more, saying, “There will be rebellions where people march and occupy buildings, but that’s not a revolution. A revolution is when power changes. They’re rare. We had a revolution in the 17th century when the king and the aristocracy, feudalism lost power to the new merchant class. We haven’t had a revolution since. Power is still with the bourgeoisie. The French revolution was similar. Power didn’t go to the people, power went to the bourgeoisie again. Corporate power controlled Western Europe. The revolution in Russia was the working class taking power but Stalin wrecked it. Now it’s slipped back to an authoritarian gangster capitalism. The only thing we do know is history is volatile. We can’t pick it. And given that we’re destroying the planet at the moment, God knows what’s going to happen, Josh. “