“The Old Oak”
Ken Loach’s acknowledged final film
in a career spanning six decades
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Rating: MA 15+
NOMINEE – Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2023
WINNER – Audience Award, Locarno International Film Festival 2023
From internationally revered filmmaker Ken Loach, this heart-felt drama, penned by Loach’s regular screenwriter Paul Laverty, is likely to be the great director’s final film in a six-decade long career.
Set in the north of England, THE OLD OAK tells the story of an impoverished village where the residents have never recovered from the demise of the mining industry. The young have left and what was once a thriving, proud community, struggles to keep old values alive amidst growing anger and resentment. When a group of Syrian refugees are housed in the village, life is disrupted and tensions surface. But a growing friendship between Yara, a young refugee, and TJ Ballantyne, the owner of The Old Oak, the last surviving local pub, might just be what the town needs to find new life and regain its heart.
Throughout his illustrious career, Ken Loach has been renowned for telling the stories of Britain’s working class and marginalised outsiders. In this, his acknowledged final feature, he has created a sensitive film that is also a celebration of the power of acceptance and community.
