AN award-winning film director who has over 50 years’ experience, will share his expertise at the Westway Cinema after a showing of one of his recent films.
Ken Loach is to appear at the cinema on Friday 26th September where his recent film The Spirit of ‘45 will be shown before he has a question and answer session with the audience. Doors open at 6pm for a 6.30pm start and anyone wishing to attend is advised to book early as the event is expected to be popular.
He is renown for his naturalistic, social realist directing style that tackles social problems and has won numerous awards for his directing qualities. Ken Loach’s film work is characterised by a particular view of realism; he strives in every area of filmmaking to emphasise genuine interplay between actors, to the point where some scenes in his films appear unscripted. All scenes are carefully scripted, around which some improvisation can occur.
His 2013 film The Spirit of ‘45 is focused on and celebrating the radical changes in postwar Britain under the Labour government of Clement Attlee, which came to power in 1945. Relying primarily on archive footage and interviews, and without a narrative voiceover, the film recounts the endemic poverty in prewar Britain, the sense of optimism that followed victory in World War 2 and the subsequent expansion of the welfare state, founding of the National Health Service and nationalisation of significant parts of the UK’s economy. The film documents the extent to which these achievements, as Ken Loach sees them, have since been subject to attack in the decades that followed, particularly under the Conservative governments of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
He said that the model for the film was “oral history, with pictures.”
Speaking about Ken Loach’s visit to Frome, Westway Cinema owner Martina O’Connor said, “It is great for the town and for the cinema that we have been able to get such a big name in the film industry to appear and give a question and answer session. It promises to be an intriguing evening and one that I am looking forward to. Anyone wanting to come should book early to ensure they don’t miss out.”
Tickets cost £5 and for more information visit www.westwaycinema.co.uk or call 01373 467088.
