The Old Oak
The Old Oak
Ken Loach, UK, 2023, 113’, Toronto Premiere
In English and Arabic, with English subtitles
Cannes FF 2023, Nominated, Palm d’Or; Locarno FF 2023, Winner, Audience Award; Valladolid FF 2023, Nominated, Best Film; Palic FF 2023, Winner, Audience Award, Nominated, Best Film; Calgary FF 2023, Winner, Audience Award
The Old Oak is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, it is the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen into hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne the landlord hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his hold is endangered even more when The Old Oak becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village. In an unlikely friendship TJ encounters a young Syrian, Yara with her camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about loss, fear and the difficulty of finding hope.
