Eating together, living together - hope grows where worlds touch
In a dilapidated mining village in Northern England, where hope has slowly disappeared, a group of Syrian refugees arrive. What follows is a clash of worlds, but also a search for common ground. In The Old Oak, the latest film by the master of social drama Ken Loach, an old pub becomes the setting for confrontation and connection. This poignant drama gives a voice to people who are often not heard, people who have lost their home, and people who feel forgotten in their homeland. An unlikely friendship between pub owner TJ and the young Syrian photographer Yara carefully brings the different worlds together, with The Old Oak as a shared center. Together they decide to serve free food in The Old Oak. Because TJ's mother already knew: "When you eat together, you stick together."
Director: Ken Loach
Countries: UK/France/Belgium
Languages: English spoken, Dutch subtitles
Duration: 113 min
Target audience: 12+
This film is part of a series of nine inspiring films, selected in collaboration with film house Slieker. All these films touch on the theme of Arcadia, Grûn. Grûn (soil) is where everything begins. It nourishes us, protects us and connects us. But how do we take care of it?
In a world that is constantly changing, the need for solid ground under our feet grows. Whether it is coming home, as in Sigur Ros: Heima, or starting over as in The Old Oak. When the solid ground under your feet disappears, as figuratively in En Fanfare and literally in No Other Land, uncertainty arises, while Wilde Mossels is about the courage to escape from your roots. Where documentary Onder het Maaiveld shows how essential the smallest life under our feet is, in the special sci-fi Vesper, Tim Burton's Big Fish and animated film Wolfwalkers you can escape from reality with fantastic stories about people and nature and the natural nature of man. Come and watch all the films in Bouwurk and be touched, surprised and perhaps even made to think!
This event takes place in the White Box in Bouwurk on the Oldehoofsterkerkhof in Leeuwarden, Friesland.