The team made up of director Ken Loach and his long-time screenwriter Paul Laverty was presented with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the KVIFF. Two of their feature films, Land and Freedom and Sweet Sixteen are screened at the Festival on the occasion of the thirty-year anniversary of the establishment of the European Film Academy. Monday's press conference focused on their joint efforts to define the British social cinematography, in the framework of which they have created twelve feature films. They also discussed more general issues, such as British politics or modern technologies.
Naturally, the discussion also turned to the films screened at the Festival. Land and Freedom (1995) is a story from the Spanish Civil War. “We thought that nobody would defend Fascism, but it is currently experiencing a revival throughout Europe. This monster is far from being dead. The interesting thing was that while we had conceived the Land and Freedom as an anti-Stalinist film, it was actually perceived as pro-Stalinist at the Czech festival. We were really surprised, this is the irony of history”, Ken Loach commented on the film.
The team got together quite naturally, in their own words. “There is an unbelievable peaceful co-existence between us, partly supported by the fact that we have always tried to criticise each other. What I have learned from Ken is that the selection of stories is one of the most important phases of creation, and also that you learn more by listening than by talking. This festival has provided further encouragement to our co-operation, and I would like to express my gratitude for this, as we have never been treated so well at any other festival”, Paul Laverty added.
While Ken Loach, as a director, has been influenced by films from whole of Europe, Czech films have a special value for him. “In particular, I like the 1960’s “New Wave” so much that I would even take those films to a desert island. They taught me that it is necessary to be true to myself, that the simpler the truth is told, the better.”
