Irish Republican News, May 30, 2006
Palme d'Or for Ken Loach film
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
"We hope that our film
represents a small step in the relationship which the British have with
their imperialist past.
If we dare to tell the truth about the past, perhaps
we shall dare tell the truth about the present."
(Ken Loach during the Award Ceremony)
A new film on the Irish War of Independence is set to boost international
understanding of the struggle against British rule after it scooped top
honours at the Cannes Film Festival.
The English director Ken Loach's film 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley'
won the Palme d'Or at the prestigious film festival, virtually ensuring
its financial success and a wide distribution.
The Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, the president of the nine-member
jury, said the decision had been unanimous. He said his panel had looked
for films that reflected "compassion, hope, bonding and solidarity".
The Wind That Shakes the Barley depicts the experiences of IRA Volunteers
who united to form guerrilla units to face the savage and murderous 'Black
and Tan' squads that were shipped from Britain to block Ireland's bid for
independence.
The central characters in the film are two brothers and their friend.
They abandon their former lives to join the republican fight for
independence.
In his acceptance speech, Ken Loach said he hoped the film was a "very
little step" on the path to Britain confronting its "imperialist history".
The 69-year-old film-maker said the Irish fight for independence against
an empire imposing its will on a foreign people had resonances with the
occupation of Iraq.
"Maybe if we tell the truth about the past, maybe we tell the truth about
the present," he said.
In an earlier interview, Ken Loach said the film, which was shot entirely
on location in County Cork with members of the Irish film industry, said
the story of the struggle for independence "occurs and reoccurs".
"It is always a good time to tell that story. There are always armies of
occupation somewhere in the world being resisted by the people they are
occupying.
"The British, unfortunately and illegally, have an army of occupation in
Iraq," he said.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley is to go on general release in Ireland on
June 23.
Ken Loach has been nominated for the Palme d'Or on seven previous
occasions but this is the first time he has won the main prize.
He won the jury prize in 1990 for Hidden Agenda, about a British army
shoot-to-kill policy in the North of Ireland.
