Cannes Winner Loach To Put Gangmasters In The Frame

Just days after winning one of cinema's top prizes, controversial director Ken Loach is turning his attention to gangmasters for his next film, which will shoot in Scotland this autumn. Loach won the Palme d'Or last weekend at the Cannes Film Festival for The Wind that Shakes the Barley, a drama about the early days of the IRA which some critics have accused of being anti-British. He is lionised in Europe but expects his latest film to open in 10 times as many cinemas in France than in Britain. He said that British cinemas were "in the pockets" of the big American film companies.

"We are really wanting to keep quite quiet about it at the moment."

Loach and his producer Rebecca O'Brien were reluctant to give much away about their next film except to say it is called These Times, a "contemporary drama" which will be shot in Scotland and the London area. Loach has made several films in Scotland in recent years, repeatedly collaborating with Paul Laverty, a scriptwriter from Glasgow.

O'Brien said: "We are really wanting to keep quite quiet about it at the moment."

Asked it if it was likely to be controversial, she added: "Look at the rest of our films and you can decide from that."  Details of the film inadvertently appeared last week in a section of the website for Loach's company Sixteen Films, named after Sweet Sixteen, the film in which Martin Compston made his debut four years ago.

Read Brian Pendreigh's story in full HERE