Ken Loach (born June 17, 1936) is a British television and film director, known for his social realist style and socialist themes.

Biography

Born Kenneth Loach in Nuneaton, England, he studied law at St Peter's College, Oxford. He started out as an actor in repertory theatre, but in the early 1960s moved into producing television docu-dramas, notably the socially influential Cathy Come Home (1966). In the late 1960s he moved into directing films, and made Kes, the story of a troubled boy and his kestrel, based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines . It remains perhaps his best known film in Britain.

The 1970s and 80s were less successful, with his films suffering from poor distribution, lack of interest and political censorship. His film The Save the Children Fund Film (1971) was commissioned by the charity, who disliked it so much they attempted to have the negative destroyed. It has yet to be shown in public. He was also commisioned by Channel 4 to make A Question of Leadership, a documentary on the UK miners' strike. However, the program was withheld by Channel 4 for political reasons.

However, the 1990s saw Loach return to form, with the production of a series of critically acclaimed and popular films. During this period he was also three times awarded prizes at the Cannes Film Festival.

In December 2003, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Birmingham.

In November 2004, he was elected to the national council of the RESPECT coalition.

Filmography

Television

• Z Cars (series, 1962)
• Diary of a Young Man (1964)
• 3 Clear Sundays (1965)
• Up the Junction (1965)
• The End of Arthur's Marriage (1965)
• Coming Out Party (1965)
• Cathy Come Home (1966) (as Kenneth Loach)
• In Two Minds (1967)
• The Golden Vision (1968)
• The Big Flame (1969)
• The Rank and the File (1971) - part of the Play for Today series.
• After a Lifetime (1971)
• A Misfortune (1973)
• Days of Hope (mini-series, 1975)
• The Price of Coal (1977)
• Auditions (1980)
• A Question of Leadership (1981)
• The Red and the Blue: Impressions of Two Political Conferences - Autumn 1982 (1983)
• Questions of Leadership (1983)
• The View From the Woodpile (1989)

Cinema

• Poor Cow (1967)
• Kes (1969) (as Kenneth Loach)
• The Save the Children Fund Film (1971)
• Family Life (1971)
• Black Jack (1979)
• The Gamekeeper (1980)
• Looks and Smiles (1981) (as Kenneth Loach)
• Which Side Are You On? (1984)
• Fatherland (1986)
• Hidden Agenda (1990). Cannes Special Jury Prize.
• Riff-Raff (1990). Shown with subtitles in the USA, because of British dialects.
• Raining Stones (1993). Cannes Special Jury Prize.
• Ladybird Ladybird (1994)
• Land and Freedom (1995). FIPRESCI International Critics Prize and the Cannes Ecumenical Jury Prize.
• A Contemporary Case for Common Ownership (1995)
• Carla's Song (1996)
• The Flickering Flame (1997)
• My Name Is Joe (1998)
• Bread and Roses (2000)
• The Navigators (2001)
• Sweet Sixteen (2002)
• Ae Fond Kiss... (2004)

External links

• A biography