Here is the report from Cannes by Time magazine: British director Ken Loach on Sunday took home the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival for his film, I, Daniel Blake. The 79-year-old, who had returned from retirement to make the film, said in French that it was “very strange” to win the prestigious award in such a glitzy surrounding considering the conditions endured by the people who inspired his movie, The Guardianreports. “The festival is very important for the future of cinema,” Loach said, according to the newspaper. “When there is despair, the people from the far right take advantage. We must say that another world is possible and necessary.”
I, Daniel Blake is about an injured carpenter who fights to stay on welfare. This is the second Palme d’Or that Loach has received, according to The Guardian. He had also won the prize for his 2006 film The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
According to Variety The film, chronicling the social-welfare battle fought by a struggling Newcastle carpenter, scored a strong emotional reaction from Cannes audiences when it unspooled early in the festival — though many critics were more reserved in their praise. This year’s jury, led by “Mad Max” director George Miller, evidently voted with their hearts, handing the 79-year-old Loach the festival’s top honor exactly 10 years after his Irish historical drama “The Wind That That Shakes the Barley” landed the prize. Accepting the award onstage, Loach said, “Film can bring us the world of the imagination. But it can also bring us the world that we live in…We must give a message of hope. We must say that another world is possible, and necessary.”
