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Feature on the 12th Bradford Film Festival, 2006

METRO: HAWK-EYED ON TALENT

 

Bradford’s 12th Film Festival showcases past and future classics of the industry.
By Eddie Harrison

Under the stewardship of artistic director Tony Earnshaw, the 12th Bradford Film Festival offers 16 days of the highest quality films and big-name guests. Kick-started by Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and closing with Darren Lemke’s thriller Lost, the festival will also celebrate Ken Loach’s late 1960s classic, Kes with a unique reunion of cast and crew.

“It’s quite extraordinary to be doing this 38 years on,” says Loach. “A film crew can bond really quickly, and on Kes they were a particularly loyal and committed group. Of course, I’ve kept in contact with many of them; the writer Barry Hines, producer Tony Garnett and cinematographer Chris Menges. And David Bradley, who played Billy Casper; we always exchange cards at Christmas.”

Loach’s latest film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, is about the Irish war of independence and stars Cillian Murphy. It continues a prolific period that includes Land and Freedom, Bread and Roses, Carla’s Song, My Name is Joe, Sweet Sixteen and Ae Fond Kiss.

But for Bradford Film Festival Loach is happy to look back to Kes, and a character that caught the world’s imagination. “Initially, we had a real struggle to get Kes shown but, fortunately, some critics fought really hard for it to find an audience,” says Loach.

“But the longevity of Kes took us all by surprise; I think anyone who remembers their own childhood can find a point of identification with him, freezing out there on the football field, dodging the ball.”

• This is an edited version of a feature by Eddie Harrison that originally appeared in Metro. (February 28 2006). (© Metro 2006)