The Old Oak – followed by a community meal and discussion

THE OLD OAK is directed by Ken Loach, written by Paul Laverty and completes their unofficial North East trilogy following acclaimed films including Sorry We Missed You and I, Daniel Blake.

The Old Oak is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, but it’s also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) the landlord hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice. In an unlikely friendship TJ meets a curious young Syrian Yara [Ebla Mari] with her camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes.

The film premiered in main competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and it’s purported to be the filmmaker’s final narrative feature. The festival has special permission to do a community screening whilst it has just hit cinemas in the UK.

Taking inspiration from the messages that appear in the film ‘It’s not where you’re from, it’s what you bring’ and ‘When we eat together, we stick together’, the purpose of this event is to bring people together from across Streatham through film and food for a collective event which includes a screening of The Old Oak followed by a community meal and discussion.

FREE film screening, no booking required.

Running time 113 mins

Cert 15

Please bring along a dish to share at the Community Meal if you can.

https://streathamfestival.com/event/film-the-old-oak/