Edinburgh International Film Festival is to hold a special In Conversation event with Ken Loach and his longtime creative team, Paul Laverty & Rebecca O’Brien.
The festival is also set to screen a 35mm retrospective presentation of their acclaimed The Wind That Shakes the Barley. That won Loach his second Palme D’Or – he’s only one of 10 filmmakers to achieve that feat. The epic starring Cillian Murphy explores the rift that emerges between two brothers who find themselves fighting against one another in the conflict over Irish independence in the early 1920s.
READ MORE – Ken Loach film to premiere in Cannes
“It is a great honour for us to welcome Ken Loach, Paul Laverty and Rebecca O’Brien for what promises to be a lively and fascinating discussion of their work together, with two Palme D’Ors to their names and a body of work that includes ferociously powerful films produced across decades,” said Paul Ridd, CEO & Festival Director.
“We are also delighted to be presenting one of their major films from a 35mm print. It is a genuine thrill to be able to add this formidable trio to a roster of speakers at EIFF in a programme of In Conversation events which already includes Jeremy Thomas, Nia Da Costa, Andrew and Kevin Macdonald, Andrea Arnold and Ben Wheatley.”
The event takes place on Wednesday 20 August at 1.30pm in Filmhouse.
As revealed by Ridd, the In Conversation strand will also feature Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void, One to One: John & Yoko) speaking with his brother, producer Andrew Macdonald (Trainspotting, Civil War, 28 Years Later). Plus trailblazing filmmaker Nia Da Costa, who will discuss her work which spans independent film, horror sequels and major studio comic book adaptations including The Marvels, Candyman and upcoming film 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
Andrea Arnold is one of the UK’s most outstanding filmmakers. She will discuss her searing debut feature Red Road (2006), also screening at EIFF this year, which won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut, along with her critically acclaimed work such as Fish Tank, American Honey, Cow and, most recently, Bird.
Finally legendary producer Jeremy Thomas (Eureka, 13 Assassins, Sexy Beast) will discuss his long and varied career, which includes collaborations with Nicolas Roeg, Takeshi Miike and Jonathan Glazer, in a conversation with filmmaker Mark Cousins (A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, The Story of Film, The Storms of Jeremy Thomas).
EIFF 2025 is supported by Screen Scotland.
