StudioCanal has released a poster and trailer for The Old Oak, the upcoming drama from I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You collaborators writer Paul Laverty and director Ken Loach, which the latter has suggested may be the final film of his distinguished career.
Set in the North East of England, the film tells the story of The Old Oak, the last remaining pub in what was once a thriving mining community and its landlord TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner), who is fighting to keep it open but finds his precarious situation endangered further when it becomes contested territory after Syrian refugees are placed in the village, but after striking an unlikely friendship with a young Syrian (Ebla Mari), TJ and his friend try to find a way for the communities to understand each other. Watch the trailer below…
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 Old Oak arrives in UK cinemas on September 29th.
Originally published July 4, 2023. Updated July 23, 2023.
