Director Ken Loach is back in the North East to make a new movie that is set to tug at the heartstrings of viewers once again.
The acclaimed filmmaker has previously shot hard-hitting I, Daniel Blake - winner of the Palme d’Or and BAFTA Outstanding British Film awards - and Sorry We Missed You in the region. Now filming is under way on his third North East film, The Old Oak, which brings the Kes director and his long-term collaborators - writer Paul Laverty and producer Rebecca O’Brien - to County Durham this week.
Preparations for their new venture had been kept under wraps but the shoot started on Tuesday with the focus being a derelict pub - now recreated as a local boozer, The Old Oak - which features in the heart of the story which stars Dave Turner - who was in Sorry We Missed You - and newcomer Ebla Mari.
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Filming will take place in locations including Murton, Easington Colliery and Horden and the new feature - involving Studiocanal UK and Why Not Productions alongside their own production company Sixteen Films - sees Turner play pub landlord TJ Ballantyne and Mari a Syrian refugee.
The decision to set a third film in the North East is welcome news for the region. Sorry We Missed You was another award-winner and while Loach at the time was not committing to a trio of local movies, he thoroughly enjoyed filming in the region - and even the opportunity to catch a match at St James' Park.
Rebecca O'Brien explained what had initially struck them about filming in Newcastle: “We’ve all really been enjoying being here; it’s a great city and it’s beautifully compact so being able to walk to most locations has made a big difference. It’s got some beautiful Georgian buildings and a Victorian and Georgian centre and it’s got a strong character."
As the close-knit filming team explore more of the region, a spokesperson said of their new storyline: "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. 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 with her camera." The story then follows two communities as they try to find a way to understand each other and is described as "a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes".
The film is being made with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, and BBC Film and is a co-production with Les Films du Fleuve. It is scheduled for release in 2023.
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