Composer George Fenton (Dangerous Liaisons, Groundhog Day, The Blue Planet, Anna and the King, Hitch) is reuniting with director Ken Loach on the upcoming drama The Old Oak. The film starring Dave Turner, Ebla Mari and Debbie Honeywood centers on the owner of a pub threatened with closure after the arrival of Syrian refugees, when he meets and strikes an unexpected friendship with a Syrian woman. Paul Laverty (The Olive Tree, Yuli) wrote the screenplay. Rebecca O’Brien (You Were Not Really Here, Sorry We Missed You) is producing the project for Sixteen Films. Fenton has previously scored most of Loach’s features over the last two decades including The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Sweet Sixteen, Looking for Eric, Jimmy’s Hall, I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You. The Old Oak will premiere next month at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Fenton’s other recent projects include BBC’s natural history series Wild Isles, which just made its U.S. debut this past Friday on Prime Video, as well as Andy Tennant’s feature Unit 234.

  1. Dear Mr Ken Loach,

    Many Happy Returns for 17 June. I have enjoyed and profited from your great films over many decades. Thank you so much,

    Bill (Lyons).