Filmmaking / Directing : An Interview with Ken Loach by Geoff Hall

I love this interview with Ken Loach. I can't say I've always been a fan of his work, but this (mini) interview is a real gem. "And if there’s one thing we as filmmakers need to do it’s to be involved in the dynamism in society, to really take part in that — [not?] as filmmakers just as citizens.” Tarkovsky gave his advice to filmmakers, telling them that there shouldn't be a divide between the issues which move their heart and the films they make. I've had to realign my thinking about the stories I want to tell and if you read my taglines and check out my projects, then you'll see my focus is on human rights and social control. It won't matter what genre I'm writing in, the things which concern my heart will be the focus. The one thing I have an aversion to is 'using' the medium of film to get your message or agenda across. The art of filmmaking becomes a mere utility and I think we lose sight of a love of the medium. Here's Loach again. Despite many digressions into current issues such as housing, poverty and the democratization of public broadcasting, Loach insisted that he was a director first and foremost, not a politician. “There’s got to be a love affair with the medium,” he said. “If you see the medium as a mechanism simply to express a political idea, forget it, it doesn’t work. You’ve got to love the medium.” May we all love the medium of our vocation and not just use it. And thank you Ken Loach. http://variety.com/2016/film/global/ken-loach-right-wing-press-attacks-1...