“The man is a legend,” said Padraic Delaney, speaking of the director of The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Ken Loach.
With natural Irish charm, the 29-year-old actor happily stopped on the red carpet for a chat with the media before entering Madinat Arena for the gala screening on Tuesday. T
he star of the film, on his first visit to Dubai for DIFF, said the English director had unique ways of working to achieve his award-winning results. “Ken Loach creates such a wonderful atmosphere for actors because the camera is 100ft away so you’re not even aware of it,” he said. “It’s like he captures a little bit of reality.”
Also on the runway was co-star Orla Fitzgerald, 28, who plays the feisty love interest in the film which tells the story of Irish freedom fighters trying to gain independence from Britain in the 1920s.
Wearing a flowing mint dress with gold Hugo Boss shoes, the London-based actress said the film was shot in her home city of Cork, in Ireland. She said: “I feel really proud to be part of the film and it has taken everyone involved in it on a journey.” “Winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes was amazing and getting the opportunity to travel to places like Dubai is a real bonus.”
One of the many who were thrilled to see the film come to Dubai was DIFF director Neil Stephenson. celebrated film “We really pushed hard for The Wind That Shakes The Barley and I was particularly keen on it because it is an excellent film by Ken Loach and it’s also a celebrated film,” he said. “It’s heavy-going, it’s tough, but it is really important that DIFF brings in serious films and we are very honoured to have it.”
Eager to see the latest offering by Ken Loach were a host of Arab stars including Bahraini actress Fatima A Rahim, wearing a head-turning mandarine-coloured outfit with sparkling Roberto Cavalli shoes and a bag to match. “This is the first time I have attended DIFF,” she said, “and I think it is wonderful to get all the fans, actors and actresses from around the world together.”
Saudi Arabian director Mohammed Al Shammri was keen to see the movie he had heard so much about. “The director is very famous and I have read a lot about the film so I think I will enjoy it,” he said. The powerful drama certainly seemed to live up to expectations, receiving a spontaneous round of applause as the final credits rolled.
