Ken Loach’s ‘The Old Oak’ trailer explores politics and compassion in modern England

Ken Loach, the acclaimed director known for creating socially conscious and politically charged films, is back with The Old Oak, a movie examining racial tension, migration, and solidarity in modern Britain.

Inspired by Northeast England, the movie is set in a once-thriving mining town in County Durham, where a boat of Syrian refugees arrive. In the film, TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) owns a long-standing but struggling pub by the name of The Old Oak. He strikes up a friendship with Yari (Ebla Mari), a refugee with whom he discovers the importance of solidarity and compassion, in the face of immense divide.

The Old Oak will be released in the UK and Ireland on Sept. 29. Global dates TBC.