Odd News

Movie echoing Iraq wins Gannes top prize

(AFP)
Updated: 2006-05-29 18:38

British director Ken Loach was savouring an overdue triumph at the Cannes film festival with a movie depicting the brutality of 1920s occupied Ireland which he said was equally applicable to today's Iraq.

British director Ken Loach celebrates during a photocall after winning the Palme d'Or during the closing ceremony of the 58th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival on the French Riviera. Loach was savouring an overdue triumph at the Cannes film festival with a movie depicting the brutality of 1920s occupied Ireland which he said was equally applicable to today's Iraq. [AFP]

"The Wind That Shakes The Barley" won the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, in a glittering closing ceremony late Sunday packed with stars and celebrities.

It tells the tale of Ireland's struggle for independence from Britain through the experiences of a young doctor who joins a rag-tag band of guerrillas fighting the ruthless British occupiers.

The film is savage in its depiction of violence, and unflinchingly shows what happens when an unpopular peace treaty which pledges allegiance to the British crown tears the doctor and his brother apart.

The 69-year-old director -- who had missed out on a Palme d'Or win seven times previously in his long career -- has been blunt in drawing parallels between his movie and the bloody situation in Iraq today.

"Maybe if we tell the truth about the past, maybe we tell the truth about the present," he said as he accepted the award from French actress Emmanuelle Beart.

"The Wind That Shakes The Barley" beat 19 other films to grab the festival's gold trophy.