Loach jumps aboard Cannes train

Ken Loach's Iraq-set drama Route Irish has been added to the competition line up at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Having initially declined to submit the film for competition, Loach reportedly had a last minute change of heart and held a screening for members of the selection committee.

Filmed in Liverpool and Jordan (also used to replicate Iraq in The Hurt Locker , FYI), Route Irish follows a British former soldier who is forced to confront his unresolved demons when he takes a job in Iraq.

This project holds particular significance for Loach devotees, as it marks his first collaboration with Kes cinematographer Chris Menges in twenty years.

Loach has built up an impressive track record at Cannes. Route Irish is his third film in competition in the last five years, the others being Looking For Eric and The Wind That Shakes The Barley , for which he took home the Palme d'Or in 2006.

Want to see Loach triumph again? Let us know below.

Emma Didbin is a writer and journalist who has contributed to GamesRadar+, The New York Times, Elle, Esquire, The Hollywood Reporter, Vulture, and more. Emma can currently be found in Los Angeles where she is pursuing a career in TV writing. Emma has also penned two novels, and somehow finds the time to write scripts for Parcast – the Spotify-owned network that creates thrilling true crime and mystery podcasts.