From Page To Screen: Kes (1969) (PG)

Bridport’s definitive film festival celebrating the art of literary adaptation.

This year’s guest curator will be Screenwriter and Director, Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

With Post Screening Q&A with Christopher Eccleston

Ken Loach’s much loved film is the story of a boy (David Bradley ) who, coming from an abusive and dysfunctional working-class family and bullied at school, manages to transcend his difficult life and discover his own private means of fulfilment when he adopts a fledgling kestrel and proceeds to train it in the art of falconry. Listed as 7th in the 100 best British films of the 20th Century Kes is agreed by many to be Loach’s masterpiece. Graeme Ross writing in The Independent notes that ‘with Chris Menges’ superb camerawork lit only by natural light, Kes remains a true British classic and the peak of Loach’s illustrious body of work. Christopher Eccleston recently read Barry Hine’s novel Kes for BBC4 and described how Ken Loach’s 1969 film adaptation transformed his life; “it changed my entire view of myself and culture for working class people. It inspired me to smash down the ivory towers built by Oxbridge and get into the arts world.”

After the screening, Christopher Eccleston will be in conversation with filmmaker Simon Ford with whom he’s narrated the commentary on BBC One’s BAFTA-winning series Ambulance series since 2017.

DIRECTOR | Ken Loach
STARS | David Bradley, Brian Glover and Freddie Fletcher
SOURCE TEXT | Barry Hines’ A Kestrel for a Knave
SCREENWRITER | Barry Hines, Ken Loach and Tony Garnett

FILM SPONSORED BY

For more information please visit  www.bridport-arts.com

Bridport Arts Centre

Thursday 25th April at 2pm

Tickets: Adult £8 | Cons & U25’s £6

Purchase tickets  for all morning and afternoon films and get them for £32. That’s a 50% discount.

Tickets available from Bridport Tourist Information Centre, Bridport Town Hall, South Street DT6 3LF. Tel: 01308 424901 or