Stars attend London premiere of Wind that shakes the Barley
Stars of Ken Loach’s new film The Wind That Shakes The Barley attended its UK premiere in London tonight.
Among those at the first screening of the movie was Cillian Murphy, who plays a doctor drawn into the conflict between Irish nationalists and the British.
Murphy, who also appeared in the apocalyptic film 28 Days Later, welcoed the controversy the film has attracted. But he labelled some of the more extreme criticism in the British press as “absurd”.
He said: “A lot of them haven’t even seen it. Everyone is entitled to comment, but please see the film before you start spouting off nonsense.
“British people should look at this movie as should Irish people. They should just learn from it.”
Loach was unable to attend the premiere of his film, which took the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last month, because of a “severe migraine”.
His tense film sparked controversy for its raw depiction of a period in Irish history which is still the subject of fierce debate.
It chronicles the 1920s War of Independence conducted by Irish workers who face the oppressive “black and tan” squads shipped from Britain.
Murphy was joined by fellow Cork actor Orla Fitzgerald and fellow stars Padraic Delaney and Liam Cunningham for the charity premiere at the Curzon Mayfair, in central London.
Fitzgerald said the film was “one sided in so far as it’s about Irish history”.
She added: “If we were to tell the story of the British, then that is a different film.”
Screen writer Paul Laverty said the film captured a “critical moment” in the history between Ireland and Britain.
He said: “It is a really dramatic situation. It has a long shadow cast over Ireland for the last 80 years.”
Also at the premiere were journalist John Pilger, former International Development Secretary Clare Short and actor Jaime Murray who appeared in the popular TV drama Hustle.
