Ken Loach praises Jonathan Glazer's "hugely valuable"Oscar acceptance speech

Ken Loach has praised Jonathan Glazer's controversial Oscar acceptance speech in which the Zone of Interest director said that he refuted his Jewishness and the Holocaust being "hijacked by an occupation".

Glazer called for viewers to "resist dehumanisation" and made reference to both the October 7 attacks led by Hamas and the ongoing indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Gaza.

The speech has garnered both praise and controversy, with over 500 jewish Hollywood figures signing an open letter condemning Glazer's speech.

In an interview with Variety, Ken Loach said that says he has “great respect” for Jonathan Glazer in raising the subject of Gaza in his "hugely valuable" Oscars acceptance speech for The Zone of Interest.

“And I’m sure he understood the possible consequences, which makes him braver still, so I’ve got great respect for him and his work,”

While the director acknowledges that Glazer has been “attacked” , Loach also said that: “lots of support from many, many Jewish people who said it breaks the stereotype that all Jewish people support what Israel is doing, because clearly that’s not the case.”

As he adds, “It was hugely valuable in that it shows that diversity. So I’ve got great respect for what he did.”

The British filmmaker spoke to Variety ahead of the U.S. release of The Old Oak, a feature which the director says is his last.

Speaking on Palestine the director said that he wished he had an opportunity to make a film on the subject “That was a subject that I would have liked to have worked on, but I didn’t know quite how to tackle it,” he says. “It would have had to be a documentary, but it was a big project and certainly beyond me for the last decade.”

On the topic of Palestine, Loach and his The Old Oak team were very vocal in their support for a ceasefire in Gaza at the BAFTAs, speaking about the subject on the red carpet and posing for photos with a sign that read “Gaza: Stop the Massacre.”

Ken Loach’s long-time collaborator, screenwriter Paul Laverty spoke to Hot Press about the film, which follows the story of The Old Oak, the sole surviving pub in a historic mining town. The pub’s proprietor, TJ (Dave Turner), forges an unexpected bond with Yara (Ebla Mari), a youthful refugee who has fled the conflict in Syria.

The former human rights lawyer turned screenwriter said of the film's themes that: “It takes strength to hope,” he asserts. “And there’s a tension there, because so many people are broken by the cruelty. If you’ve lived in one of these war zones – and I’ve seen Nicaragua – and seen your community terrorised, that’s to kill hope. It’s intentional. But what always amazes me is that people still do hope, and that’s what nourishes me".