Veteran director Ken Loach is to receive an honorary doctorate from Liverpool Hope University in England in celebration of his lifetime achievements.
According to the U.TV website, the British filmmaker has established a long-standing professional relationship with the city and many of its top actors, including Ricky Tomlinson and Ian Hart, and was inspired by a strike at the Liverpool Docks in the mid-1990s to make the 1996 documentary ‘The Flickering Flame’.
Now he is set to be recognized for his “distinctive and humane artistic vision” by city academics.
University vice-chancellor Prof. Gerald Pillay says, “(His work) brings to our attention the plight of the disinherited, and his unwavering dedication to presenting the truth to his audience - no matter how difficult that may be - inspires us all.”
Loach will be made a Doctor of Humane Letters during a ceremony at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral on January 22.
Kenneth Loach (1936) is an English film and television director who is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialism, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness (Cathy Come Home) and labor rights (Riff-Raff and The Navigators).
