--- description: British director Ken Loach took home the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival for his film, "I, Daniel Blake." title: Ken Loach Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5e254b369152ba5/6988944b3c1639435d45d596/ken-loach.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ken Loach Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 22, 2016 7:56 PM CUT  Director Ken Loach poses for photographers with the Palme d'Or for his film I, Daniel Blake during the photo call following the awards ceremony at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, France, on May 22, 2016. Director Ken Loach poses for photographers with the Palme d'Or for his film I, Daniel Blake during the photo call following the awards ceremony at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, France, on May 22, 2016.Joel Ryan—AP  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 22, 2016 7:56 PM CUT British director Ken Loach on Sunday [took home the Palme d’Or](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/22/ken-loach-cannes-2016-palme-dor-win-i-daniel-blake "undefined"), the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival for his film, [_I, Daniel Blake_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5168192/ "undefined"). The 79-year-old, who had returned from retirement to make the film, said in French that it was “very strange” to win the prestigious award in such a glitzy surrounding considering the conditions endured by the people who inspired his movie, _The Guardian_ reports. “The festival is very important for the future of cinema,” Loach said, according to the newspaper. “When there is despair, the people from the far right take advantage. We must say that another world is possible and necessary.” _I, Daniel Blake_ is about an injured carpenter who fights to stay on welfare. This is the second [Palme d’Or](http://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/27/palme-dor-preview-handicapping-the-five-top-contenders-at-cannes/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined") that Loach has received, according to _The Guardian_. He had also won the prize for his 2006 film [_The Wind That Shakes the Barley_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460989/ "undefined")_._ \[[_The Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/22/ken-loach-cannes-2016-palme-dor-win-i-daniel-blake "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4344301/ken-loach-palme-dor-cannes-film-festival/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4344301/ken-loach-palme-dor-cannes-film-festival/"},"headline":"Ken Loach Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival","datePublished":"2016-05-22T19:56:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:40:02.792Z","description":"It's his second time winning the prestigious award","url":"https://time.com/4344301/ken-loach-palme-dor-cannes-film-festival/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5e254b369152ba5/6988944b3c1639435d45d596/ken-loach.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5e254b369152ba5/6988944b3c1639435d45d596/ken-loach.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Director Ken Loach poses for photographers with the Palme d'Or for his film I, Daniel Blake during the photo call following the awards ceremony at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 22, 2016. 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