The ‘Spirit Of 45’ is Ken Loach’s documentary about how the spirit of unity buoyed the UK during the war years was carried through to create a vision of a fairer, united society folowing the election of the 1945 Labour Government.
The film, on general release on March 15th, is a feature length documentary which was funded by the BFI Film Fund, Channel 4 and Loach’s stand-alone movie-production arm Film4. Loach’s film is about a new socialism that emerged in the UK as World War II came to an end in 1945.
Loach uses footage from the UK’s regional and national archives alongside photographs, sound recordings and contemporary interviews to curate a rich political and social narrative. The aim of the film is to ‘illuminate and celebrate’ a period of ‘unprecedented community spirit’ in the UK, the impact of which has endured for many years and is still deeply resonant today.
