Bafta Film Awards: Veteran film director Ken Loach urges Gaza ceasefire

British veteran director Ken Loach used his appearance on the red carpet at the 77th Bafta Film Awards ceremony on Sunday to urge for a ceasefire in Gaza, where over 29,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since 7 October.

Loach, whose Syrian refugee drama The Old Oak was competing for the Outstanding British Film category, posed next to a sign that read: "Gaza: Stop the massacre", which was held up by the film's writer Paul Laverty.

His film, Old Oak, tells the story of a struggling pub landlord in a former mining community in County Durham where tensions rise after Syrian refugees are housed there.

Although the film did not win, Loach was praised by actress and director Samantha Morton in her acceptance speech for her Bafta Fellowship award.

Sixteen Films - a studio led by Loach - reposted the image on its X account, saying: "Ceasefire now".

The 87-year-old has been an outspoken critic of Israel in the past, condemning artists who perform in Israel as supporting apartheid.

In 2017, he and Laverty were among filmmakers who donated proceeds from screenings of their films to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as a gesture of support for the Palestinian struggle for freedom.