I, Daniel Blake

A disabled man struggles with welfare red tape in Ken Loach's powerful, humane, award-winning drama.

Middle-aged Geordie widower Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is incapacitated after a heart attack and can no longer work as a carpenter. For the first time in his life, he needs assistance from the state. But he's soon caught up in a bureaucratic benefits nightmare, hampered by his own naive honesty. Meanwhile, quick-tempered single mother Katie (Hayley Squires) finds that her only escape from a hostel for the homeless in London is to accept accomodation in Newcastle - a city with which she has no ties. When their paths cross, Daniel and Katie form a bond born of their experiences with the Kafkaesque welfare system. 

Much-acclaimed veteran director Ken Loach's Cannes Palme d'Or-winning drama is an angry indictment of austerity Britain. But it's also warm, funny and richly characterised, with an outstanding debut film performance by comedian Dave Johns.