This document provides an overview of the social realist film genre and discusses the 2016 film I, Daniel Blake. Social realist films typically focus on issues affecting vulnerable social groups and depict the working class heroically. I, Daniel Blake is analyzed in relation to these conventions by focusing on how it portrays working class people and issues like welfare reform. The document also discusses how independent films can critique dominant capitalist ideologies found in mainstream cinema and how a film challenging capitalism is still produced within that economic system. Students are tasked with researching factual information about I, Daniel Blake's production, distribution, and reception to understand how it fits within and challenges conventions.

1. I, DANIEL BLAKE
(LOACH, 2016)

2. THIS UNIT IS ALL ABOUT COLD AND
HARD FACTS. WE’LL BE DEALING WITH
MANY CONCEPTS, THEMES AND ISSUES,
BUT ULTIMATELY, YOU WILL BE MARKED
ON YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE ACCURATE
AND EXPLICIT REFERENCE TO FACTS

3. WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES WHICH AFFECT
OUR SOCIETY TODAY?

4. THE SOCIAL REALIST GENRE
• Social realist or social realism films tend to focus on the following themes:
• Issues that affect those most vulnerable in our society
• Often, but not always set in the north of England
• A depiction of the working class as being heroic
In what ways do
the following
three trailers
conform to
these generic
conventions?

5. SORRY WE MISSED YOU - TRAILER

6. KES - TRAILER

7. DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES - TRAILER

8. I DANIEL BLAKE – TRAILER

9. I DANIEL BLAKE – TRAILER ANALYSIS
• 1 - What makes this an independent film?​
• 2 - What issues does this film focus on?
• 3 - In what ways are working class people shown to be heroic

10. Explain the ways in
which social and
political contexts may
influence independent
films. Refer to I, Daniel
Blake to support your
points

11. THE CULTURAL INDUSTRY DICHOTOMY
Culture Industry
In what ways do these two concepts form a binary
opposition? And why is this important to us?

12. CAPITALISM
• “an economic and political
system in which a country's
trade and industry are
controlled by private owners
for profit, rather than by the
state”
That’s
us!

13. SO IF CAPITALISM IS OUR
DOMINANT IDEOLOGY,
THEN HOW IS THIS
REFLECTED IN
MAINSTREAM CINEMA?

14. BROADLY CAPITALIST DOMINANT
IDEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES IN MAINSTREAM
CINEMA
• Work hard, and you will reap the rewards, no matter where you started (‘The American
dream’…)
• Men and women are totally different… but they need each other!
• You can measure how successful someone is through how much they own
• The good guys always win, and the bad guys always lose
• Love is the answer to everything! If you have love, you don’t need money!

15. BIG BUDGET HOLLYWOOD MOVIES

16. I, DANIEL BLAKE AND THE CULTURE
INDUSTRY
• In what ways does I, Daniel Blake challenge and
critique dominant ideological perspectives of
capitalism and classical Hollywood narrative?
• How can a film that challenges capitalist ideology exist
within a capitalist structure?

17. POLITICAL CONTEXTS
https://ww
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18. Explain the ways in
which social and
political contexts may
influence independent
films. Refer to I, Daniel
Blake to support your
points

19. I, DANIEL BLAKE: COLD, HARD FACTS -
RESEARCH TASK
• FIND OUT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
• Budget
• Earnings: Box office, opening weekend, digital sales, total number of screens,
worldwide gross…
• Opening weekend
• Ownership: Producer(s), Distributor(s…)
• Director and actor resumes
• Critical and audience reception
• Funding: how did this film actually get financed?
• Awards- Palme D’or