Film on N. Ireland Sparks Furor at Cannes Festival

A film about the troubles in Northern Ireland sparked a furor at the Cannes film festival today, as journalists from right-wing British newspapers accused director Ken Loach of pro-republican bias.

The post-premiere news conference, normally a tranquil discourse about camera angles, turned into a wrangling match as the British reporters stood up to denounce the movie and were shouted down in their turn by colleagues.

Loach, who had appealed for constructive discussion of the situation in Northern Ireland, commented at the end of the quarrel: “What you have seen a demonstration of today is why there is no real discussion of this issue in Britain.”

The rightist British tabloid the Daily Mail has been leading criticism of “Hidden Agenda,” condemning the film as biased in favor of the Irish Republican Army, fighting to end British rule in Northern Ireland.

The newspaper says “Hidden Agenda” has no right to stand as Britain’s only entry in the competition for the Golden Palm award and would be more appropriate registered as an Irish entry.

“Thank God, films are chosen by the festival and not by the British state,” Loach said. The director is no newcomer to controversy, with four of his television documentaries banned from British screens in the past.

“Hidden Agenda” is a taut thriller centering on a group of civil rights campaigners investigating human rights abuses in Northern Ireland.