DIRECTOR LOACH APPEALS FOR VANISHING FILM EDITING SUPPLY

Ken Loach (The Wind that Shakes the Barley) is one of those dying breed of directors who still makes films with film. And that has presented the award-winning British filmmaker with a threatening problem as he attempts to complete his latest feature, Jimmy’s Hall. It seems that he is running short of “numbering tape,” a product used with his editing system to keep the soundtrack and the film in sync. On Wednesday, he phoned the British trade publication Screen Daily and made an appeal for help. “We’re scratching around to find if some numbering tape still exists,” he said, noting that his supply will likely run out by the end of next week. Loach, who is 77, has indicated that Jimmy’s Hall may be his last feature. “I might not tackle another one on that scale again. But I’ll keep making a bit of trouble from time to time,” he said. He has suggested that he might begin making documentaries, which might indeed bring him “a bit of trouble.” He has urged fellow filmmakers to boycott international film festivals where Israeli films are shown.