I, Daniel Blake

Daniel Blake, a widowed 59-year-old joiner from Newcastle, has had a heart attack. Though his doctor has not allowed him to return to work, he is deemed fit to do so after a Work Capability Assessment and is denied Employment and Support Allowance. Daniel is frustrated to learn that his doctor was not contacted about this decision and thus applies for an appeal, a process Daniel finds difficult because he must complete forms online and is not computer literate.

Daniel befriends Katie Morgan, a single mother, after she is sanctioned for arriving late to her Jobcentre appointment. Katie and her children have just moved to Newcastle from a homeless shelter in London, as there is no affordable accommodation in London. Daniel helps the family by repairing objects, teaching them how to heat rooms without electricity, and crafting wooden toys for the children.

During a food bank visit, Katie breaks down crying, having become overwhelmed by hunger due to feeding her children instead of herself. After she is caught shoplifting at a supermarket, a security guard secretly offers Katie work as a prostitute. Daniel surprises her at the brothel where she goes to work and begs her to give up the job, but Katie tearfully insists she has no other way to feed her children.

As a condition for receiving Jobseeker's Allowance, Daniel must keep looking for work. He refuses a job at a garden centre because his doctor will not allow him to work yet. When his work coach tells him he must work harder to find a job or be sanctioned, Daniel spraypaints "I, Daniel Blake, demand my appeal date before I starve" on the side of the building.

Daniel earns the support of bystanders, including other people claiming benefits, but is arrested and cautioned by the police. Daniel sells most of his belongings and becomes a recluse but is pulled out of his depression by Katie's daughter, Daisy, who brings him a homemade meal to repay Daniel for his kindness. On the day of Daniel's appeal, Katie accompanies him to the tribunal, where a welfare adviser tells Daniel that his case looks promising. Upon seeing the judge and doctor who will decide his fate, Daniel becomes anxious and excuses himself to use the toilet, where he suffers another heart attack and dies.

Later, Katie reads a eulogy at his public health funeral, including a speech he had intended to read at his appeal. The speech describes his feelings about how the welfare system failed him, and states, "I am not a blip on a computer screen or a national insurance number, I am a man."

• Dave Johns as Daniel Blake
• Hayley Squires as Katie Morgan
• Briana Shann as Daisy Morgan
• Dylan McKiernan as Dylan Morgan
• Kate Rutter as Ann
• Sharon Percy as Sheila
• Kema Sikazwe as China
• Steven Richens as Piper
• Gavin Webster as Joe
• Mick Laffey as Welfare Benefits Advisor

Principal photography began in October 2015 in Newcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding area.{{cite news|last1=Hodgson|first1=Barbara|title=Award-winning director Ken Loach takes to the streets of Newcastle to shoot his latest feature film|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/award-winning-director-ken-loach-10407775|work=Evening Chronicle|location=Newcastle upon Tyne|date=8 November 2015|access-date=25 May 2016}} The film was produced by Rebecca O'Brien{{Cite web|url=http://www.sixteenfilms.co.uk/people/profile/2/rebecca_o_brien/|title= Team Album > Rebecca O'Brien |publisher=Sixteen Films|access-date=26 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518103539/http://www.sixteenfilms.co.uk/people/profile/2/rebecca_o_brien|archive-date=18 May 2016|url-status=dead}} for Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions and Wild Bunch with the support of the British Film Institute and BBC Films.{{cite web|last1=Gleiberman|first1=Owen|title=Cannes Film Review: 'I, Daniel Blake'|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/i-daniel-blake-review-ken-loach-1201772584/|work=Variety|access-date=25 May 2016|date=12 May 2016}}

O'Brien initially approached Channel 4's film division for funding. After a delay, O'Brien said she was told by Channel 4 that funding was not available as "we're already covering the area because we're doing Benefits Street",{{cite news |last1=Chakrabortty |first1=Aditya |title=Ken Loach: 'The airwaves should be full of outrage' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/10/ken-loach-sorry-we-missed-you-interview-poverty-homelessness-inequality-privatisation |access-date=15 October 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=10 October 2019}} a programme that many saw as demonising people on state welfare.{{cite news |last1=Vallety |first1=Paul |title=As 'Benefits Street' shows, we are quick to demonise and slow to understand |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/as-benefits-street-shows-we-are-quick-to-demonise-and-slow-to-understand-9053628.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=12 January 2014 |access-date=14 March 2024}}

I, Daniel Blake used a variety of marketing strategies to make sure Ken Loach's points got across to his targeted audience and that the film reached a wider audience, including disruptive marketing, street displays and newspaper inclusions. Ken Loach worked with the Trinity Mirror through the use of the editorial column of The Mirror and each newspaper had the "I" changed to reflect the main font of the film.{{Cite web |title=Daily Mirror (UK) Front Page for 14 October 2016 {{!}} Paperboy Online Newspapers |url=https://www.thepaperboy.com/uk/daily-mirror/front-pages-today.cfm?frontpage=48215 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=www.thepaperboy.com}}

The Trinity Mirror also provided 10,000 free tickets to see the movie as announced in one of their newspapers{{Cite web |last=Masters |first=Dave |date=2016-09-16 |title=Free cinema tickets for exclusive screenings of 'I, Daniel Blake' |url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/going-out/film/claim-your-free-cinema-tickets-8818538 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=mirror |language=en}} and used Daniel Blake as the masthead for its papers. The House of Commons and other major buildings in London had projections of Daniel Blake's end speech placed onto the outside walls as part of its "Guerrilla Marketing Campaign".{{Citation |title=I, Daniel Blake - Kommando Marketing Projection | date=24 October 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbckf_2zLmg |language=en |access-date=2022-11-18}}

Ken Loach retweeted various tweets promoting the film and even started a hashtag #WeAreAllDanielBlake{{Cite web |title=Top 3 Ways to Harness the Power of Experiential Marketing |url=http://www.kommando.co.uk/blog/top_3_ways_to_harness_the_power_of_experiential/index.html#:~:text=For%20the%20launch%20of%20the,whilst%20emphasising%20the%20#WeAreAllDanielBlake%20hashtag. |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=www.kommando.co.uk}} which can mostly be found on the official I, Daniel Blake Twitter page.

I, Daniel Blake is Loach's biggest success at the UK box office.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefilmagazine.com/i-daniel-blake-is-ken-loachs-most-successful-uk-release-ever/|title='I, Daniel Blake' Is Ken Loach's Most Successful UK Release Ever|date=24 October 2016|work=The Film Magazine}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/25/i-daniel-blake-ken-loach-uk-box-office-trolls-top-spot|title=I, Daniel Blake scores impressive result at UK box office as Trolls takes top spot|last=Gant|first=Charles|date=25 October 2016|work=The Guardian}} On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92%, based on 184 reviews, with an average rating of 8.01/10. The site's consensus reads: "I, Daniel Blake marks yet another well-told chapter in director Ken Loach's powerfully populist filmography."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_daniel_blake|title=I, Daniel Blake|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=14 March 2020}} On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/i-daniel-blake|title=I, Daniel Blake reviews|work=Metacritic|access-date=20 July 2017}}

Writing for The Guardian, Mark Kermode gave the film five stars.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/23/i-daniel-blake-ken-loach-review-mark-kermode |title=I, Daniel Blake review – a battle cry for the dispossessed |date=23 October 2016|work=The Guardian}}

In 2017, Dave Johns took a solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe: I, Filum Star chronicled how Johns's life had changed since the success of the film, and received critical acclaim, playing to sold out rooms throughout the run. In 2019, he toured a new show, From Byker to the BAFTAs, with 24 dates from August until November that year.{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2017/dave_johns/|title=Dave Johns: I, Fillum Star|website=British Comedy Guide|date=27 July 2019}}

A stand-up comedy show titled I, Tom Mayhew was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2019. The stand-up comedian Tom Mayhew had previously been on benefits for over three years in "austerity Britain" and was inspired to write the show after watching the film.{{cite web|url= https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/i-tom-mayhew|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190727051215/https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/i-tom-mayhew|url-status= dead|archive-date= 27 July 2019|title=I, Tom Mayhew Edinburgh link|date=27 July 2019}} The show was critically acclaimed, with it transferring to a sold-out run at the Soho Theatre in January 2020.{{cite web |date=8 January 2020 |title=I, Tom Mayhew |url=https://sohotheatre.com/shows/i-tom-mayhew/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806170131/https://sohotheatre.com/shows/i-tom-mayhew/ |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=1 November 2020 |publisher=Soho Theatre}}

Dave Johns wrote a stage version updated to the 2021/2022 cost of living crisis, which was set to be premiered at the Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne in May 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/nov/17/i-daniel-blake-to-be-adapted-for-stage-and-updated-for-cost-of-living-crisis |title=I, Daniel Blake to be adapted for stage and updated for cost-of-living crisis |last=Wiegand |first=Chris |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 November 2022 |access-date=18 November 2022}} Following this sold-out run, it is touring throughout the rest of the year.{{Cite web |title=I, Daniel Blake {{!}} Northern Stage |url=https://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/i-daniel-blake-2/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=@northernstage |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=I, Daniel Blake |url=https://ett.org.uk/our-work/i-daniel-blake/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=English Touring Theatre |language=en}}

The Conservative Party's then-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, said the film was unfair and criticised its portrayal of Jobcentre staff: "This idea that everybody is out to crunch you, I think it has really hurt Jobcentre staff who don't see themselves as that."{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/i-daniel-blake-iain-duncan-smith-ken-loach-response-criticism-benefits-sanctions-film-unfair-a7384306.html|title=Iain Duncan Smith's predictable response after watching I, Daniel Blake|date=28 October 2016|work=The Independent}} The producer, Rebecca O'Brien, responded that Duncan Smith "is living in cloud cuckoo land".{{cite news|url=https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/i-daniel-blake-far-scathing-says-producer/|title=I, Daniel Blake producer responds to Toby Young, Iain Duncan Smith|date=28 October 2016|work=inews}}

On the 27 October 2016 episode of the BBC topical debate programme Question Time, which had Loach as a panellist, the Conservative Party's then-Business Secretary Greg Clark described the film as "fictional" and said, "It's a difficult job administering a benefits system. Department for Work and Pensions staff have to make incredibly difficult decisions and I think they should have our support in making those decisions."

Loach responded by criticising the pressure that DWP staff are placed under: "We talked to hundreds of people who work at the DWP under your guidance and instructions, and they are told to sanction people. If they don't sanction them, they're in trouble." He later said, "When you're sanctioned your life is forced into chaos, and people are going to food banks. How can we live in a society where hunger is used as a weapon?"{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/10/28/ken-loach-and-minister-greg-clark-clash-over-fictional-i-daniel/|title=Ken Loach and minister Greg Clark clash over 'fictional' I, Daniel Blake on Question Time|work=Daily Telegraph|date=28 October 2016}}

The Labour Party's then-Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the film's London premiere and praised the film on his Facebook page.{{cite news|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/jeremy-corbyn-tells-film-fans-12049745|title=Jeremy Corbyn urges film fans to go see Tyneside-set I, Daniel Blake|first=Mike|last=Kelly|date=19 October 2016|work=Chronicle Live}} During Prime Minister's Questions on 2 November 2016, Corbyn criticised the unfairness of the welfare system and advised then-Prime Minister Theresa May to watch the film.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37851425|title=PMQs: Corbyn tells May to watch I Daniel Blake film|date=2 November 2016|work=BBC News}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|5168192}}
• [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5277-i-daniel-blake-an-authentic-cinema "I, Daniel Blake: An Authentic Cinema"]: an essay by Girish Shambu at the Criterion Collection
• [https://828.home.blog/2020/01/06/i-daniel-blake-2/ I, Daniel Blake: Marketing Blog]
• [https://twitter.com/idanielblake?lang=en I, Daniel Blake Twitter page]

{{Ken Loach}}

{{Navboxes

|title= Awards for I, Daniel Blake

|list=

{{BAFTA Best British Film}}

{{Palme d'Or}}

{{César Award for Best Foreign Film}}

{{David di Donatello for Best European Film}}

{{Empire Award for Best British Film}}

{{London Film Critics Circle Award for British Film of the Year}}

{{Mainichi Film Award for Foreign Film Best One Award}}

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:I, Daniel Blake}}

Category:2016 films

Category:British Film Institute films

Category:BBC Film films

Category:France 2 Cinéma films

Category:British drama films

Category:English-language French films

Category:French drama films

Category:Films about social realism

Category:Best British Film BAFTA Award winners

Category:Best Foreign Film César Award winners

Category:Palme d'Or winners

Category:Films directed by Ken Loach

Category:Films scored by George Fenton

Category:Welfare in England

Category:Films about poverty in the United Kingdom

Category:Films set in Newcastle upon Tyne

Category:IFC Films films

Category:2016 drama films

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:2010s British films

Category:2010s French films

Category:Le Pacte films

Category:Works about social class