---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's time British filmmakers…"
description: "\"I think it's time British filmmakers stopped allowing themselves to be colonized so ruthlessly by U.S. ideas and stopped looking so slavishly to the U...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png"
---

#  I think it's time British filmmakers stopped allowing…

![“I think it's time British filmmakers stopped allowing themselves to be colonized so ruthlessly by U.S. ideas and stopped looking so slavishly to the U.S. market. It demeans filmmaking when they do that.” quote by Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png)

> “I think it's time British filmmakers stopped allowing themselves to be colonized so ruthlessly by U.S. ideas and stopped looking so slavishly to the U.S. market. It demeans filmmaking when they do that.”

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

British cinema should resist U.S. cultural dominance to preserve its unique voice.

**In simple terms:** British film must stay true to its roots.

Key Takeaway

Support local storytelling.

Themes

cultural identity film industry globalization

Mood

defiant critical

Type

opinion editorial

When to use this quote

- film festivals
- production meetings
- policy debates

Key Concepts

national cinema cultural imperialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can UK filmmakers balance global appeal with local authenticity?
- What risks arise from rejecting all foreign influence?

A Different Perspective

Overly nationalist stance may limit creative exchange.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [British film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british-film/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [It is funny now, but in the beginning of my career, some of the films failed at the box office, and filmmakers stopped casting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taapsee-pannu/it-is-funny-now-but-in-the-beginning-of-my-career-some-of-the-films/)

[Taapsee Pannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taapsee-pannu/)

> [Well, I think by and large, certainly in terms of cinema, American culture dominates our cinema, mainly in the films that are shown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/well-i-think-by-and-large-certainly-in-terms-of-cinema-american/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [After 'The Gamekeeper' I made one other film called 'Looks and Smiles,' but making British films was very difficult. There wasn't a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/after-the-gamekeeper-i-made-one-other-film-called-looks-and-smiles/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [If you think back to the great French directors it's difficult to think of British film-makers who are comparable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/if-you-think-back-to-the-great-french-directors-it-s-difficult-to/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [As a black actress, all I was offered in British film was the best friend role, whereas in television, I was offered a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-okonedo/as-a-black-actress-all-i-was-offered-in-british-film-was-the-best/)

[Sophie Okonedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-okonedo/)

> [When I became the chair of the British Film Institute, I didn't understand how much of my time would be taken up with trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-minghella/when-i-became-the-chair-of-the-british-film-institute-i-didn-t/)

[Anthony Minghella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-minghella/)

> [I could never really choose a favorite book, but whenever I'm asked what my favorite movie is, I always say 'Withnail &amp; I,' a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lutz/i-could-never-really-choose-a-favorite-book-but-whenever-i-m-asked/)

[Lisa Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lutz/)

> [London exists normally in a state of bleach bypass. There's the artistic context of "Blow Up" and "Performance" and all the Sixties and Seventies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/london-exists-normally-in-a-state-of-bleach-bypass-there-s-the/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [A lot of the reasons that I'm resistant to making films in the U.S. have nothing to do with not doing a film in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/a-lot-of-the-reasons-that-i-m-resistant-to-making-films-in-the-u-s/)

[Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/)

> [In the 40 or so years I've known David Puttnam, not only has he pursued an outstanding career in films and now politics, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/in-the-40-or-so-years-i-ve-known-david-puttnam-not-only-has-he/)

[Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/)

> [I'd rather do theater and British films than move to L.A. in hopes of getting small roles in American films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-d-rather-do-theater-and-british-films-than-move-to-l-a-in-hopes-of/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [The BFI recently did a study of the British films that have the most people of color in them in the last 10 years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-clarke/the-bfi-recently-did-a-study-of-the-british-films-that-have-the-most/)

[Noel Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-clarke/)

> [I'm somebody who is very, very proud to have been a part of the British film industry all my life and to have kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-m-somebody-who-is-very-very-proud-to-have-been-a-part-of-the/)

[Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/)

> [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/)

[Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/)

> [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/)

[Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/)

## More by Ken Loach

> [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Film is one small voice in a great cacophony of noise from newspapers, from the television, from social media, so it can have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/film-is-one-small-voice-in-a-great-cacophony-of-noise-from-newspapers/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [A TV series is a long commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/a-tv-series-is-a-long-commitment/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Often people write stories about people who are suffering, and they're miserable all the time. That's not the case. You go to the food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/often-people-write-stories-about-people-who-are-suffering-and-they-re/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Preparation is really important for actors; they need to know who they are, where they're from, and the experiences up to the point that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/preparation-is-really-important-for-actors-they-need-to-know-who-they/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [We have what we call 'fake left' politicians, like Ed Miliband and those who went before him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/we-have-what-we-call-fake-left-politicians-like-ed-miliband-and-those/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [I was stage-struck from an early age. I just loved the language. We lived quite near Stratford so I would cycle and watch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-was-stage-struck-from-an-early-age-i-just-loved-the-language-we/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Surprise is something that's very difficult to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/surprise-is-something-that-s-very-difficult-to-act/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [I know there are people who can direct sitting down away from it all at a video monitor. But I can't do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-know-there-are-people-who-can-direct-sitting-down-away-from-it-all/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [It's what people have always done. They have always told stories, put on plays. It's characters and narrative and thought and context and resolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/it-s-what-people-have-always-done-they-have-always-told-stories-put/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Politics lives in people, ideas live in people, they live in the concrete struggles that people have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/politics-lives-in-people-ideas-live-in-people-they-live-in-the/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [The older you get the more new memories get wiped out, and you end up remembering more about your early life than what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/the-older-you-get-the-more-new-memories-get-wiped-out-and-you-end-up/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [After 'The Gamekeeper' I made one other film called 'Looks and Smiles,' but making British films was very difficult. There wasn't a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/after-the-gamekeeper-i-made-one-other-film-called-looks-and-smiles/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Anti-Semitism is a form of racism, and all forms of racism are horrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/anti-semitism-is-a-form-of-racism-and-all-forms-of-racism-are-horrible/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [Gordon Brown is and always will be committed to the interests of big business, so there's no way I want to be involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/gordon-brown-is-and-always-will-be-committed-to-the-interests-of-big/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

[Explore all 116 Ken Loach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

## More British quotes

> [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/)

[Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/)

> [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/)

[Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/)

> [I always wanted to make a 'James Bond' film, and they only seemed to hire British directors, and I'd made 'Swingers' - they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-a-james-bond-film-and-they-only-seemed-to/)

[Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/)

> [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/)

[Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/)

> [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

> [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/)

[Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/)

> [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/)

[Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/)

> [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. The old Soviet Union turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-we-like-to-think-queueing-is-unique-to-british-culture-the/)

[Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [The whole nuclear-arms-control and non-proliferation policy of the nuclear powers is a fraud: The Americans could not prevent the Soviets from replicating their weaponry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/the-whole-nuclear-arms-control-and-non-proliferation-policy-of-the/)

[Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/)

> [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/)

[Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/)

[Browse all 3,149 British quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think it's time British filmmakers stopped allowing themselves to be colonized so ruthlessly by U.S. ideas and stopped looking so slavishly to the U.S. market. It demeans filmmaking when they do that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ken Loach"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-stopped-allowing-themselves-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "British"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-stopped-allowing-themselves-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/118/ken-loach-4106_british_i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-sto_2481554.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think it's time British filmmakers stopped allowing themselves to be colonized so ruthlessly by U.S. ideas…” — Ken Loach",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ken Loach",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think it's time British filmmakers...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-stopped-allowing-themselves-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-think-it-s-time-british-filmmakers-stopped-allowing-themselves-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
